A man and his tree

[tmcman]

http://flickr.com/photos/9239218@N03/3025391856/sizes/l/

This is my dad and our oriental persimmon tree. I took the shot to send to the company that sold us a little tree 15 or more years ago.
They were very nice in backing up a set of elderberries we go from them 3 years ago that wouldn't set fruit by sending us a free pollinator species, so I figured I'd pay back...

This is a 3 shot hdr, tone mapped twice in the new and more beautiful Photomatix 3.1.
I combined a details version and a toner version in CS2, about 50/50.
Then smart sharpened and made a high passed duplicate and blended it with soft light at about 40%.

I'm happy with the way the branches look the same against the sky and against the ground objects rather than looking darker against the sky.
Thanks to whoever that POTN'er was who demonstrated the blending of 2 PM'ed versions recently.
Larger size at flickr above.
CC welcome.

[stathunter]

Your Dad is a bit dark and hard to see. I would have clonned out the wires......

[canonloader]

Yup, the wires need to go. I like the effect with the limbs too.

[tmcman]

After just looking at the huge MOMA retrospective of Lee Friedlander,
wires no longer enter my consciousness!
These are a couple of LF's many "stuff in the way" shots.
Thanks for your input.

[René Damkot]

If the images aren't yours, you should link to them instead of posting them, according to the forum rules...

[-Douglas-]

I like the lens effect and the overall shot but I think it would look much better without the power lines as well.

[tmcman]

If the images aren't yours, you should link to them instead of posting them, according to the forum rules...

Sorry. Thought it constituted fair use as an educational forum.
I'll know better next time.