the woods.

What do you think?

A very know subject with a much seen viewpoint. However You succeed in lifting the photo above average by using the three main stems for a visual pleasing composition. Very well done !

Very good picture. Looks like a vascular network :)

These always look good, but this one looks great.

I agree with the other comments. In addition, the symmetry and strong contrast of this shot makes it unique. Put more photos up for critique. -steve

Nice abstract. I wonder how this would come out with less DOF?

To brian:

 

Thank you for your rating and comment, I Think if you rate someones photo you should also leave a comment, so thank you.

I don't know what "DOF" is please someone tell me.

Micah, "DOF" refers to "depth of field" or "depth of focus." Everything is in focus on this shot. If you shoot on aperture priority, open the aperture a bit more (lower f-stop), and you will get a shorter DOF, meaning that parts of the picture will be in focus and parts will not, depending on the distance from the lens.

 

This technique of shortening the DOF can be used to give emphasis to one element in a photo while fuzzing other things out, such as a bird (in focus) sitting on a fence with a messy background fuzzed out because it is distracting.

 

Another thing that happens when you open the aperture (again, lower f-stop) is that your shutter will be open for less time (faster shutter) to get the same amount of light. That fast shutter can be handy if shooting animals or other moving objects, but in other instances the faster shutter speed usually doesn't affect the overall effect unless you push it to extremes.

 

I'm not sure that this photo would have been improved with a shorter DOF.

You can do a simple DOF shot experiment by having your primary subject rather close and secondary subjects further back in the background. Frame the shot with the primary subject composed correctly and just using the background objects as filler in the frame. Set your fstop to the most open position (smallest f stop number), then shoot. Next, reshoot for each consetituve fstop your camera has keeping the primary subject in focus for all shots. The first shot will have the least clarity in the background and the last shot the most. Also try this with different light. Different amount of light on the background subjects may dramatically change the results. In retrospect, DOF probably would not work on this tree shot due to the distance. Some have changed shots like this by changing the zoom (out to in or in to out) while the camera is making the exposure to get streeking or turning the camera during exposure to get swirls. I'd encourage you to experiment. For blur, f/1 through f/3.5 will probably produce the most and often the best blur results. If you get addicted to background blur, you'll find yourself wanting a nice f/2 or f/2.8 lense. Good luck, and most of all, have fun!

By far the best shot in your portfolio! Great vision and great execution. I really like it! 6/6!

I would just like to say to anyone that reads this, none of my photos are Manipulated.

I didn't know all the boxes to check when I started.

-Micah