New Life

[Sabyasachi Patra]

I was driving my SUV in BR Hills Sanctuary in India. I was looking for signs of the tiger and was driving slowly. Suddenly, I noticed this tree fallen on the ground by a storm. The tree hadn't died and new leaves had sprouted. The leaves were glistening in the morning sun. I felt as if this is a celebration of new life. The cobwebs were the decorations for the celebration and the black ants were the guests. That day, I returned without sighting the tiger, but was happy that I saw this scene.

Shot with Canon EOS 1D Mark II, Canon EF 300mm F4 L IS USM, ISO 200, 1/50, f8, +2/3 EV

[Ed Vatza]

Good story, Sabyasachi. And I am glad to hear that you love this image. That is job #1.

Not having been there, I am having difficulty with this image. I can't seem to find anything to really focus my eye on. I keep searching for something in the red leaves and not finding it. Some of that may be a focus issue. Some of it may be the harsh light. Let's see what others say.

[Bruce Murden]

I also think the story surpassed the photo, so a viewer of just the image may be lost on why it is so special. This may be a case where you will need to keep this story and photo together, or even write a poem to go with the image (if poetry is something you enjoy). With the close up view of the new growth, we can't see as well that the tree has fallen, instead thinking that this view may be leaves growing out of the top of a thick branch. It would have been good after making this image, to work this small scene more to see if a wider or different framing would help tell viewers the feelings you have here of new growth. The hard lighting also reduces some of the glory you can see in person, reducing contrast here. Saturation and contrast adjustments may bring back some of the feelings you describe into this image.

Thanks for sharing this image and your story. I love to see images that were found while looking for something else. It's one of the joys of my own photo trips.