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Ironwood?
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Ironwood?

by Ronald Murphy

Gallery: LandscapePosted November 26, 2013133 views5 comments
I thought these are ironwood trees, but after a little googling I am having doubts. Can anyone identify these?

I view this as "landscape", but, if moderators disagree, please move me.

Rachel Carson Conservation Park, MD

RAW file processed in LR5, with TK resize/sharpening for web.
Canon T2i, 1/4 s, f/9, ISO 100, EF 24-105 mm @ 47 mm, CPL

Seeking any and all advice and comments. Thanks in advance.

Please view the large image!

Comments

5 comments
Comment posted by Michael Cothran on November 26, 2013 at 1:32 PM
I mean, there's absolutely nothing wrong with your image as is - it just doesn't evoke any response or emotion from me. However...and IMO, a little more agressive attack on your LR5 Develop sliders could possibly turn this into something more exciting and/or dramatic. The trunks all have wonderful rim lighting. There's your starting place. Darkening the overall exposure would bring that rim lighting to center stage. Perhaps even dragging down the Highlights a bit afterward, and/or pushing up the Shadows, if a better contrast balance between the two is needed. Some Clarity, Contrast, & Vibrance would accentuate the fine detail in the trees, just waiting for you to expose it. And a reverse-mask vignette using the Radial Tool would do wonders to pull the eye into the trunk area, while diminishing & darkening the background.
Registered on December 5, 2012, 31 Posts, 730 Comments
Comment posted by Philip Hodgkins on November 26, 2013 at 3:04 PM
Ironwood or Blue Beech. Hard to tell without the leaves, but the bark looks good for both. I would try Michael's suggestions to dress this up. You might also try some of the TK luminance actions to good effect. However, as a documenting photo, it is fine as is.

Later—Blue Beech and Hornbeam are one and the same—Carpinus caroliniana.
Registered on July 24, 2006, 2741 Posts, 12349 Comments
Comment posted by Nathan Apodaca on November 26, 2013 at 4:59 PM
Wow. I really like this a lot. First of all, those are very interesting trees, and second, the clarity/sharpness of the background is perfect, IMO.
Registered on November 16, 2011, 67 Posts, 1127 Comments
Comment posted by Mark Seaver on November 26, 2013 at 7:52 PM
I've called these Ironwood ever since I was first introduced to them, but looking at the bark pictures in my Audubon Field Guide, this looks like what they call American Hornbeam, Carpinnus caroliniana, (as opposed to Eastern Hophornbeam, Ostrya virginiana, which is what the field guide calls Ironwood). Of course that's the problem with identifying plants using common names. The lighting and textures in the bark are lovely and this would be a fine image if there were better separation between the trunks and the background. Darkening the background as Michael has suggested would help, but you might also want to combine multiple images with overlapping sharp zones on the trunks but at a larger aperture, say f/4 or even f/2.8.
Registered on January 23, 2011, 1103 Posts, 17270 Comments
Comment posted by Ed Lowe on November 26, 2013 at 8:17 PM
I can not help with the ID, but I do like the basic comp, Ronald. the lighting on the tree trunks is lovely and I like the markings on the bark. I think darkening the BG aas others have suggested would help give you a little seperation. This is just a suggestion of course, but I like this better with a crop from the top to make this almost square. That would get rid of most of the BG woods and place more of an emphasis on the tree trunks. Just a thought.

Ed
Registered on February 7, 2004, 414 Posts, 7115 Comments