January

Title: Valley oak

How I did it:

March 27, 2011
Canon EOS Digital Rebel Xti
58 mm
ISO 100
1/40 sec.
f/11
Initial color adjustments with Photoshop and Topaz Adjust
Monochrome Conversion in Nik Silver Effects Pro
In the Sierra Nevada foothills outside Fresno we have lots of oak trees. Some of them look almost regal with their dark branches against the the bright skies and green grass in the spring, so I frequently try to photograph them. However, they always seem to lose something in the process. Here I've tried to offset the beautiful, sprawling tree branches with some longer blades of grass and the great clouds that I did luck into finding that day. Yet it still seemed it needed something, so I added the border. After I did so, I debated whether I like it or not. Perhaps something else or a different sort of border would work better? What do you think?

COMMENTS:

Diana Magor	I have images of beautiful trees like this too and sometimes they work but they rarely get very far in competitions unless they have a super sky behind them. I think this sky is too weak unfortunately, so unless you can increase its contrast a lot and perhaps vignette it so the corners are much darker. it probably won't get anywhere, although I like this sort of image on my wall!
Jose Luis Urbaitel	The tree looks awesome and the conversion to mono, appropriate .In my opinion you need to adjust the levels a bit sliding the black from 0 to 50 or so where I found That it greatly improves contrast in general. Also I would like it if the tree had a little more "air", especially in the top and in the left side.
Chuck Milber
Stephen Levitas	I like the tree but I don’t like the border—I can’t find a reason for it. I shoot hill- top trees against the sky also. I prefer to pull back a little so the tree does not quite fill so much of the frame. I think it gives more of a feel of the isolation of the single tree in an empty landscape. I think the contrast with the grass tuft is a very successful experiment, and I will employ it myself in such compositions.
Carol McCreary	I really like this photo... the darkness of the tree branches very intriguing. I would like to bring out a little more white in the sky ( just use levels and select the sky ). The inside border line helps the photo too. Excellence job.
Wes Odell	Yes, I’ve seen a lot of these magnificient oaks in the foothills of the Sierra Nevada. Composition is nice. Sharp. As you say, the clouds work well. Tonalities all good. Border is ok, but I think it would depend on how you plan and where to exhibit. Some of you have told me borders are not liked by judges.

Jennifer's Bio

Hello! Although I’ve been taking photos for over 25 years, I am still fairly new to PSA, having joined in 2006. I took up digital photography about the same time I joined PSA, but I still occasionally shoot film, too. My favorite subjects are landscapes and travel, although as an attorney for a busy non-profit organization, finding the time to travel can be a challenge. Fortunately, I am blessed to have lots of amazing scenery only a short drive from home here in Central California. Monochrome is particularly close to my heart since my early photography experiences were with T-Max and Tri-X film in the darkroom. I’m eager to learn more about producing quality digital monochrome images.

Webmaster: Robert B. Gorrill, APSA, MNEC