Roots of time

I needed to shoot a posthumous portrait of this fallen tree, perhaps to

show its one time strength. Thanks for your critique.

Best regards Arthur!

PDE

Pierre, thanks. I don't always get a good transformation from digital to B&W, but was lucky here. I did some film shots of this tree, but have only seen the negs to date and am not sure that they will be as good in tone when printed

Nice shot with your meaningful title.  Love it in B/W.  Best Regards,

Hi Arthur A lovely image with a full range of pleasant soft tones. Just discovered your comments on my images, Thank you for your well expressed comments, much appreciated. Leaving tomorrow for a week & will visit your site when I return. Regards-Ross

After sampling much of your portfolio, it's obvious to me that you are a man who always has a keen eye for the special image plucked out of his surroundings. No need to cross the world in serch of awesome subjects when great pictures are all around us.

Jack. Thanks for visiting my portfolio, and by that, allowing me the incentive to do the same in regard to yours. Your images show an inquisitive and seeing eye in regard to your subjects (I left a comment on your interesting  "Precarious Balance" image). I particularly like your street and human images. The process of visiting even everyday subjects and seeing them with a fresh eye and mind is one of the great pleasures of photography. This one was taken quite far from home, but as you say, it is of a type that we often overlook and which is often found close to where we live. Your comment in that sense is very true and just yesterday I decided to start a series of photos on the main thoroughfare of a a modest and a bit lost in time mountain village not far from where I live. That for me is as much of a challenge and pleasure as simply another look at some of the more splendid sights of the world.

Excellent composition and perfect angle of shoot, having the shadows visible side  add to the visual effect. The plain sky is perfect for this subject, any clouds would ruin the view.

Cheers.

Hi Bela, thank you for your analysis. I was conscious of the need to open up the shadows a bit in PS Elements (Enhance - adjust lighting - shadows and highlights) as you remarked, but had forgotten the importance of a cloudless sky. Your appreciation is very astute in that regard. I think I played a little bit with the color sliders in making the conversion from color to monochrome. I tried a few digital IR type images, but there is more detail and impact with the normal sensor response.

 

This was one of the first digital B&W images I have that convinced me of the appropriateness of digital photography in securing good B&W images. Printing digital files is another matter (for me at least, as one more used to the wet process of printing). I am impressed by the quality of most of the black and white compositions you present in your portfolio.