Natural Bonsai
Aug 5, 2018 11:40:02 #
Laurence68
Loc: Olympic Peninsula, WA
Red Heather, White Heather, glacially scoured bedrock rib, and stunted (but tough and healthy) Subalpine Fir (Abies lasiocarpa).
Aug 5, 2018 15:15:36 #
Strong! I wonder if trying some cropping and a little boosting of the contrasts across the valley might bring out what you like about the photo without knocking down its essence.
Aug 5, 2018 16:01:25 #
The tree's diminutive size doesn't jump out at you until you look very closely at the foreground. Maybe a slightly brighter foreground would help with the sense of scale. But it's still an attention-grabbing shot, and a good example of the solitary tree genre.
Aug 5, 2018 16:12:41 #
Hi, Larry,
R.G. nailed the basic problem of scale. IMO, even considering scale of foreground low vegetation, distance to the subalpine fir is unclear...it comes across as a more distant and otherwise unremarkable tree rather than a close, naturally stunted tree.
Dave
R.G. nailed the basic problem of scale. IMO, even considering scale of foreground low vegetation, distance to the subalpine fir is unclear...it comes across as a more distant and otherwise unremarkable tree rather than a close, naturally stunted tree.
Dave
Aug 5, 2018 16:28:18 #
I have a couple of opinions that are contrary to those given so far. One is background: don't you dare touch it, lol. I love the mood of cool and distant, barely visible mountain peaks. Regarding scale, either I was overly influenced by your title (the purpose and use of titles has made for two very interesting discussions in FYC*) or I felt a familiarity due to my visits to the Cascades. That familiarity could also help explain my attraction to the soft background. I am curious about how a bit of brightness on the foreground might affect the scale, but otherwise, I like this very much!
*the last was May 2017 here
*the last was May 2017 here
Aug 5, 2018 16:34:35 #
Linda From Maine wrote:
.....I am curious about how a bit of brightness on the foreground might affect the scale.....
It would make the detail of the foreground vegetation (including its size) more accessible, but as Dave pointed out, the distance to the fir tree would still be unclear. A slightly higher viewpoint showing the ground between the foreground vegetation and the tree might have helped to indicate distance from viewer.
Aug 5, 2018 17:13:07 #
Reading all these, I would learn a lot, and so would others I think, if what the poster wrote were SHOWN.
Aug 6, 2018 11:18:02 #
There are so many things I like about this image. I like how the light trips over the boulders from sort of behind them. Makes me think it was perhaps early morning? I like the spaciousness with the solitary tree in a field of boulders. I like the tree that has stood the test of time, even though prevailing (and probably strong) winds have tried to tear it down. I like the haziness or fogginess over the distant mountains. That way they don't distract from the tree but can be exactly what they are - a background for the hero of the image.
Aug 6, 2018 12:15:50 #
Laurence68
Loc: Olympic Peninsula, WA
Thanks as always to everyone. I will work a little on the foreground, based on suggestions. The background needs to stay as is, in my opinion, because it's true to what was there - morning fog, pretty thick, ascending the basin and swirling around. There wasn't a lot of light at the instant of exposure; however I agree that brightening the foreground subjects might help a little with sense of scale.
Actually this was a very quick shot just before it REALLY socked in. Cranked the dials over to full automatic and let the camera figure it out for the fast shot, as I was a little concerned about thick fog starting to surround me. I took a quick compass bearing right after the shot, which allowed me to keep a sense of direction. I was on a traverse in this instance, and needed bearings in order to intercept a distant gap in a rock rib that was key to traveling to another basin.
Actually this was a very quick shot just before it REALLY socked in. Cranked the dials over to full automatic and let the camera figure it out for the fast shot, as I was a little concerned about thick fog starting to surround me. I took a quick compass bearing right after the shot, which allowed me to keep a sense of direction. I was on a traverse in this instance, and needed bearings in order to intercept a distant gap in a rock rib that was key to traveling to another basin.
Aug 6, 2018 12:35:56 #
Laurence68
Loc: Olympic Peninsula, WA
Oh...the tree was about 2 feet high as I recall.
As a side note, I have been fulfilling a dream of using the whole summer here in my 70th year of life almost exclusively for cruising the wonderful off trail backcountry of the Olympic Mountains. It has been wonderful. And I've dropped 18 pounds in the past 3 months, with my older body subsequently gaining muscle strength. Of course, the season started with the usual "suffer fest" on the first couple of weeks. But now I'm noticing that, even after a 14 or even 16 hour day of rough travel, my recovery is much quicker. A pleasant surprise, and I'm more confident than ever that this body is not going to start to break. I only ask for at least another decade to be able to continue to roam.
Maybe too much info...sometimes I tend to put too much of my thoughts onto the keyboard. :-)
As a side note, I have been fulfilling a dream of using the whole summer here in my 70th year of life almost exclusively for cruising the wonderful off trail backcountry of the Olympic Mountains. It has been wonderful. And I've dropped 18 pounds in the past 3 months, with my older body subsequently gaining muscle strength. Of course, the season started with the usual "suffer fest" on the first couple of weeks. But now I'm noticing that, even after a 14 or even 16 hour day of rough travel, my recovery is much quicker. A pleasant surprise, and I'm more confident than ever that this body is not going to start to break. I only ask for at least another decade to be able to continue to roam.
Maybe too much info...sometimes I tend to put too much of my thoughts onto the keyboard. :-)
Aug 6, 2018 12:39:49 #
Laurence68
Loc: Olympic Peninsula, WA
artBob wrote:
Strong! I wonder if trying some cropping and a little boosting of the contrasts across the valley might bring out what you like about the photo without knocking down its essence.
Bob, how would you crop this? Any suggestion? I am using an "ancient" 2004 Minolta A2 bridge cam with a non-working EVF and a startlingly small "squinty" little 1.2 inch LCD screen, with Minolta 28-200 zoom. The aspect ratio is 4:3 which is slightly clunky. "Why?"you say? Because the color rendering of the Minolta glass is wonderful and the camera itself is tough and can take being knocked around. Just don't use ISO higher than 200...I just keep it set at ISO 64 for the most part.
Aug 6, 2018 13:03:59 #
wayne barnett
Loc: Grants Pass, Oregon
Great shot. Does not need to be changed as it captured the scene as it existed.
Aug 6, 2018 13:35:29 #
What Linda said, especially about the background. As for scale, I can't tell--nor do I care--whether the tree is six inches, six feet, or six meters tall, its placement and its presumed perseverance are beautifully rendered.
Aug 6, 2018 13:43:21 #
Laurence68 wrote:
Bob, how would you crop this? Any suggestion? I am... (show quote)
Laurence, in conducting critiques I try to get to the essence of what the creator was going for, and then see if it could be communicated more strongly, or, if "ordinary," to try to find something in the work that the creator might pursue to create his own take.
Your photo has a deep sense of what you were after, so my cropping and dodging and burning are attempts to make the isolated tree, its beautiful ridge, and the distant mountains and their snow fields come out. Here it is. Oh, I couldn't get a good composition and include all you wanted, so I flipped it.
I tried to tie in the mts. by slightly dodging the base of the fog and lightening the snow fields just a bit. The tree and the ground I separately intensified just a bit. I used PhotoShop, its selection, vibrance, burn, and dodge tools.
Aug 6, 2018 14:21:46 #
Laurence68
Loc: Olympic Peninsula, WA
artBob wrote:
Laurence, in conducting critiques I try to get to ... (show quote)
This is MUCH more vibrant than my original "uncut" version. I will say right off the bat that I am not proficient with Photoshop - in fact I'm a Luddite, still using old Photoshop 6 on an XP machine. Go figure! I just HATE to sit in front of the computer (unless I'm showing some images I've taken, of course) for any long length of time.
I like the brighter tree, the seemingly increased contrast. Not sure if I like the ridgeline cut off. But overall, this is a REALLY nice interpretation, and you have increased the ability to sort of "scale" the scene to the human eye.
THANK YOU for taking the time to do this. May I use this in posts on other forums when I get around to it?
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