lintrathen 15 Posted December 30, 2013 Now, dare I wait for you to tell a story or should I blunder forward before the masses......... Hmmmmnnnnn I just love the definition here........ so crisp.Another great image with so much to look at and look for....Well done my friend.......... have a great New Year.Best regards Link to comment
alfbailey 4 Posted December 30, 2013 Mary Bateman (1768 – 20 March 1809) was an English criminal and alleged witch, known as the "Yorkshire Witch", who was tried and executed for murder during the early 19th century. Born to a farmer in Asenby, North Yorkshire, she became a servant girl in Thirsk, North Yorkshire but was eventually released due to petty theft. During the 1780s, she became a minor thief and con artist who often convinced many of her victims she possessed supernatural powers. By the end of the century, she had become a prominent fortune teller in Leeds who prescribed potions which she claimed would ward off evil spirits as well as acting as medicine. In 1806, Bateman was approached by William and Rebecca Perigo who believed they had been put under a spell after Rebecca had complained of chest pains and asked for her help in lifting the curse. However, over the next several months, Bateman began feeding them pudding which was laced with poison. While Rebecca regularly ate the pudding, her husband was unable to eat more than a spoonful. Rebecca's condition worsened however and she finally died in May 1806. William Perigo continued to pay her for more than two years until he discovered one of the "charms" which he and his wife had received from Bateman was worthless paper; he went to the authorities who arrested Bateman the following day after William lured her to a meeting. Although she proclaimed her innocence, a search of her home turned up poison as well as many personal belongings of her victims including the Perigo couple. In March 1809, she was tried in York and found guilty by a jury of fraud and murder. Sentenced to death, Bateman attempted to avoid her execution by claiming she was pregnant, but a physical examination disproved this. She was finally hanged alongside two men on 20 March 1809. After her execution, her body was put on public display with strips of her skin being sold as magic charm to ward off evil spirits. Bateman's skeleton is on display to the public at Thackray Museum in Leeds. Of course the tree has nothing at all to do with her, it just looked like a witches tree :- ) Your thoughts and comments are always appreciated. Thank You Link to comment
Saadsalem 74 Posted December 30, 2013 Happy new year to you ,and all of yours my dear friend. Saad Link to comment
Bill J Boyd 65,289 Posted December 30, 2013 Alf,Thanks for sharing the story. First time I had heard it. Love your image. Nice and crisp with a perfect composition. The rocks in the foreground are great and your sky is stunning. Lone tree is not bad either. Cheers, bb Link to comment
michaellinder 16,613 Posted December 30, 2013 OK, another solitary tree . . . Except - - this one appears to be holding back a potential avalanche! This rock formation is spectacular, and your image shows every detail and every nuance. The purple hue in the clouds is equally as spectacular. Your choice of DOF highlights the rolling hills of this magnificent area of your country.My best to you and yours for everything that a new year brings.michael Link to comment
photo by patsy dunn 1 Posted December 30, 2013 Hi Alf, Thanks for the story. Wonderful image with beautiful composition, details & colors. Happy New Year!! Patsy Link to comment
mike_palermiti 3 Posted December 30, 2013 Hi Alf,A great story to accompany this gorgeous scenery.Well shot my friend.Best Regards and a Happy New year 2014, Mike Link to comment
dom1 1 Posted December 30, 2013 Thanks for the fantastic story! The photo is excellent too, with such great detail. The lone tree deserves a name anyway! Aloha. Link to comment
ndj 0 Posted December 30, 2013 Brilliant shot, and a superb tale, Alf! Love the way the clouds echo the shape of the uplifted branches. Superb work my friend! Have an excellent 2014!All the best,Neil Link to comment
JeffBryce 0 Posted December 30, 2013 Hi Alf, The composition is excellent. And I really like how the tree and sky complement each, and there's a nice mix greens throughout. I'm viewing the large version on a 27" iMac and to me the foreground, especially towards the corners, does not seem sharp. So two questions popped into my head: (1) Do you find that the 14-24 is soft in the corners? (2) Would f/8 have made things better or worse (I'm sure you tried it at a variety of f-stops)? All the best, Jeff Link to comment
Not Here 93 Posted December 30, 2013 LOL, boy am I a sucker for a story. Read the whole thing to find out it doesn't have anything to do with this tree! However, this is fast becoming one of my favorite trees. Rocks are rocks and well done, the solitary tree has a haunting feel (especially bare) and the ominous clouds add to the ambiance. Very well done (and an interesting story nonetheless)... Mike Link to comment
sidselto 0 Posted December 30, 2013 This is so beautiful. I like the foreground, the lonely tree, the vivid sky and the beautiful colors. The composition is also good.Sidsel Link to comment
ryourth 0 Posted December 31, 2013 Hi Alf-Well,here is my last posting for the year & i see another tree & it makes for an interesting scene. To my vision ,there is a similarity,either the bare branches mimic the clouds or vice-versa.Would you agree or believe I should head toots-sweet to the nearest optometrist.Actually, it's a nicely shaped tree & probably quite attractive when it spings to life in the spring.Love the detail in the boulders,you are very good at capturing detail,in your previous posting the details in the grasses was superb, almost 3D As usual head for the larger size & to me your image is improved in the horizontal mode,but then, I'm not fussy about verticals.Well, it is getting late & will be pondering all the big ideas & projects to be accomplished in the coming year & as usual my track record is nothing to brag about.Expect I have a lot of company Again,for you & yours I wish for a Happy & Healthy New Year,Very Best Regards,My Friend-Ross PS-Really appreciate your well thought & interesting comments on my images Link to comment
ruudalbers 1 Posted December 31, 2013 A very nicely composed beautiful result, Alf!I wish you a Happy New Year...With best regards,Ruud. Link to comment
dogodonoghue 0 Posted December 31, 2013 One can just feel the coarseness of the rocks and the icy chill of the moorland.Great story about the tree; seems a bit slack to poison one's best customers. Best regards, Patrick Link to comment
patrick_coombes 0 Posted January 1, 2014 Another great landscape from you Alf, the clouds looks like being irradiated from the tree. The stones' pattern looks great and very detailed. Excellent my friend and thanks for sharing this piece of history.Best Regards and very happy new year.Patrick Link to comment
tolle13 0 Posted January 1, 2014 Hi Alf, loved the story.Great landscape full of texture and contrast. Link to comment
alfbailey 4 Posted January 1, 2014 Ahhhh there you go, you should have waited for the story : - ) Although strictly speaking, the story isn't really relevant other than an explanation of how the title came about! Many Thanks! Very pleased you liked this one Grayham! Sincere Best Wishes for 2014 my friend! Alf SAAD Happy New year to you and your loved ones! Alf BILL I wasn't aware of the story myself until I googled the words "Yorkshire Witch" I think it would make a great movie though! I tried to line the branches of the tree up with the cloud, but it wasn't quite in line, but after trying several angles this was the closest I got. Many Thanks Bill! Kind Regards Alf MICHAEL Happy 2014 to you too my friend! I have taken photo's of this particular tree before, and I have to say because of the terrain and rock formations, it can be quite a challenge to get it right. The sky did help enormously with this one though. My very best wishes to you and your loved ones this coming year! Alf PATSY Many Thanks for your thoughts and kind words, much appreciated! Happy New Year! Alf MIKE P They often say that truth is stranger than fiction, and this story certainly bears that out. I'm really pleased you like this one! Happy New year my friend! Alf DOMINICK Yes, I think you are right, the tree deserved a name!Standing alone for god knows how many years, facing the elements in a most hostile environment and clinging to life amongst a rock strewn hillside, least we could do was give it a name : - ) Many Thanks Dominick, Best Wishes to you my friend! Alf NEIL That's just what I was aiming for, that connection between the tree branches and the clouds. It didn't line up perfectly no matter which angle I took it from, but I am very pleased you liked the results. Sincere Thanks & Best Wishes for 2014 Alf JEFF Many Thanks for your thoughts and great feedback! My very close proximity to the rocks was probably the main cause of the slight softness at the foreground. This lens is fairly well renowned for its corner to corner sharpness, and I have had no complaints at all with it's performance. "Would F/8 have made better or worse" Well in terms of perceived sharpness I would say marginally better. However even at say F/ 11, with the rocks at such close proximity I think there would still be a problem. The reason I didn't get further back so that everything would be crisp, is that I needed slight elevation to show the rocks from slightly above whilst retaining the separation of the tree branches from the land mass. It was actually a bit more complicated than it looks. Best Wishes to you Jeff! Alf MIKE M Ha ha ....Gotcha! It is a great tree though and as Dominick commented above, it deserved a name! The tree does indeed have a haunting, or a mystical quality about it and I was very fortunate to be able to capture the connection with the sky.I think that story would make a great historical type movie! Many Thanks Mike! Alf SIDSEL Many Thanks for your thoughts and positive feedback, much appreciated! Best Regards Alf ROSS I am glad you noticed the connection with the sky and the tree branches. I did try and line them up, but it wasn't going to be perfect no matter what angle I tried it from.I like bare winter branches, and autumnal colours, but don't really get too excited about trees in full leaf in the summer. Some shots can only really be fully captured with a vertical shot, when you consider this was taken at 14 mm with a full frame camera. But I take your point, I do prefer the horizontal shape myself most of the time. Many Thanks for your thoughtful feedback and kind words my friend! My Sincere Best Wishes to you and your loved ones for 2014! Alf RUUD Thank you for your interest and kind words! Happy New Year to you my friend! Alf PATRICK O I guess most people in business could think of a few customers they would like to poison : - ) Sincere Thanks for your thoughtful feedback, much appreciated! Best Regards Alf PATRICK C Thank you so much for your interest and positive feedback! The connection between the tree and the sky was what I was aiming to capture! Sincere Best Wishes & Happy New Year! Alf JED Many Thanks for your interest and thoughtful feedback! I had a good day out at Ainsdale Beach on Sunday, interesting wreck revealed at low tide, only a small one but I got some nice shots. Cheers Jed All the best mate! Alf Link to comment
Vlado 0 Posted January 1, 2014 Well composed with all elements in places, good colours. Happy New Year, Alf! Link to comment
thadley 15 Posted January 2, 2014 Jeff Bryce said "The composition is excellent. And I really like how the tree and sky complement each" .... other and I agree. The light area of the sky seems to mimic the shape of the top portion of the tree and find that particularly appealing. I appreciate your explanation on the 2nd aspect of Jeff`s comment. PS one heck of a story from the "Good old days" (*_*). ! Link to comment
hstelljes 41 Posted January 2, 2014 Hi Alf, A great storyline which makes the image all the more appealing. I like the POV and the composition in general. Alf I hope you and your family have a great New Year. Take care my friend.Best Always,Holger Link to comment
Pierre Dumas 307 Posted January 2, 2014 Interesting story has this tree! And your picture maintains the usual superb qualities, Alf! Perspective and depth, wonderful colors, perfect composition with nothing less and nothing more! Bravo my friend! Best regards PDE Link to comment
alfbailey 4 Posted January 2, 2014 Many Thanks for your interest and positive feedback! Best to you for 2014! Alf TONY Sometimes taking the shot can be a whole lot more complicated than it looks, but of course you would know that. This tree was not in the right position when I was standing upright, neither was it when I was kneeling down, consequently the shot was taken in a kind of half crouch with the rocks directly beneath me.I think the story would make a great movie! Sincere Thanks for your input Tony, much appreciated! Alf HOLGER I am very pleased you enjoyed the story and the photograph, and thank you for your thoughtful feedback! Sincere Best Wishes to you and your family for 2014. Alf PIERRE Thank you so much for your thoughtful feedback! Getting the perspective right was a bit of a challenge, this tree looks so very different from every angle. Best Regards Alf Link to comment
dgv 1 Posted January 3, 2014 Sad story...wonderful photo, very evocative of a harsh landscape and a harsh life. Very well done!. Warm regards, Dimitris. Link to comment
morophaenixmau 27 Posted January 3, 2014 Dear Alf, compliments for this little-big composition: if it was possible a...6 here is veryveryvery right! Link to comment
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