L6

A pity one cannot comment on series of photos, so I take the one that ultimately I like best, but whatever I write extends to the series.

It's a lovely minimalism you're showing here, with what seems to be the exact right weather conditions. To me, also a sadness, loneliness - not exactly photos full of joy and life spirit, but rather more reflective, sad without being overly dramatic. It makes me think of a Mahler song, "Ich bin der Welt abhanden gekommen". Impressive photos.

(I think seeing them in a series renders them stronger, even if arguably L5a and this one are very close. I'd love to see them together in print on a big white wall. Something tells me it would impress me a lot)

something powerful and strong  yet soothing about this image

It's a thoughtful and atmospheric series, suggesting isolation, quiet, simplicity while also operating very visually with no words of description really needed. As a matter of fact, the minute I put such descriptions of emotion onto it, it seems almost to lose something, that connection as if to music (Wouter rightfully mentions song . . . and Mahler seems apt) that is in the visual and tactile realm and doesn't need to be called something.

The reason I choose this one to comment on is the effectiveness of the double dark line in the foreground which I think provides a distinctiveness and strength which the water, sky, tree, and background trees oppose with their delicacy.

One might be led to believe that the subject here is the tree but I would say it's something far more ethereal and intangible than that.

@Wouter: your praise is balm for my soul :-) though each photo here should work on its own, I always intended this as a series - and would love to see them on a wall (yet, currently I'm lacking a suitable wall...). Your reference to the Mahler song suits very well to the mood - although initially I did not intend to have it that strong (I returned two days later and photographed the trees at with a brighter sky and some patches of snow - but I found the "bad weather day"-photos more suitable).

@stephanie: your comment confirms that some of my key ideas 'made it' into the photograph - many thanks!

@Fred: I had the idea for this series when the tree on the first photo ("Y") caught my eye. At that time, my focus was to point out the fractal forms of the trees by literally basing them on man-made, rigid structures (which pronounced most clearly here, as you mentioned). This developed further and I noticed many other aspects play a role (like the 'personality' Mark pointed out in his comment to "L4", like the "strength" of both the horizontal basis and the centered composition,...) and the trees started to become independent 'subjects' in my photos. Therefore, I highly appreciate your last sentence - it confirms that something (probably to some extent even out of my control) just worked and the photo became more than just a sum of its parts.

Thanks!

I very much like this series (and it may inspire me to try my hand at one).  Something about lone trees in monochrome.  It touches something inside us.  And I say us because of the fact that you created these, and many of us have come by to appreciate it.  And it is interesting to see how different ones appeal to different people.  I saw Marjolein's comment that she liked L5 and L6 and had to see for myself.  And Fred appreciates this one for the double horizontal lines.  For me, there is something about the shape of this tree itself as compared to L5.  This one has downturned branches as well and although they are all good in this series, something about the full directional sweep of the branches pleases and satisifies my visually.  And it is hard to explain or quantify it.  For me, the best photos are those that can successfully feel much moe than I can successfully analyze.  This is one of them.

many thanks for your comment - I feel honored! Your and all the others' comments show that something worked here (like pieces of a jigsaw puzzle falling magically into the right place).

Best regards, Wolfgang