Dead Trees

[ndwgolf]

Ive been riding past this pond everyday for the last week and today I made an effort to go and shoot it with my Chamonix 45F2..............glad I did

4x5 Ilford Delta 100 Developed in LC29 using my new method

Neil

 

[EdSawyer]

very nice!

 

[gary in nj]

I'm glad you did too.

 

[winger]

Great idea - I'm glad you stopped, too! I kinda wish a little more of the reflection showed - that's really cool.

 

[Arklatexian]

Ive been riding past this pond everyday for the last week and today I made an effort to go and shoot it with my Chamonix 45F2..............glad I did

4x5 Ilford Delta 100 Developed in LC29 using my new method

Neil
View attachment 191502

I admire the amount of detail that you get when shooting trees and other foliage. In this picture, I would like to see more of the reflection in the water with the trees making 1/3 of the picture and the reflections 2/3. If that is on the negative. This picture has your usual great print quality...........Regards!

 

[Poisson Du Jour]

Some points on this image:

The trees would be better if they are isolated from the distracting background. The question is, "can they be isolated?".
You are some distance from the key subject matter of this scene, and that has added clutter and distraction of surrounding trees: there is no prominent key in the subject, rather just a spread of scene. Moving in closer so you have only a small number of trees to work with ... did you explore that option?
There is an indistinct reflection in the water. For some viewers, this can be taken as abstract and desirable (especially in colour). What was your intention there?
In planned, ideal conditions e.g. no wind or breeze (evening/early morning), bisecting the image in the centre with the trees at the top and their reflection in the water would very much be offering an interesting and provoking illusion to viewers.
The image is made on 4x5. But it could also be made on practically any camera available. How does the format make it better in light of shortcomings?

Exposure and tonality is beautiful, but in terms of thought of composition and what is important, it needs further exploration.

 

[Sirius Glass]

Next time make the wind stop blowing so that reflections look like a mirror image.

 

[ndwgolf]

Here is the second picture that I shot at the same location in Portrait mode...............I like them both so I will let the masses decide

Neil

 

[Alan W]

I prefer the first.The "Horizontal" one,I would crop the image,though,just above the line of the dead trees that are reflected in the water.The glimpse of the sky above the higher trees,for me,is distracting.Nice tones and a fine photo.

 

[removed account4]

personally, i would crop the trees out completely
the trees are nice and well memorialized, but
the reflection is what holds my attention.

 

[Sirius Glass]

Horizontal is better with the complete photograph.

 

[bernard_L]

The glimpse of the sky above the higher trees,for me,is distracting.Nice tones and a fine photo.

+1 Exactly my immediate feel.

 

[Mick Fagan]

Both are good, landscape version is my choice, but with the top cropped to eliminate all the sky image. The dead trees are then the centre of attention; the reflection is the icing on the cake.

Nice as always, what focal length, looks longish?

Mick.

 

[ndwgolf]

Both are good, landscape version is my choice, but with the top cropped to eliminate all the sky image. The dead trees are then the centre of attention; the reflection is the icing on the cake.

Nice as always, what focal length, looks longish?

Mick.

Mick
I took it with my 360mm Nikor lens......I love this lens
I agree the cropped out sky now looks better

Neil

 

[Sirius Glass]

Mick
I took it with my 360mm Nikor lens......I love this lens
I agree the cropped out sky now looks better

Neil
View attachment 191533

Much better!

 

[mike c]

Cropping the sky out of the second one (vertical) would work also. All so cropping the bottom glare. The top (horz.) one looks a lot better cropped also

 

[Mick Fagan]

Neil, thanks for that, it is quite good whichever way you present it, this interpretation though, is just more pleasing to me.

Hmmm, 360mm on 4x5, that would be nice. My longest lens is 250mm for my Shen Hao, that focal length on 4x5 works wonderfully for many landscapes; better than I thought it would.

Mick.

 

[DoryBreaux]

Thats beautiful! Love the tones in the trees.
I prefer the landscape.

 

[Old-N-Feeble]

I prefer the horizontal but with the sky cropped out.

 

[J_calow]

I like the last version with the sky cropped out.. It is a scene that seems to be well suited for a pano styled crop/shot wider vs. taller.