Lonely Planet (Larger View Available)

Terrific, dramatic low key imagery with great detail and a darker vignette surrounding it to emphasize the impact. Beautifully rendered and thank you for your recent comments, best regards rek.

Many Thanks for your thoughtful comments and invaluable feedback, much appreciated!

Best Regards

Alf

ALFREDO

Sincere Thanks for your thoughts, it is interesting and gratifying to note your take on this.

Best Regards

Alf

GUNNAR

To recieve an accolade for sharpness and composition from such an expert is most gratifying to read. Thank You!

Best Regards

Alf

PATSY

Many Thanks for your continued interest and support, very much appreciated!

Best Regards

Alf

TONY

Many Thanks for your thoughts and well wishes, much appreciated.

I feel much better thank you! The bad news is I am back at work! lol

Best Regards

Alf

JACK

Sincere Thanks for your interest and invaluable feedback.  I really like your analogy of the timeless expanse relating to the image.

It gets more interesting because what you percieved to be a "furrowed field" is in fact solid rock. ( though its easy to see why you would think it was a field) The rock formations known as "Limestone Pavements" occur where pourus surface rock are subjected to thousands of years water and ice erosion.

I thought you would be impressed with Nik Silver Efex, it is a very addictive program. I felt like an artist that had just been given a gift of new paints and brushes.

I'm sure someone will succumb to your charm and powers of persuasion and buy it for you Jack : - )

Best Regards

Alf

TIBI

I find the most difficult aspect of the wide angle lens use is the proportional representation of the main elements.  Mostly I find its a case of trial and error, look through the viewfinder then move if necessary, but suffice to say when you think you are in the right place, what I thought of as being close, looks miles away and comparatively small through the viewfinder. The image was a result of a whole series of shots and this one seems proportionally balanced ..........not all of them did : - )

Sincere Thanks for your thoughts and positive feedback, much appreciated!

Best Regards

Alf

DONNA

It kind of dawned on me whilst I was processing this image just how desperately lonely people could be at this time of year, so it is most gratifying to read your analogy.

My Sincere Thanks & Best Regards

Alf

WANGHAN

The characteristic deep ruts of the "Limestone Pavement" do indeed provide great leading lines, its just a case of finding them out on the moors.

Many Thanks for your thoughts and kind comments!

Best Regards

Alf

JORG

Sincere Thanks for your thoughts and invaluable feedback, much appreciated!

I am glad that the element of emptiness from the desolate terrain made an impression.

Best Regards

Alf

RICHARD

Many Thanks for your interest and positive feedback, much appreciated!

The vignetting applied in processing this image does seem to have made a positive contribution to the overall aesthetics.  I am unusually quite pleased with the result myself.

Best Regards

Alf

this is even better than "Last breath of Winter" (which I assume shows the same tree) because the composition is more dynamic and the clouds nicely interact with the vignette (which I'd have kept less strong but your choice definitely suits well to the dramatic atmosphere).

Really beautiful work with impressive lighting, Alf!

You have a great eye, Alf!  

but i'm such a nerd.  i can't help noticing that the vignetting is odd.  normal vignetting is a lens effect, of course, and is therefore circular symmetric.  here, there is more vignetting at the top and bottom, which are closer to the centre, than there is at the sides.  best, j

wonderful mood especially in bw...excellent work Alf...regards....David

You are very astute in your observations, this is indeed the same tree as "Last Breath of Winter" and was in fact taken on the same evening. I took several photographs at varying angles, orientations and positions. This one is of course off set in a classic thirds position of the tree, as apposed to the central composition of "Last Breath of Winter"  The vigenetting effect is courtesy of Nik Silver Efex software, but I used 2 effects "Burn Edges" and "Vignette"  on reflection it might have been wiser to just use one, or add the effect in Lightroom, where the control of such is much more variable and easily adjustable.

Sincere Thanks for your thoughts and invaluable feedback Wolfgang, very much appreciated.

Best Regards

Alf

RUUD

Good to hear from you and thank your interest and kind words!

Best Regards

Alf

DOMINICK

Many Thanks for your interest and kind words!

My eye hasn't had much in the way of practice lately, its rained that much here I've grown webbed feet and I'm contemplating building an ark! : - )

Best Regards

Alf

JAMIE

Many Thanks fo ryour thoughts and invaluable feedback!

As for the Vignetting, I am sure there is a scientific explanation that would satisfy your errrm "nerd" curiosity : - )

But you will have to make do with my puny explanation, which is :-  thats how it come out when I clicked on the effect "Vignette" in Nik Siver Efex software : - )

Cheers Jamie!

Alf

DAVID

Many Thanks for stopping by, I do appreciate your imput!

Best Regards

Alf

an excellent comp and B&W post work Alf....love that tree and the great leading lines and textures in the plowed field.....nicely done

Compliments! Really a great composition, a little-big masterpiece: if possible a...7 image. Bravissimo!

scientifically speaking, i AM a nerd.

the vignetting is wrong though.  it jumps out at me because i like lenses that vignette, you know.  Apple's Aperture seems to add vignetting properly, as does the Photoshop raw convertor, if you turn the vignetting correction to negative values.  I couldn't find a way to do it in the main Photoshop environment, but I have created scripts to do it for images with colour shifts in the corners.  I can describe them if you are curious.

No no.  Don't pretend.  I know.  best, jamie

A classic! Just exquisite.

THOM

Sincere thanks for your thoughtful comments and positive feedback, much appreciated!

It is easy to confuse the scene you are looking at with a ploughed field. But in actual fact, what you can see is solid rock!  The rock formations known as a "Limestone Pavement" is the result of surface rock ( Limestone)  being expoaed to the elements of water and ice, and the result of thousand of years of the subsequent erosion.

Best Regards

Alf

MAURIZIO

Many Thanks for your most generous comments and positive feedback!

The leading lines help a great deal with the composition.

Best Regards

Alf

JAMIE  ( A Nerd ) lol

I wouldn't know right or "wrong" vignetting if it jumped out and bit me on the nose.  But then I don't have the same errrrm pedigree of film and lens history that you have.  Lightroom 3 & 4 do have a great vignette control though that can apply vignette evenly with a good deal of control around the whole perimeter of the image. The above vignette is a set "click" option in "Nik Silver Efex Pro 2"

 No don't even try and explain the finer scientific points of the scripts, it would be wasted on a mere digital mortal like me : - )

Take Care

Alf

APURVA

Sincere Thanks for your interest and kind words!

Best Regards

Alf

Hi Alf, 

excellent, I like the perspective of this very beautiful composition. 

The tree rising above the horizon creates an interesting focal point. The lighting is amazing.

Very nice shot indeed.

Marvellous, Alf!

Another great landscape, Alf !!!   I'm glad that you gave us an option for a larger view.  It really helps to appreciate the forground.  Almost looks like furrows in ordinary soil in the smaller version but when viewed in detail it is clearly rock.  Really unusual landscape and excellent composition as usual.  The black and white presentation increases the dramatic effect IMO.

I also agree with the other posters that the vignetting is very effective as well.

Cheers...

LATIL

Many Thanks for your visit and thoughtful feedback, very much appreciated!

The lonely aspect of the tree amongst the rocky terrain was what fascinated me also. I was fortunate to witness the light changing as the sun went down and captured the image in a range of different light patterns.

Best Regards

Alf

VOLKER

Good to hear from you! I hope you are keeping well!

Many Thanks for your visit and kind words!

Best Regards

Alf

JERRY

I alway like to have the option to view other peoples images larger myself, and with that in mind I always strive to provide that option to anyone that views my images.  I suppose the drawback is that my images are optimised for viewing in the larger format, so anyone viewing the smaller image won't get the full impact of the image (as you have clearly identified)  But on balance I still think uploading larger images is the best option.

I used B & W Processing software for this image "Nik Silver Efex Pro 2"  and added the vignetting therein, its a great processing tool.

Sincere Thanks for your thoughts and positive feedback Jerry, very much appreciated!

Best Regards

Alf

Alf...  I'm most impressed, it's not just anyone that can get a macro shot of moss on an alligator's back and retain all of their fingers!  Ok, all of the good verbiage has already been used so I had to branch out a tad.  Nothing to add technically to what has been offered by others and compositionally it's superb. A strangely inspirational image where life prevails, even on Lonely Planets...  Mike

MIKE

Many Thanks for your thoughts and kind words. But anyone can see its not an Aligator............its a Crocodile!  : - )

But at least you didn't see it as a ploughed field, a few people did and understandably so, but it is in fact solid rock.

Cheers Mike!

Alf

errrrm errrrm errrrm errrrrrrrrrrrm!

the edge of the image is defined by the sensor.  vignetting has to be circular.  that's not hard.

it's a great image.  it's just that the weird vignetting screams, "Photoshop!"  try another one if you have the inclination.  i bet it looks more natural to you too.

what this picture does remind me of is CINemascOPE.  artefacts end up shaped funny because of the prisms necessary to put a very wide image on a not very wide negative.  best, jamie the nerd

JAMIE

I undestand the concept, but for me the end justifies the means, and the fact that the vignetting isn't evenly oval in shape doesn't, for me at least, prove detrimental to its aesthetics.  Incidentally "Photoshop" was not used to introduce the vignette, and in fact it was used for sizing and sharpening purposes only.  The vignette as explained previously was the result of a push button effect in "Nik Silver Efex Pro 2" Of course I understand why perhaps it wouldn't look "natural"  to a ..........nerd : - )   ha ha

Cheers Jamie!

Alf

Hi Alf, Excellent awesome shot! Composition, leading lines to focal point ( the lone tree ), amazing contrasting tones, cloud shapes in the sky, and masterful bw conversion, all created a masterpiece. A big bravo to you.

My best regards,

Hamid.

DIEGO

Many Thanks for your thoughts and positive feedback, much appreciated!

Best Regards

Alf

HAMID

Wow! such a glowing appraisal from such a well accomplished photographer, what more can I say but a very humble Thank You!

Best Regards

Alf

Alf

Wonderful landscape, works very well in Black and white Good tonal range in all . Love the clouds, they cap off the scene very nicely. Sorry its been a while since i commented , I have been travelling over the last 2 months and have not had much time for PN.