Scots Pines on a frosty day

[WesternGuy]

Thanks for the comments. It was a cold grey day lit by a low sun through thin cloud, a strange but quite subtle light.

My only "nit" is the tree sticking into the image from the right, just below the centre. I would have cloned it out as I find it distracting, but then, that is only me.

It's not perfect just natural. I would find it hard to clone out the tree over such a large area without leaving a tell-tale change in texture.

No problem, although "Content Aware Fill" would be something I would try. My only other thing to try would be shooting from a different angle - probably not possible now unless you can return, but just another thought. For example, what would happen if you moved to the right, assuming you could , to try and eliminate the "tree".

WesternGuy

It's not that easy. Moving to the right would mean turning more into the light and therefore shooting more into the shadow. This would not only change the proportion of the lighter parts of the tree to shadow values, but it would also change the beautiful values in the sky, change the shape of the trees and would mean the background was more lined up with a featureless lump rather than looking down the valley. The line of trees would be lost behind the trunks for instance. But most important is the angle of light and how this changes with just a 10-15 degree shift on camera orientation. I did move around before I set up the camera. I don't mind the other trees, they echo the shape of the main ones. And it's two fields to the left of the back door.

So what would happen if you waited for the light to change?

In reality, it comes down to whether you like the image, or not. If you do, then that is really all that counts. My comments are based on only being able to see the image itself and not the surrounding country side or the "two fields" and are based on things I would do, given only what I see in the image posted.

Merry Christmas and good holiday shooting! Looking forward to more of yours in the new year.

WesternGuy