Deep in the forest

Hi Tristan,

talk about coincidences: I was looking at this one on your blog and let out a big loud "WOW", regretting not to be able to comment it...
I really like the mood and shape; it speaks about something "mistic" (no pun intended) to me!

Giovanni

Beautiful image and composition. The fog adding a fairytale effect to it with many
stories to tell.

Excellent details and depth of light makes this an very nice image. B/W conversion is also very well handled. Very good work.

-Jay

This is beautiful. By why digital and not 4x5?

- Dan.

Dramatic, but moody. Good choice on the b&w conversion. All elements come together for a great image.

Hi Dan. I do have a version of this taken with the 5x4 and quality wise it blows the digital out of the water. However for some reason I did not manage get the composition right and so therefore it is just not as good a picture. I've revisited many times since to try to get it right on 5x4 but the fog needs to be extremely thick - I'll get it eventually but it may take quite a while to get the conditions right. Tristan

wonderfully composed and wonderful tones. well done. (i might be inclined to shave a little off the bottom???)

Lovely shot, like the comp and mood. Not really a critique, since i think its an effective shot, but it doesnt really look that foggy to me, more like strong backlighting. The brighter whites give the impression of strong filtered sunlight to me.
EDIT: FWIW, i just reduced significantly contrast on the shot and it looks much improved to me, more foggy! BUt i tend to prefer lower contrast, so that could be my bias. I can post or email you the quick 'fix' if you'd like.

wonderful image indeed.

Hi Stan. I'd love to see your version, please feel free to email it across or attach it in a comment. I've gone on the dark side for this to give it a more oppressive/mysterious look but I can see lightening the mid tones would enhance the 'fogginess' and give it a much lighter feeling which gives a different mood. Thanks Tristan

Here's the revision. All i did was reduce contrast -20 (not in PS, just quick and dirty ) I suspect many would prefer higher contrast because it adds 'drama' but to me it looks more natural with less contrast. Great shot either way.

Beautiful twisted tree. Right up my alley, well done !

I like it Stan thanks, I'll have a think on it and try it on the high res version. Tristan

Wonderful shot, Tristan! That's all I really wanted to say. I'll add that I prefer the higher contrast, or at least fairly dark blacks, even if the whites are not too bright.

Gorgeous shot!

Stunning lines and lighting. Beautiful work..

wow, this image has the best, spookiest yet ethereal mood I've seen in awhile. Great monotone treatment, and I really like how the branch 'claws' swirl outward to the viewer.

What a beautiful image! The detail and quality of light is extraordinary. For most B&W, I prefer high contrast, so the original works better for me, but the rework is nice too.

Outstanding image Tristan! I love the backlit fog - it glows! The structure of the tree has a great character. Congrats!

Saw the rework - I like the contrasty version more.

You've managed to capture the intricacies of the forest in an amazing way. The fog diffuses the light elegantly. Stunning capture!

What a great comp Tristan, and the fog makes this almost glow.

You isolated the tree wonderfully, and the fog helped. Great capture!

David M. Cobb

Beautiful and mysterious shot, Tristan. And what a lovely old tree!

lovely image. I like the comp and how you used the corners. The soft light and fog gives this a nice luminance

networking.... clever.

Lovely shot, great mood, even better comp. It's so hard to make sense of forest scenes but you've done it admirably. I am usually all for high contrast images but I think Stan's edit works perfectly for your scene.

Absolutely incredible, Tristan. This has to be my favorite of all your work. One of the very best images I've ever seen.

For my taste, the first presentation works much better.

I just remembered to add your site to my new links page.

It sure is nice when everything comes together like this. Outstanding image!!

Chris

Tristan, you have this great ability to capture gnarly trees. Very beautifully captured! The backlighting makes it look almost magical!

The combination of bright backlighting and fog is magical. There is a lot you can do with this to say what you want, but I think that mystical quality I like comes across better with the higher contrast version.

Love the tones here. And a super composition !

What a magnificent display of lines, shapes and tones! I wouldn't change a thing here... great stuff indeed!

Tristan,

Just stunning!

There is so much good to say about this photo - I could go on and on. But I think you already know it is a hugely powerful shot. The only thing I would do is make a sliver of a crop from the bottom of the image because that dark clump 1/3rd in from the right at the bottom is distracting. Crop that out and the image has a total dream-like mood. Darwin.

Hi Tristan, disappeared for a long time, but I see you were working for incredible images, this one is just stunning...and I prefer your version as the Stan.

Tristan,

Outstanding! I think I prefer the original posting because the nearly extreme highlights really emphasize the form and shape of the trees here. Lots of options here, but fantastic any way you decide to work this one. Congrats!

Lon

Very nice image.

Magical. Great job.

A beautiful composition and a wonderful choice for B&W. Eerie too. Looks straight out of a Harry Potter movie.

Amazing! Was there any major post processing done to this image to get the look it has, or is that just how the fog made it look?