Take a Bough ( Click for larger view)

Great and vivid composition...I almost felt the chill! Nice job Alf!

Hi Alf

 

It doesn't surprise me at all that the magazine chose this image as photo of the day, I'd have chosen it as photo of the year.... it's a little Gem!

I love your play on words with the title...genius!....and as for the image, it is simply stunning!.  

The composition is spot on, as always, the clarity and crispness of the image emanates a wintry  atmosphere, I felt quite a chill whilst viewing it!........

I didn't read the preceding critiques, but I certainly had to scroll way down the page to offer mine...a sure sign of a well received image and a very popular photographer :)

 Excellent work Alf.... I hope you find more like this image in your archives and share them :)

 

Warmest regards and sincere compliments Alf

 

Jacqueline

The preceding comment says it all Alf! And I agree re it being chosen Photo of The Day. It is really quite beautiful. I love 'wonky' trees. The set of footprints on the right do lead one into the image and make the eye drift to the sunset! Beautiful capture. Congrats Alf!

Warmest regards, Gail

Thank you so much! 

It is very gratifying to read you enjoyed viewing this.  Sometimes braving the elements are worth it, it makes up for the other times when I have arrived home with nothing more than wet feet and an empty memory card : - ) 

 

Warm Regards 

 

Alf 

 

YANNIS 

 

It was a bit cold on the old knees kneeling in the snow, but I thawed out later in a nice hot bath! 

 

Sincere Thanks & Best Regards 

 

Alf 

 

JACQUELINE 

 

Many Thanks for your most encouraging feedback! 

It only took me three years to think of that title : - ) 

 

It's good to read that the image conveys the cold, it really was freezing, and the snow itself was starting to freeze into a rock hard crust.

As you suggest, I will have to enter the dark dingy confines of my archives, brush aside the cob webs,  to see if I have any more images that escaped the first glance : - ) 

Warm Regards 

 

Alf 

 

GAIL 

 

I quite like that word "Wonky" in fact it could have been an alternative title : - ) 

The footprints on the right belong to Brer Rabbit, who inspected the scene earlier and gave his approval for the shoot to go ahead : - ) 

Sincere Thanks for your thoughtful feedback Gail.

 

Warm Regards 

 

Alf 

 

 

 

 

 

Don;t how I missed this one. WOW!!!!   Love the POV.  Winter shots are very challenging (IMHO).   Beautiful!!!   AJ

I join AJ in wondering how I missed this one.  Supremely serene but with a tangible cold that leads to the anticipation of a much colder, more lonely night.  It appears you just missed a rabbit who left tracks through the area.  Excellent work....  Mike

 

Ahhh, I just read above that it was indeed a rabbit.

Breathtakingly beautiful. Well done, Alf!

O My... This DOES look cold and I'm happy not to be there :=} I'm also happy that you were and made this excellent image!

-r-

Many Thanks for your thoughts and kind words, very much appreciated! 

You are correct winter shots can be challenging, but I have to be honest and confess I would much rather tackle snow, than bright summer sunshine : - ) 

 

Best Regards 

 

Alf 

 

MIKE M 

 

Hope you have all your equipment back and in good shape! 

 

You read this one right, the clear conditions mean't a freezing cold night, on this occasion I wasn't driving and I felt quite relieved to be honest! 

Yeah I missed the rabbit, he probably heard us arriving about 2 miles away : - ) 

 

Many thanks for your positive feedback Mike! 

 

Best Regards 

 

Alf 

 

ANABELA 

 

Good to hear from you.

 

Sincere Thanks & Best Regards 

 

Alf 

 

RAY 

 

We were out there the whole day, occasionally returning to the car to de-frost, but as usual, the best photo's came last.

Many Thanks for your thoughts and positive feedback!

Best Regards 

 

Alf 

 

 

Once again, I find myself at the end of a long line of Alf Bailey fans.  That's OK, though, because such a huge volume comments provides an excuse for me not to read them!  Hopefully what I have to say will not amount to a trite redundancy.

To begin, I see the master photographer now has assumed the mantle of Punmaster.  I just love your title.  

I have occasionally tried shooting the solitary tree, including most recently one in winter.  Sad for me . . . none of these images had a chance of coming close to this one.  It provides two different messages - one about the incredible beauty found in wintertime and the majesty of nature, and the other about isolation and solitude.  Yet, not all isolation and solitude - including this scene - are bad.  This is an opportunity for a person to travel far within himself/herself to reach for insights previously unavailable.  

I opt not to comment about the technical aspects of this photograph for fear of demeaning it.  Let's just say that it works.

My best always,

michael

Sincere Thanks for your thoughtful and most complimentary feedback.

Sometimes I think it's a wise thing to by-pass previous comments, simply because one can arrive at a conclusion or point of view relatively uninfluenced by others. 

I quite like the title too, I always give my images a title, and never leave them with just a number.  It makes it that much easier to find them in the future. 

 

I have a few images with solitary trees as the subject, but it isn't so much the tree itself that proves to be the tricky part of the photograph, as usual it is the light, and dawn and dusk are nearly always the optimum times. 

As you rightly explain solitude isn't always a bad experience, it can be most therapeutic and relaxing, and its very gratifying to read that this too.

 

As for technical details ........well they are but a means to an end.

 

Thanks again Michael! 

 

Best Regards 

 

Alf 

 

 

Nice composition my friend, such clear air the sun gently colouring the clouds and the reflection of the blue sky on the snow. I am glad you did not change the white point on the snow. You say that this is a three year old shot....well I recently saw a six year old shot winning silver medal at an international competition...yours is relatively new by comparison...:-).

Good to have you back! 

 

You make a valid point about the age of the photograph. I guess a decent photo will always be a decent photo irrespective of age. I often see people on PN post images from decades ago that were originally taken with film, and it never ceases to amaze me how good they are. 

 

Sincere Thanks & Best Regards 

 

Alf 

It is surely one of the most beautiful images that I have seen on this site. Congratulations!

Wow! That's quite a compliment! 

I am very humbled  Thank You! 

 

Alf 

Hi Alf,

I'm a little late here... I have already discovered this photo of yours some weeks ago, but didn't find the time to leave a comment. Much has been said so far and I only want to throw in that I also find it absolutely beautiful. Amongst your latest uploads, this one is definitely one of my favorites, although, if I had to choose, I would decide in favor of the white-snow-version.

 

Enjoy your weekend!

Alex

Many Thanks for your thoughtful comments and kind words.

Interesting to note your preference for the "white" snow version. I found it reminded me more of the kind of snow I'd see in full daylight, but it's good to get a comparison and alternative view.

 

I haven't looked to see if you have any more recent algorithmic creations lately but I will soon!

 

Best Regards 

 

Alf 

 

Hi Alf,

 

thanks for your reply. I guess it's just a matter of taste and perception. When directly comparing the two versions, the original appears to have quite some blueish color cast. Since I haven't been there, I tend to prefer a rather neutral color temperature.

 

I have been very busy the last weeks, but new pictures will be uploaded soon. Looking forward to reading your comments!

 

Best regards,

Alex

You are quite right the original does indeed have a blueish cast. But looking at the original RAW file, that is what the camera captured and what I would expect it to capture at sunset.  But of course I do accept everyone has different tastes and preferences.

 

Best Regards 

 

Alf 

Alf! a very nice shot nice composition-creative -colors-lighting and atmosphere .best regards janegbert

Sincere Thanks for your interest and kind words.

I am waiting for more snow like this! 

 

Best Regards 

 

Alf 

great colour.  in life, scenes like this never seem to go blue for me, though.  best, j

Many Thanks! 

I guess the blue is just a reflection of the sky, which right overhead was getting fairly dark. I took quite a few shots and they all had a bluish cast. 

No snow this year though (sigh) 

Cheers Jamie! 

 

Alf