The photographer is looking for generalized feedback about the aesthetic and technical qualities of their image.
Description
My brother had noticed these two sycamore trees on the other side of the Susquehanna River while we were hiking a trail in Susquehanna SP and pointed them out to me. I have always thought that they have a stark beauty about them. My longest lens is a 200 mm and I probably needed something in the range of 300-400 mm, but I thought why not. I can always crop some; not ideal I know; but better than nothing. I wound up cropping off the sky and the river with a little from the left and right sides.
It wasn’t until later; when working on the image; that I noticed what I think are cormorants hanging out on the limbs of the sycamores. Needless to say they were a nice bonus and added a little extra to the scene.
Specific Feedback
All C&C welcomed and appreciated.
Technical Details
Nikon Z7, Nikon 24-200 @ 200 mm, f 11 @ 1/8 sec, ISO 100, Kase Wolverine CPL.
What a lovely springtime image you have here, Ed. The greening trees offer just the right amount of contrast with the bird covered sycamores. I also like the horizontal, panoramic looking format. Wonderful!
LOVE the Sycamore! They are so expressive and I agree with you that they have such a stark beauty. And to combine with lovely spring greens, that starkness shows even more. I too thought the birds were a wonderful bonus.
Even without seeing the original, I think you did well to remove sky and river from the scene; the longer format works very well.
The only thing really that gives me pause is the bouncing effect of the eye going back and forth between not just the 2 sycamores, but also the farily prominent tree in the center with those vibrant spring leaves. So I’ve looked at that a bit and even tried some various crops - none of which came close to being an improvement; in fact cropping this any further really turns the scene in to something very static. I’m not sure if you processed this way intentionally, but the smaller tree on the left is slightly darker with less contrast; this really helps to make the point that the primary interest is the larger sycamore on the right, and in the end, I think this works quite beautifully.
Those birds kinda steal the show too, which makes this even better.
Nice one, Ed. We have Sycamores here in the Ithaca area and I love photographing them, especially when they are bare of leaves. Like others, I like that the branches are filled with Cormorants. It’s a very peaceful photo for me. Good job seeing this composition.
I think this is an exceptional image, Ed. It has to be viewed large to be appreciated. Smart choice to lose the river and sky and go with the pano format. I love the diffused lighting. I wonder how low angle setting sun light would change the mood of the image. I also like the contrast of the sharper trees surrounding by the almost blurry, oof, vegetation. Don’t know whether that was a purposeful effect you tried to achieve or just the way it looked, Wonderful image. I just might have to go back across the river and take one myself.
Wonderful!! What gorgeous trees!! I love the soft vegetation at the bottom of the frame, and how the trees rise out of it. The birds are an amazing bonus!
@Lon_Overacker: No special processing on the tree on the left, it just worked out that way. @Igor_Doncov: I myself wondered about that so I did a little research and they do manage to roost in trees while drying off and digesting their meals. Their guano sometimes kills the trees after a while and the tree falls and they move on. Mike and I see them hanging out on rocks quite a bit in the middle of the Susquehanna near these trees.
