Study Group 2
Ron Alexander

Title - Two Hairy Giants

January 2012 Image

How I did it -The Wakulla River in Florida is one of the most beautiful in the state: Gin-clear water, abundant wildlife and forest. While cruising the river on a cold, overcast day, I was fascinated by these two cypress trees completely covered by Spanish Moss (not a true moss—an air plant). They looked like two strange creatures walking the shore. f/4.5, 1/160, sharpened, saturated, and added some contrast.

COMMENTS:
 

Joseph Malkary	Interesting image. Colors really come out on an overcast day. I think I might have cropped out the bare tree on the right side.
Allen Gannaway	Unusual trees. The one on the left is more interesting. Perhaps a vertical, cropping out the tree on the right would result in a stronger presentation.
Bill Provost	A very majestic photo. The details really stand out and provide an interesting contrast with the bare tree. It seems to increase the impact of the wonderful cypress with their coats of Spanish Moss.
Lynne Royce	These Spanish Moss bedecked Cypress trees look like they could illustrate the Harry Potter books I'm reading. At first I considered eliminating the stark tree on the right but then decided it adds perfect contrast to the ghostly trees. Good catch.
Don von Wolffradt	Boy, talk about seeing the image in spite of the forest. Great photo seeing and great imagination. Perhaps a vertical image showing the entire tree would strengthen the image. In any case, I like the image the way it is presented.
Al Swanson	These are very interesting trees sure. It's captivating to watch the moss as it swayed back and forth in the breeze. I've seen these trees myself in their really eerie sometimes. If I were doing this one, I think I would've cropped out much of the vegetation to the left of the trees and focused on the moss-covered trees themselves. Perhaps a little tweaking of the shading and vibrance would have brought out the shadows of the moss a little more.

Member Bio

Ron Alexander - Biography  In thirty years as an academic pathologist, specimen photography and photomicroscopy were an everyday process in the lab; producing 35-mm slides for teaching, demonstration and academic publishing. (You would not hang such pictures on the wall.) In semi-retirement I did artistic wood turnings and some sculptures, and learned the problems of photographing artwork. I still teach part-time at Tulane Medical School, here in New Orleans, and devote all other time to photography and writing.