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WC482 Desert Swamp Tree
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WC482 Desert Swamp Tree

by Scott Fricke

Gallery: Weekly ChallengePosted May 14, 201189 views3 comments
Petrified Tree, Bisti Badlands, New Mexico

Today the area is desert, 60 million years ago it was the site of a swamp forest on the edge of the Great Inland Sea, which stretched from Canada to the Gulf of Mexico. It is quite a surprise to wander among the eroded sandstone formations and find large petrified trees (this one is about 40 foot long) in an area that now barely can support any plant life.

Comments

3 comments
Comment posted by Mark Seaver on May 15, 2011 at 9:48 PM
This looks like a really interesting place, hope I can visit it some day. Your b&w treatment is very interesting and conveys starkness. I'd like to see this in color, although that would probably change the feeling of the image entirely.
Registered on January 23, 2011, 1103 Posts, 17270 Comments
Comment posted by Scott Fricke on May 15, 2011 at 10:38 PM
Thanks for your comment Mark. The color version is pretty flat, this was taken right around sunrise on an overcast morning and the rocks are mostly off-white, that's why I went with the B&W treatment.
Registered on January 19, 2007, 133 Posts, 1448 Comments
Comment posted by Varina Patel on May 16, 2011 at 10:47 AM
I think color would be a distracting element in an image like this one. There is so much going on already, so I think removing the color was a wise choice. Without color, we are free to notice the incredible textures and forms in the composition. This is a neat shot - full of great detail and tones. I like the grainy feel to the image as well. I do wish there were a single point of interest to draw my eye - something that stood out as being the most important element. That would help simplify the image even more. this is a really neat location, and a beautiful image, Scott. Well done.
Registered on August 22, 2008, 45 Posts, 1578 Comments