Memories of Past Glory

[Don Berendsen]

It was mostly overcast today at Barmouth Beach near Pambula, and the rich array of rocks, patterns in the sand etc. provided many opportunities for photographs. The tree in the picture below was at the edge of the beach, apparently felled by erosion from the surf then weathered by wind, sand, and some waves.

Does this image capture the persona of this tree? Any thoughts on the composition or exposure?

Olympus E-3 w/12-60 @ 35mm hand held in natural light
Aperture Priority, 1/250 sec, F5.6, Exp Comp. -1.0 EV, Auto WB,

PP in PS: cropped, sharpened, Contrast +10, Brightness -6


http://img156.imageshack.us/img156/6462/p5140833c.jpg


Thanks for taking a look, all comments and criticism are welcome.

[Julie Kenward]

Nice one, Don! I do love the diagonal angle of the break along with the circular motion of the whorls...great texture and pattern. I'm on a work computer so I won't comment about how dark it appears because I bet I'll get home and regret that comment. I'll check back later for another look.

[Dave Mills]

Agree with Julies comments. Thought I would lighten it a bit in levels and added a small bit of contrast adj. Good eye on this image!!

[Steve Maxson]

I like the interplay of patterns and textures here as well as the diagonal comp of the large crack. To me the lightness/darkness is a matter of personal taste and what mood you are going for. I think I prefer the darker version - or maybe something between the two.

[Charles Wesley]

This a well executed photo IMO. I like both versions. In printing, I tend to prefer a darker version. Good eye for patterns and I like diagonals.

Thanks for sharing....
___________________
Charlie Wesley
St. Augustine Beach, FL

[Don Berendsen]

Thank you very much Julie, Dave, Steve and Charles for looking at the image and sharing your thoughts on it. It's really helpful to have the benefit of other 'eyes' and opinions, I really appreciate your very kind and encouraging words and your critical feedback.

Thank you Dave for the reworked version, it's nice to have it for comparison. The feeling is quite different between the two versions, and I've been experimenting in PS and considering some different options. Even small changes make a significant difference in the feel of the image, I'll post a new version when I've settled the matter.

Thanks Charles for bringing up the considerations for printing, I'll keep that in mind when I get this image printed.

Thanks again to everyone!

[denise ippolito]

Don, I like the color tones in the first image-but the details really stand out in the lighter image-I'm going with somewhere in-between as well, I agree that subtle color and shading changes effect how we perceive things.

[Gordon Craig]

The composition of this photo is excellent in its simplicity. It follows the rule of 3rd's almost perfectly. Both versions of the photo are very nice.

[Don Berendsen]

Don, I like the color tones in the first image-but the details really stand out in the lighter image-I'm going with somewhere in-between as well, I agree that subtle color and shading changes effect how we perceive things.

Hi Denise,

Thank you for the comments and suggestions, I just wish I had more experience with PP so I could do a better job of making the result match my vision.



The composition of this photo is excellent in its simplicity. It follows the rule of 3rd's almost perfectly. Both versions of the photo are very nice.

Thank you very much Gordon. I didn't try to follow the rule of 3rd's or other formula explicitly, I just try for a interesting dynamic balance of shapes, lines, and frame. One thing I found interesting is that the image looks very different when flipped horizontally or vertically and to me those orientations don't work nearly as well.


Anyways, here's what I've come up with after trying several different options:


http://img507.imageshack.us/img507/7118/p5140830os3am.jpg



The crop is unintentionally slightly different, I prefer the original but didn't want to go back and try to get it to match more closely. I really need to establish a work flow that enables me to pick up versions mid-stream and make changes. So much to learn!

Many thanks to every one who has commented, your input has been very helpful!