Ocotillo, Joshua Tree National Park

This was taken with a wide angle lens with me lying down on the ground

looking up at the trees.The light was not ideal - near midday, and I

had a tough time composing - trying to keep the sun and flare out of

the picture - while keeping the whole trees in. I was not happy with

the dof here - could have got more of the trunk bottom in focus but

liked the general composition and colors. What do you think?

Not sure why, but for some reason this image is hard for me to critique. I like the way the stems of the Ocotillo emanate from the lower corners into the frame, and I also like the green color of the tiny leaves against the blue as well as the shapes of the branches. But it's hard for me to get a grasp of the "whole" of the image. Interesting though. Sorry I can't react more clearly.

Hi Deepak. I agree with Dick that this picture is difficult to critique. I really like the colors. The composition, with strong elements in the foreground and lighter ones farther away, is also nice. It seems odd, but the green branches outlined against the sky almost seem to be grappling and pushing at one another. This is supported by the perspective of the trunks, which seem to lean together. Did you intend to convey that suggestion?

 

Nice shot!

I'm distracted by the white trunks. I really like the contrast with the green/blue and the way the branches reach out and about. But the trunks seem white washed and over exposed. Wonder if you can reshoot or crop out the trunks? That seems a much stronger composition to me! Thanks for sharing all this!

This is an interesting photo which to me appears to have two trees fighting or competing for space. The low camera angle also emphasizes the power of the photo...like boxers shot from ringside. Nature's colors certainly make the shot more appealing to me. I'm not certain, but I'll guess that the difficulty circle members are having with this critique may be the mat and frame which biases the viewer and says digital manipulation.