need help from people with strong understanding of composition

I like this photo alot and I want to understand the compositional elements that make this shot work so I can employ them in other shots, but can't seem to put my finger on exactly what makes it work.

I can't say why you like it. People are different and all that. I can describe a few of its compositional strengths.

The gentle inverted-U curve of the upper edge of the main hill echoes the similar shape made by the top of the tree, considered as an outline.

It's bottom-heavy. Of course, you automatically get that with most daylight landscapes that include sky.

Within the tree (leaving out the trunk), the zigzaggy structure of the thickest and second-thickest branches keeps a viewer's gaze moving around without exiting. Furthermore, these lines are diagonals. I tend to prefer compositions based on diagonals over those where the strongest linear elements are vertical and horizontal; this may not be everyone's thing, I don't know.

Some areas have a lot of detail and others are plain. This difference is a way of introducing contrast (not contrast in the photographic sense).

OhLook wrote in post #15448251
I can't say why you like it. People are different and all that. I can describe a few of its compositional strengths.

The gentle inverted-U curve of the upper edge of the main hill echoes the similar shape made by the top of the tree, considered as an outline.

It's bottom-heavy. Of course, you automatically get that with most daylight landscapes that include sky.

Within the tree (leaving out the trunk), the zigzaggy structure of the thickest and second-thickest branches keeps a viewer's gaze moving around without exiting. Furthermore, these lines are diagonals. I tend to prefer compositions based on diagonals over those where the strongest linear elements are vertical and horizontal; this may not be everyone's thing, I don't know.

Some areas have a lot of detail and others are plain. This difference is a way of introducing contrast (not contrast in the photographic sense).

Thanks for the input. My eye was drawn to the hill and it seemed like a strong element but I couldn't put my finger on why, your explination helped. I was also getting kind of an erie vibe from the shot and you mentioning of contrast made me realize that it is coming from the contrast between the "serene" sky and the complexity of the limbs in the tree.

not sure if this helps your thought pocess but for me .. Depth! Thats what hits me

Similar to something I took a while back

IMAGE LINK: http://www.flickr.com/​photos/5dc/7524705112/