When distortion works ..... or does it?

[Donald]

Just past the Mono Basin on Route 120 heading east in California, you come upon the most amazing desert landscape. Instead of grass or soil or sand, you have this plain of small stones/chippings. I have never seen anything like it in my life.

As well as hiding behind the tree for some shade in the heat, I thought there might be an image to be made.

This is at 11mm on a Canon full-frame body. So it is very wide. The tree is obviously distorted. But I didn't try to correct that.

Views, as always, are welcomed.

[Shadowman]

Donald,
Quite a few distractions, the bit of brush on the left side, the partial hill on the right and then the slanting tree. I think there's too much space on the left and not much to see anyway. The partial shadow also doesn't feel right; either all or none. The sun flare works though.

[Geoff F]

It works for me. You have included the whole tree and hold good focus all the way to the distant horizon.

[Rebel]

Love this! I look at your images a lot Donald and question why black and white - but this is the correct decision, awesome.

[madcrow]

Donald, I don't have the knowledge to say what should be left in or out. All your images up to now have been top class and this one is no different.

[NorthernFocus]

If you hadn't mentioned the distortion I'd have simply thought the ground was sloped. Viewed large the image begins to reveal itself. I think this one would need to be seen as a large print to be fully appreciated.

[Cogito]

I'm afraid I'm with John - "Not much to see".

[Wavelength]

I liked it; that little thing (what is that? ) takes the role of balancing image because once looked at the tree and sun, the eyes are automatically led to that. I like the image in totality

[Tronhard]

OK, I get what John was saying, but for me a landscape is a reflection of what is there. nature is not always in balance and in fact the placement of the tree relative to the camera and the tiny hint of foliage on the left builds a tension - the baking heat and the vista otherwise devoid of shelter into the distance.

It's not "pretty" but it is intriguing and it tells a story - so it works for me.

[Mike Buckley]

Lots of tension in the image. The distortion is so obvious to me that it really doesn't matter how many viewers like it or dislike it; the only thing that matters is that it's so obvious that the photographer intended it rather than accidentally overlooked it. The foreground shadow hasn't been mentioned so far, so I've gotta mention that it adds a lot of very nice drama to the image.

[mknittle]

Works for me Donald.
Reminds me of the 1960s western movies where the hero is suffering from dehydration and heat exhaustion.

[Saorsa]

Donald,
Quite a few distractions, the bit of brush on the left side, the partial hill on the right and then the slanting tree. I think there's too much space on the left and not much to see anyway. The partial shadow also doesn't feel right; either all or none. The sun flare works though.

I'm not so sure about that. the root base of the tree is a diagonal leading to the bush and the lower branches are another diagonal leading to the same spot. But, once your eye has followed that, it is lead upward to the star.

That keeps your eye out of the empty top left quadrant which becomes useful negative space. There is nothing there but it does not detract from the image and give the rest of it a place to be.

[Shadowman]

Lots of tension in the image. The distortion is so obvious to me that it really doesn't matter how many viewers like it or dislike it; the only thing that matters is that it's so obvious that the photographer intended it rather than accidentally overlooked it. The foreground shadow hasn't been mentioned so far, so I've gotta mention that it adds a lot of very nice drama to the image.

I mentioned the shadow in post #2, felt it should be a complete shadow not included at all.

[Shadowman]

I'm not so sure about that. the root base of the tree is a diagonal leading to the bush and the lower branches are another diagonal leading to the same spot. But, once your eye has followed that, it is lead upward to the star.

That keeps your eye out of the empty top left quadrant which becomes useful negative space. There is nothing there but it does not detract from the image and give the rest of it a place to be.

Hi Brian,

A different experience for me, I'm drawn immediately to the light (sun) then the left side and the blemish, then to the horizon.

[Donald]

I'm glad my image stimulates such a range of opinion and comment.

The only one I'm not sure about is:-

I'm afraid I'm with John - "Not much to see".

What does that mean? That there are not enough objects/things in the frame to hold one's interest? Or that the arrangement of what is there is dull and boring?

The reason I ask is that I thought there was an enormous amount to see in the image. I don't think of composition as cramming as much into frame as is possible. Minimalist landscapes are, I think, often the most powerful.

[Cogito]

I'm glad my image stimulates such a range of opinion and comment.

The only one I'm not sure about is:-

I'm afraid I'm with John - "Not much to see".

What does that mean? That there are not enough objects/things in the frame to hold one's interest? Or that the arrangement of what is there is dull and boring?

The reason I ask is that I thought there was an enormous amount to see in the image. I don't think of composition as cramming as much into frame as is possible. Minimalist landscapes are, I think, often the most powerful.

Donald, I was quoting John's first post - perhaps I should have said I agree with all of it.

Donald, Quite a few distractions, the bit of brush on the left side, the partial hill on the right and then the slanting tree. I think there's too much space on the left and not much to see anyway. The partial shadow also doesn't feel right; either all or none. The sun flare works though.

[MrB]

Generally I agree with John, although I think there is rather too much shadow but I wouldn't remove all of it. Perhaps move the bottom left corner of the square crop up and right, until it has just eliminated the little brush object on the left.

Cheers.
Philip