Between the darkness and the light

good reflections

A very pretty scene, framed (or cropped) very nicely. I like the contrast in the darkness of the water and the brightness of the sky. I might have tried to wait for the clouds to move a bit or perhaps find a slightly different angle so the one cloud that is behind the tree toward the top was in a different position. I find it detracts a little from the tree structure.

I like how Tatiana's treatment gives the tree and its reflection somewhat of a surreal appearance, as if the tree is levitating above the water.

I am going on what I like to do and that is to limit my thoughts about an image to the first half minute of reflection, which is more or less the space of time in most photo competitions. I also like to dwell longer on an image, of course, if it keeps me interested. Here the strongest element I see is the interaction of the horizon line and the tree, above the water and within it. It is a bit unusual for that and it reminds me of a child's paper cutout of a character on a stretched string. The image provides a fairly strong tension as if the tree is tied to the horizon which may rotate at any second. Then I notice what is the dark area in the foreground and the clouds unfortunately overlapping with the tree and touching the tree top. The clouds are a real distraction here and add little, that is probably also the case for me for the dark area, except to note that it balances a little the mass of the tree. The late day sun is too déjà vu to add anything as surprising to the image as the 'tree on a tense clothesline". The half minute gives me all I might wish to see, but I laud Tatiana for seeing the tree-horizon visual tension which might be more isolated and fantastic with a dull cloudless (featureless) sky and a lighter foreground of water, possibly even in black and white.

I generally find it hard to say much about landscape photos. On the whole, they seem to be what they are and don't inspire in me much thought, feeling, or description. This one is idiosyncratic enough to catch my attention in a different way. Not that I necessarily love it. But that's not the important thing, to me. It seems to me a kind of maze of natural elements, with no particular order or rhyme or reason, which is how nature can be, often at its best. The clouds do conflict with the main tree, and the line of trees on the horizon conflicts with the main tree, and the darkness in the foreground is dark and makes my eye struggle a bit and I stretch myself to see the reflection. None of which seems out of line to me. Cleaning it up so the cloud wasn't directly behind the branches would, indeed, make it more like other landscapes and make it easier to read, which is the main reason I wouldn't head in that direction. If anything, I might play up all the entanglements so instead of feeling like distractions, if they do, it would be more apparent that they were simply overlapping and simultaneous elements, much like the web of the main tree's branches themselves. Make it evident that this nature shot has elements of the original untamed void that all nature partakes in. I appreciate the colors and their warm/cold counterpoint. My complaint about a lot of landscapes is that they don't come close to giving me the feeling of what it might have been like to stand there, often precisely because they seem so perfect which can lead to a kind of sterility that is so non-nature-like. Here, despite some of my own hesitations about the shot, I do feel the presence of that lone tree quite strongly, even though it touches its environment and other natural elements in its neighborhood, maybe more so because it touches them and has not waited for the clearest moment. I'm drawn to the tree and then have to kind of wipe my eyes in order to untangle the tangle, something I love doing when I'm out in nature.

Although I frequently take landscapes myself, I share Fred's reservations about them - usually so prettified and over saturated and tilt-shifted etc etc. But I still take them. This seems a perfectly serviceable landscape: certainly I would have taken it, and the tree with its intriguingly placed reflection, bang on the golden section, adds to its charm. It terms of it being a creative tour de force, not really, but how many shots fall into that category? You'd have to be a jaded person to dislike such an image.

I like the overall effect even as it may have some few shortcomings as a fully refined hang- on- the-living room wall study. But nice nonetheless as a picture of pastel colors in twilight on the water.. What I like is the range of colors, and the soft effect of the palette caught in changing light. Black to gray to greenish gray, then to browns , the soft blue sky and rose tipped clouds. The tree adds a dimension of depth which I find pleasant in most landscapes. The reflection also caught my eye. It is not maybe where I would have planted it but who has a choice on that. Trees even in silhouette can give a depth perspective and in this case they take the down stage rather than a frame. (Which is where trees usally wind up in a lot of shots,) Tree in scale does not over ride the rest of the scene which makes for the beauty part. Cons: Well for one I would normally say that a photo with the horizon in the center is not the super best location, yet here it does not seem to bother me much . At first blush I like it. Worth a second look in a couple days.

From the introduction to the POTW forum:

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"The chosen image is not the BEST or highest-rated photo of the Week but simply as an image to generate discussion and critique..."

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Which stops me at least from -at first look- checking out the author's portfolio.. later I do. Sometimes. Tatiana has put up landscape work that is more pleasing. Lest we forget not an accolade to have photo chosen as any kind of best in show and/or representative of the whole output. Tatiana is drawn to twilight scenes. And I admire a bunch of others she has made. Some are just great.

As a beautiful shiny landscape with vivid colors there would be little to talk apart from its beauty, composition, and exposure.

All of those are very good in a way to present a pleasant pleasurable view to the viewer.

When Mother Nature wears for us its best suit...