Lonely Planet (Larger View Available)

Life exists under the harshest of circumstances and environments.

Your thoughts and comments are always appreciated. Thank You!

This incredibly powerful image does, indeed, remind us that life finds a way.  As foreboding as the scene may appear at first blush, it still buoys us up with hope.

I love the vignetting, which helps to accent the darker tonality.  And the convolutions in what I take to be rock formations remind me of cerebral convolutions. 

What a great way to see in the New Year.  May you and yours find 2013 to be happy, healthy, peaceful, and productive.

My best always,

michael

Wow; this is stunning and really has to be seen large to fully appreciate the fine detail and light! Wonderful work, Alf! Happy and healthy 2013! Thank you for sharing. :)

lovely tones and textures. like the skew/shear effect!

Wonderful landscape, well done!

I hardly know what to say that others haven't said yet. Great image! The level of detail on the larger version is impressive. I normally don't like B&W images so much but it really works well for this one.

Alf,

Already a lot has been said about this image. It is truly a masterpiece, I love the crisp and immaculate black and white. Although I personally  do not favor vignetting, in this case it ads and benefits the image very much. Your story is clear and well expressed in this image. Congratulations (7)

Herman

This is a superbly composed, brooding, B&W Alf! I'm not usually a fan of vignetting, but it really works in this image. An excellent, dramatic, image Alf!

Happy New Year,
Neil

An Amazing b&w image

Excellent work!!

There is no better illustration of loneliness than this one. The single tree's survival is emphasized by the ruggedness of the terrain and the absence of anything around it. The dramatic clouds add drama and the choice of b&w is excellent.

Happy New Year, Alf.

Hi Alf,  Happy New Year to you and yours.  This is a wonderful image, and you are quite the philosopher here as well.  Since Lester Garcia commented right above me,  this image reminds me of his recent images of Death Valley with the highly textured and eroded earth.  This is superb in every way.  I didn't even notice the sky as being vignetted (it is quite effective in its naturalness).  Wonderful shot.   Larry

An iconic view of the tree on the limestone pavement with the mono giving it that timeless feeling.

A very Happy New Year and keep up the good work. John

"Where there is life, there is hope" or so the saying goes! 

And it is encouraging to find that what appears desolate to the eye, can hide an amazing variety of life. 

The rock formations you see are known as "Limestone Pavements" they occur as exposed surface porous limestone are exposed to years of water, wind and ice erosion, forming the deep ruts and channels that you can see. 

I do like your analogy of "cerebral convolutions" 

Many Thanks for your thoughts and invaluable feedback, it is as always very much appreciated! 

Sincere Best wishes to you and your loved ones for a peaceful and prosperous 2013.

Alf 

TRISHA 

Many Thanks for stopping by Trisha, this is yet another location for your Itinerary when you come and visit!  : - ) 

Sincere Best Wishes for a peaceful and prosperous 2013

Alf 

RANGA 

I took this one from a variety of angle and heights. I think the most effective one was a central composition, but this one was also interesting.

Sincere thanks for your thoughts and positive feedback.

Best Regards

Alf 

LEO

Many Thanks for your interest and kind words Leo! 

A very Happy New Year to you too my friend! 

Alf 

MICHAEL S

Many Thanks for your positive feedback, much appreciated! 

Best Regards 

Alf 

SIEGFRIED 

I struggled with B & W images for such a long time. I just couldn't seem to balance the tones. I did improve my skills by watching others and processing my images through adjustments to "Channels" in photoshop. But the real breakthrough I feel has been the use of another piece of processing software called "Nik Silver Efex Pro 2" 

It is even more gratifying to read that someone that doesn't normally like B & W images finds this one appealing! 

Sincere Thanks & Best Wishes

Alf 

HERMAN 

Sincere Thanks for your thoughts and invaluable feedback! 

I am still in the experimental stages of the processing techniques, including the use of vignetting, but I concur with your thoughts, it did seem to suit this scene well.

Best Regards 

Alf 

NEIL

I am still playing with the Nik software, but the vignetting seemed to fit the bill here, and its very gratifying to read that you thought so too! 

Sincere Thanks Neil and a Very Happy New Year to you my friend! 

Alf 

ALON 

Many Thanks for taking time to stop by and share your thoughts, very much appreciated! 

Best Regards 

Alf 

MAURIZIO 

Sincere Thanks and Best Wishes! 

Alf 

LESTER 

I processed this image with a thought for the thousands of people that are alone on New Year.  It must be a crushing feeling to feel that no one cares.  I didn't want to explain all this in the narrative, as I didn't want comments for the wrong reasons, but that was my motivation when I started work on this image on New Years Eve. 

Your words kind of triggered my response in relation to the "absence of anything around it"  and of course your first line "There is no better illustration of loneliness than this one"

I couldn't have hoped for a better understanding! 

My Sincere Thanks & Happy New Year to you and your loved ones.

Alf 

LARRY 

Ahhh so you sussed me out as well eh Larry : - ) I guess there is a deeper more sombre undertone.

I think Christmas and New Year are a time of great joy and celebration for many. And rightly so  But I do try and remember those not so fortunate.  The misery of loneliness and poverty are never highlighted more than when the affluent members of society are out celebrating in style. 

Sincere Thanks for your invaluable feedback and thoughtful observations, very much appreciated! 

A very Happy New Year to you and your loved ones! 

Alf 

JOHN 

I took this one back in February 

The weather in the UK has been awful lately so I haven't got out much, and in addition I am just getting over some kind of flu and lung infection! 

But its 2013 and I think this year is going to be a good one! 

Sincere Thanks for your thoughts and ongoing support John, very much appreciated! 

A very Happy New Year to you John! 

Alf 

This is another wonderful mono image - perfect composition and great textures. Super!

Powerful, very powerful and spectacular. Alfredo

Great perspective and composition for this wonderful view. Very nice tone and sharpness.

Hi Alf,

  Beautiful b/w image with wonderful composition & details.  Take care, Patsy

An excellent image. Hope you have fully recovered.

Another beauty. You are continually successful in establishing a real sense of place in your pictures; they are never merely generic views. The single tree stands as lord of the furrowed field. The clouds pass overhead and time stretches out towards infinity.

I've completed my free trial of the Silver Effex Pro 2 and I can certainly see how it could become an indispensable tool. However, that time is not yet for me since the cost is just a little more than I can bear right now. But if I can get a few yen set aside, I'd sure like to add it to my PS arsenal. Now, if I can only convince someone to give it to me as a birthday present....

A very interesting shot, quite an accomplishment! I like the strong perspective effect of the wide angle lens and also the creative use of vignetting that emphasizes even more the feeling of depth, as if one is allowed to peep in on the scene.

Best Regards, Tibi

awesome, Alf, when we find that single tree in the middle of nowhere... perfectly expressive of human of loneliness in your stunning use of dark and light.. bravo ;-} dp

Strong "Railway" foreground leads our eye to the lonely tree and the far away end: Lonely Planet.  Nice composition and the name.  Best Regards,

Expressive of the best, by the ground structure, the lines and the empty ... BR JV