Monochrome Tree

[Mike Buckley]

When I came upon this scene in rural Virginia, I just had to photograph it. I thought in black-and-white from the first moment that I saw it.

Coincidentally, the first photo is my camera's shutter release number 25,000. I like round numbers.

EDIT: Matt and Binnur wanted to see an image without the cattle and with the tree centered, so I added the second photo, which is a different capture.

[Otavio]

Very nice, Mike. I like the composition. Well done!

[deetheturk]

Lovely image Mike!

[Mike Buckley]

Thanks, guys!

[FlyingSquirrel]

Mike, I very much enjoy this image. Very strong work. While I like this version and think the elements have good qualities, I wish there was also a version with the tree centered and minus the animals. I think it would be more powerful that way (there is always cloning the image, but if this were my image I think that would be going too far for my comfort zone). Good job.

Edit: I feel like adding the following thoughts which just occurred to me.. the thing I most like about the image is the stark contrast between the tree, the sky, and the grass setting. I think that has a nice, powerful mood, which is why I wish the animals were not there. I think it would make the image seem more "quiet" and would make the mood more dramatic, emphasizing the solitude of the scene.

[bnnrcn]

I agree with Matt but that would make another nice composition , I like this image as it is Mike , do you use PS for your B&W conversions or something else? I'm thinkinking of buying a book about B&W by Michael Freeman. There is another book by Harold Davis , do you think it is worth buying that one too? I don't know about Harold Davis although I have read some books of Michael Freeman.

[Mike Buckley]

Matt and Binnur: I'll get back to you with a version with the tree centered and without the cattle. I didn't have time to wait for the cattle to leave the area so I'll use the cloning tool. This will actually be one of the easiest cloning tasks we will come across.

Binnur: I used only Nikon Capture NX2 on this image. When I want to enhance several kinds and amounts of structure or add a vignette, I will first use Capture NX2 to prepare the color version for conversion before using Google/Nik Silver Efex Pro 2 to do everything else.

I'm not familiar with Harold Davis. The Michael Freeman book is terrific. I also recommend Vincent Versace's From Oz to Kansas as a follow-up resource that provides information about post-processing in a different, highly informative context. For training that is specific to using Silver Efex Pro2, I recommend Jason Odell's ebook, The Photographer's Guide to Silver Efex Pro2. For that one, wait for a sale because he always runs them occasionally.

[John 2]

Very nice image Mike. I like this version as is. The "L" formed by the cattle and the tree form a very strong composition. That's not to detract from the suggested centred version. That would just be different.

[Donald]

Good one, Mike. The strong light coming in from the right gives the tree great definition.

In terms of composition, would I have have put a little less grass at the bottom and more sky at the top? Mmm, don't know!

It's a lovely image.

[Brownbear]

Lovely image Mike. I love it as presented ... For me the cattle make the scene extra special and show how tall that beautiful tree is.

[Mike Buckley]

Thank you, everyone!

I added a second capture (not a revised version of the first capture) to the first post of the thread to respond to Matt's and Binnur's thinking. It was a bit more difficult than I had planned to eliminate the cattle while preserving the detail in the grass and shadow of the tree but not ridiculously so. The far more difficult task was removing the lower tree branches, which I thought was essential once the cattle were removed and all attention was then placed on the tree. A fence that prohibited me from getting closer to the tree made it impossible to create the separation between the lower branches and the distant forest in the camera.

[bnnrcn]

I actually like both versions for different reasons. I feel calmness in #1 and I feel loneliness in #2. Thanks also for the tips about the books and the software Mike

[mknittle]

I like them By both authors. read as many as you can get ahold of and pick up little tidbits here and there . it helps you develop your own style. most of all have fun!

[flashback]

Mike,
Nice to see you staying off the bottle for a while. Surprisingly even with a cloudless sky the image works well but, this being the case I like #1 better as the cattle seem to ground the image, more to look at and compensates for that cloudless sky. Of course these shots must be trying for you as you don't have the control you have when shooting in your studio.

[mknittle]

Very nice Mike.

[Mike Buckley]

Thank you, everyone. Though I like both images for different reasons, I prefer the one with the cattle because they provide context. I'm glad the sky is cloudless because the plain background helps showcase the tree.

Of course these shots must be trying for you as you don't have the control you have when shooting in your studio.

On the other hand, I happened to show up while the light was quite nice and didn't have to spend much time. (The fence not displayed in the scene prevented me from spending time trying various compositions.) Every photo made in my makeshift studio requires considerable setup time.

[Shadowman]

Nice effort, was it the light of the sky or the trees that gave you the inspiration. The sky in this image looks like one of those thick blue skies that has just a trace of light from the sun.

[Mike Buckley]

Thanks, John. It was mostly the nice side light on the tree branches that grabbed my attention. The fairly sparse collection of leaves allowed the shape of the branches to be immediately evident. I'm no arborist, but my guess is that the lack of leaves indicates that the tree, sadly, is not very healthy.

[FootLoose]

I like the first image, Mike, I think it needs the cattle to complete the tree's story. What is that song: "all the cows in the meadow like statues...."? Anyway, although it is b&w, your photo makes me think of brown cows in a golden field under blue skies.

[Mike Buckley]

Glad to know that it works for you, Greg. Sorry, but I'm not familiar with the lyrics you mentioned.