I know that tree well Ed. This is one of the few scenes I think works well in midday because the foreground is a translucent succulent that can really glow in the light. It is actually saltwart, ask Roman how it tastes. =) For the scen I think I might like the tree a little more off-center and even though it seems straight by checking with a line, it looks like it is leaning right to me. I have actaully been exploring this type of habitat lately and i love the gold/blue combo you got here.
Hey Ed,
Know this one well too......Late day it really glows......and for the taste record....Salty! (in a good way and would go great with a beer:D). You had great clouds and agree with Paul on the tree placement too.
Ed, I like the color of the foreground very much but I feel the time of day isn't working for you. The tree loses alot of impact due to the lighting and the merge with the backround trees takes away from it's strength..As Roman stated I would like to see this with a late day glow!!
Thanks for the comments. Yes, the time of day - about 10:30 AM was a bit bright with the Sun directly behind me. However, you know how it is when you are travelling. This was the last day in the Everglades and I finally noticed the scenery (had to take my eyes off the birds to do this!
Do you think if I turned down the exposure and/or brightness in LR I could tone it down enough to make it more interesting?
Ed, I don't have LR but its certainly worth a try. In hindsight, when you composed the image the tree might have been stronger if you had moved to the left and positioned the tree so the backround was the farther tree line. That would have minimalized the merge.However, alot of times it comes down to lighting and the effects that creates.
I like the colors very much, Ed, and also think Dave's idea of placing the tree on the left would have been nice. I know how hard it is to switch from bird mode to landscape mode :)