Mittens & Mesquite

[anonymouscuban]

An old mesquite tree in Monument Valley. At least I think it's a mesquite tree.

 

[tirediron]

The mesquite(?) is interesting, but to be honest, my eye rests on it for about a millisecond and then zooms to that beautiful golden light on the mesas in the background.

 

[crimbfighter]

I agree with tirediron in that my eye is quickly drawn to the brighter background, but I still think this is wonderful image! It's sharp throughout, and after my eye has been satisfied by the background, there's plenty of neat details to explore in the rest of the image, particularly the patches of grass in the right third of the frame. Nicely done!

 

[Designer]

The mesquite(?) is interesting, but to be honest, my eye rests on it for about a millisecond and then zooms to that beautiful golden light on the mesas in the background.

I agree with tirediron in that my eye is quickly drawn to the brighter background, but I still think this is wonderful image! It's sharp throughout, and after my eye has been satisfied by the background, there's plenty of neat details to explore in the rest of the image, particularly the patches of grass in the right third of the frame. Nicely done!

Those features are what make this an outstanding photograph. The interplay of light and dark areas as well as the textures and colors keep one's eye moving all over in order to try to see everything. The qualities of a really good composition.

Exposure, frame, focus, all working extremely well. Beautiful!

 

[anonymouscuban]

Thanks for the comments and feedback guys. This is one of those images that I captured, more from a "journalistic" perspective, than true artsy landscape. What I mean is I wanted to capture a memory of this cool mesquite tree with the mitten in the background. No plans of really doing anything with it. Maybe print it as an 8x10 for my collage wall.

The scene drew my attention. It was a captivating vignette in this expansive landscape. But I knew with the deep shadowed foreground and the light in the background, it was going to be tough to capture. What's cool is that I grab this in one exposure. Amazes me the capabilities of the D800 for dynamic range. However, I'm not too sure I'm happy with the edit. The white balance since a tad off to me. I wasn't going to both but your comments have inspired me to give this photo a little bit more attention.

- Alex

 

[Designer]

I wasn't going to both but your comments have inspired me to give this photo a little bit more attention.

This shot can be many things. Be sure to try some exaggerated editing techniques to see how far out you can make it. Back in the olden days, some of us tried solarization and posterization to some select images just to see what could happen. Then print it large.