LLove some feedback on a tree image...

I like trees, fun to climb, they look beautiful, and they add a nice little oxygen boost to the air. Yep, all good stuff. What i usually don't like about them is taking their picture. Usually, its just so hard to isolate the tree in any meaningful way so the impact of the image is literally lost in the forest. That said, my wife LOVES trees and is always asking for certain images of this one or that one (I usually make excuses). There is one in particular that we pass daily that I have tried for years to capture well and never succeeded but the most recent time, I think I might have come close. We had a nice little snow and the snow resting on the trees behind the subject tree actually created some of the needed isolation I was looking for. I've posted a sample below. What I intend to do is print this one to canvas for her once its done. I've done some editing to it but before I print it, is there anything more you might do to the image to really get some pop from it? I'm thinking of masking a really low opacity warming filter to the background trees since its a "cold" image to start with. Anything else? For the black and white fans (which I am one for sure), I tried in in B&W and it just didn't get me going. Could have been the way I channel mixed but I didn't love it.

enough words, here's the image, fire away.

I think the fact that you crop off the edges of the tree, and have such a cluttered background hurts you here. It just doesnt stand out.

gonzogolf wrote in post #16689247
I think the fact that you crop off the edges of the tree, and have such a cluttered background hurts you here. It just doesnt stand out.

agreed on the background completely. Problem is that she really wants THIS tree so short of cutting down a forest, I have to find a way to deal with the background, most likely in the processing which is what I need some advice with. The limb crop, I'm not so sure though. The tips don't add much since they are more or less snow covered and just white. The trunk seemed like the real "drama" of the image. Here's another of the same tree done four years ago. This is by no means a good edit, just one of the things I was playing with back then in terms of getting isolation. The fisheye didn't help it either but does it seem more impactful is the question?

^^^ love that one

The second one has more impact.

gonzogolf wrote in post #16689247
I think the fact that you crop off the edges of the tree, and have such a cluttered background hurts you here. It just doesnt stand out.

I agree here. When I look at subjects outdoors, if the background isn't beneficial to the subject I often don't take the picture, unless it is a photo of family and friends I am with. Everything in the image is important Everything.

HappySnapper90 wrote in post #16691110
I agree here. When I look at subjects outdoors, if the background isn't beneficial to the subject I often don't take the picture, unless it is a photo of family and friends I am with. Everything in the image is important Everything.

Agreed, otherwise it is just a snapshot (and there's a place for that too). What do you do in a case like this where someone important to you really wants an image? My wife would love to have this tree shot hanging in the house but obviously, some things are outside of my control as a shooter. I begs the original question, can anything be done in. Post to create more isolation and drama ? I tried it years ago on the second image I posted here but still didn't love those results. Is it worth it to attempt the same on this shot as well?

namasste wrote in post #16689267
agreed on the background completely. Problem is that she really wants THIS tree so short of cutting down a forest, I have to find a way to deal with the background, most likely in the processing which is what I need some advice with. The limb crop, I'm not so sure though. The tips don't add much since they are more or less snow covered and just white. The trunk seemed like the real "drama" of the image. Here's another of the same tree done four years ago. This is by no means a good edit, just one of the things I was playing with back then in terms of getting isolation. The fisheye didn't help it either but does it seem more impactful is the question?

The second one is great. I don't mind the fisheye perspective. It focuses on the tree and takes out the noisy backgound. Great job.

Something I want to try sometime is to shoot a tree at night. Fix a low intensity light on the trunk, expose the trunk for a 15-30 second exposure, work another light around the outer limbs during the exposure. Probably would take some experimenting to get the lights and timing right.
The other morning I went out in the dark to shovel snow after a storm. The streetlights were lighting up the trees against the dark sky. It was so pretty, I wished I had had the time to set up the camera.

What's with all the duplicate stuff on the left side of the image?