Luminous Landscape Forum

Equipment & Techniques => Landscape & Nature Photography => Topic started by: Chris Calohan on August 04, 2013, 11:24:01 pm

Title: Beach Tree
Post by: Chris Calohan on August 04, 2013, 11:24:01 pm
(http://farm4.staticflickr.com/3791/9438292817_d84998d726_o.jpg)
Title: Re: Beach Tree
Post by: Chris Calohan on August 05, 2013, 05:46:59 pm
Perhaps the smallness of the image on this screen inhibits the impact of this image...then again, you may just all hate it - though I really don't understand why.

Try this link and view on a black screen: http://www.flickr.com/photos/54965930@N07/9438292817/ (http://www.flickr.com/photos/54965930@N07/9438292817/)
Title: Re: Beach Tree
Post by: Eric Myrvaagnes on August 05, 2013, 06:14:48 pm
Chris,

I sort of like it, but it reminds me that I have taken tons of driftwood/fallen tree on beach/etc.-type photos, and I have never figured out how to get them organized into meaningful compositions. As subjects they look great, but the photo never has the same magic, at least for me.

One other thing bothers me some about your photo: the dark background doesn't look like sky, even red-filter Ansel-type sky.

You have shown us so darn many excellent shots that I don't feel this one is up to your usual standards. Sorry!

Title: Re: Beach Tree
Post by: Chris Calohan on August 05, 2013, 06:48:32 pm
Weird as I really like this shot...each to his own, I guess. The sky was so absolutely bland as was pretty much the whole scene, I worked a mid-range filter into it to allow it to blend in with the water...perhaps it s too much....I will have another look as I do value your input.
Title: Re: Beach Tree
Post by: Eric Myrvaagnes on August 05, 2013, 07:11:34 pm
I've got LOTS of photos that I really like, but nobody else does. No, I won't show you any of them.
But maybe I'll show my one "successful" (?) driftwood photo, if I can find it.
Title: Re: Beach Tree
Post by: Chris Calohan on August 05, 2013, 11:29:05 pm
Well, here's the original crop and PP.

(http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7351/9446726241_bdde925d16_o.jpg)
Title: Re: Beach Tree
Post by: aricronald on August 06, 2013, 07:51:25 am
Well I think its a pretty good photography but you need to use some more techniques and tricks for capturing an attractive image. Its looking decent but you can add more creativity to make it a perfect one.
Title: Re: Beach Tree
Post by: sdwilsonsct on August 06, 2013, 08:01:07 am
Looks like you have lifted the highlights. Works for the tree but the waves seem to have lost some structure. Perhaps try different degrees of lightening?

Also, this method of posting images doesn't allow my little laptop to show the whole image at once. Attaching a thumbnail produces a scaled image that can be appreciated in its entirety.
Title: Re: Beach Tree
Post by: Chairman Bill on August 06, 2013, 08:53:12 am
My tuppenceworth, and to be clear, I think this is a challenging subject & I'm not claiming that I'd have done any better ...

I don't think it helps that we've got an equal split along the horizon, dividing the image into two halves. Moving that shoreline up or down might have helped. The tree fills one side of the image, leaving the other side just (relatively) boring sea & sand. There's no interest in the sky either - clear blue skies tend to be quite boring photographically.

The texture of the tree trunk probably offers the most opportunity for interest, but it's a small part of the overall photo. It's what draws the eye (mine at least), but it's hard to appreciate the detail. A more abstract shot of close-up detail of the weathered wood might be better. A stronger composition might work. I'd have been tempted by the flowers to the right of the uncropped image - placing them as foreground interest, with the trunk leading away from them.