# Truer than women



## SquarePeg (Jan 23, 2020)

winter trees by SharonCat..., on Flickr


Not my usual style but some shots cry out for b&w.


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## PJM (Jan 23, 2020)

Yes they do.  Very nice.


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## Jeff15 (Jan 23, 2020)

Nice shot......


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## SquarePeg (Jan 23, 2020)

PJM said:


> Yes they do.  Very nice.





Jeff15 said:


> Nice shot......



Thanks for your feedback.


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## limr (Jan 23, 2020)

Definitely a black and white shot, for sure. Such great textures!

I personally would shave a bit off the bottom to get rid of that brush in front of the horizontal logs. I'd crop right up to where the dark meets the light on the bottom log. Then you emphasize the horizontal as a base, there are some diagonals as your eye moves up, and then it merges into the all vertical. The diagonals break the pattern of the strong horizontal/vertical pattern just enough to create those leading lines up, but the brush creates a bit too much tension and disruption, imho.


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## SquarePeg (Jan 23, 2020)

limr said:


> Definitely a black and white shot, for sure. Such great textures!
> 
> I personally would shave a bit off the bottom to get rid of that brush in front of the horizontal logs. I'd crop right up to where the dark meets the light on the bottom log. Then you emphasize the horizontal as a base, there are some diagonals as your eye moves up, and then it merges into the all vertical. The diagonals break the pattern of the strong horizontal/vertical pattern just enough to create those leading lines up, but the brush creates a bit too much tension and disruption, imho.



Thanks for the feedback.  Good points.


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## Derrel (Jan 23, 2020)

Nicely seen as a B&W.


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## weepete (Jan 24, 2020)

Nice shot, I like the toning and the framing. You've managed to keep the focal point pretty central which is hard on these shots so it's well balanced image. I really like the snow!


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## tirediron (Jan 24, 2020)

Very nicely done.  Agree with Lenny's copping advice on the bottom.  This image feels like one that would work very well printed to a non-standard ratio, that is very long and thin.  Something in the 16x9 / 2x1 aspect.

A'splain' me the title, Lucy?


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## zulu42 (Jan 24, 2020)

Beautiful


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## K9Kirk (Jan 24, 2020)

You took a very nice picture and good choice on making it B&W.


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## Grandpa Ron (Jan 24, 2020)

Black and white for sure.

To me this is the kind of shot that grabs your attention. Then keeps the eye wandering through the nooks and crannies for other details. I believe there is a tree stand or other remnant amongst the upper limbs.

Thanks for posting


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## stapo49 (Jan 24, 2020)

Beautiful shot! I love the way you have used the light to create layers.


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## SquarePeg (Jan 24, 2020)

Derrel said:


> Nicely seen as a B&W.



Thanks.  B&W vision is hard for me.  The xt2 film simulations make it easier but it still is against my grain.  



weepete said:


> Nice shot, I like the toning and the framing. You've managed to keep the focal point pretty central which is hard on these shots so it's well balanced image. I really like the snow!



Thanks!



tirediron said:


> Very nicely done.  Agree with Lenny's copping advice on the bottom.  This image feels like one that would work very well printed to a non-standard ratio, that is very long and thin.  Something in the 16x9 / 2x1 aspect.
> 
> A'splain' me the title, Lucy?



It’s the beginning of a line from a Sylvia Plath poem about winter trees.


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## vintagesnaps (Jan 24, 2020)

I too like this in B&W; I love the snow flurrying against the black tree trunk! I noticed the same thing along the bottom of the image, seems visually a little cluttery. I like the tree to the left because it frames the shot and has nice texture; it helps take the viewer into the woods to the dark black trees with the snowy contrast and texture.

I also noticed the leaning tree along the right side. I've found that a long vertical line, especially if it's not straight, tends to often work better with some space along the side of the frame or kept out of the frame. I think moving a step or two closer (depending on the length of the lens) this could've been framed differently to keep the lower grasses/branches and the tree to the right out of the frame. Something roughly like this.




 


And I didn't get the name either, but thought it was me! because there seem to be plenty of things that have me thinking, I don't get it...


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## SquarePeg (Jan 24, 2020)

zulu42 said:


> Beautiful



Thanks!



K9Kirk said:


> You took a very nice picture and good choice on making it B&W.



Thanks!



Grandpa Ron said:


> Black and white for sure.
> 
> To me this is the kind of shot that grabs your attention. Then keeps the eye wandering through the nooks and crannies for other details. I believe there is a tree stand or other remnant amongst the upper limbs.
> 
> Thanks for posting



Thanks!  What is a tree stand?  Is that like a hunting stand?



stapo49 said:


> Beautiful shot! I love the way you have used the light to create layers.



Thank you!


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## SquarePeg (Jan 24, 2020)

vintagesnaps said:


> And I didn't get the name either, but thought it was me! because there seem to be plenty of things that have me thinking, I don't get it...



Good feedback thanks.


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## Grandpa Ron (Jan 25, 2020)

Yes an tree stand is a seat that straps to tree.  Usually used by hunters and/or serious wildlife photographers. Typically they are mounted 15 to 20 ft. above the ground and provide a relatively stable platform.


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## johngpt (Jan 25, 2020)

I like the slight yellow in the quarter tones and the slight blue in the three-quarter tones here Sharon.


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## johngpt (Jan 25, 2020)

And thank you for mentioning from where your title came.
I googled for it and read Plath's poem.
Strong imagery there.


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## SquarePeg (Jan 25, 2020)

Grandpa Ron said:


> Yes an tree stand is a seat that straps to tree.  Usually used by hunters and/or serious wildlife photographers. Typically they are mounted 15 to 20 ft. above the ground and provide a relatively stable platform.



If there was something there it wasn’t for hunting.  This spot is very close to a heavily populated area and it’s a protected area.  Middlesex Fells Reservation.  Maybe a birder - supposedly lots of owls here but I’ve only ever seen one.  



johngpt said:


> I like the slight yellow in the quarter tones and the slight blue in the three-quarter tones here Sharon.



Thanks and wish I understood b&w well enough to take credit for that!  It’s definitely a weak area fir me technically.  



johngpt said:


> And thank you for mentioning from where your title came.
> I googled for it and read Plath's poem.
> Strong imagery there.



Hope you liked it.


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## terri (Jan 25, 2020)

So nice, Sharon!    A complicated scene to compose, for sure.   I agree with @limr and @vintagesnaps about the slight crop along the bottom - just to create that stronger horizontal line, "grounding" the vertical lines of the trees, so to speak.   And I like a bit of drama with contrast in scenes like these, so I'd be adding maybe 5-10% more, not enough to mask the bark details, just to make sure it has that extra punch of love. 

@vintagesnaps: I see what you're saying about the leaning trees, but I think the original left-to-right composition is stronger.    My two cents.   

Great work, Sharon!


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## vintagesnaps (Jan 25, 2020)

That's true Terri, cropping an image enough, especially on one side, can change the balance of the composition; with this one it makes the two trees more centered and I'm not sure that's the best way to go. It's about framing and vantage point.


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## Grandpa Ron (Jan 25, 2020)

There are as many reasons to shoot in black and white (monochrome these days) as there are people shooting it. 

Regardless, of the reasons, as noted, there are just some scenes that are intuitively black and white.  I believe you have capture  this one very well.


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## johngpt (Jan 25, 2020)

terri said:


> And I like a bit of drama with contrast in scenes like these, so I'd be adding maybe 5-10% more, not enough to mask the bark details, just to make sure it has that extra punch of love.


LOL, and I like that it hasn't that extra punch! 
The amount of contrast it has already I think goes well with it being a snow scene. More, and that feel might be lessened.

But of course if it were my image, on a different day, I might feel differently about that.


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