Road Oaks

Gallery: Man & NaturePosted April 11, 20162,031 views3 comments

Although I have driven and walked this stretch of National Forest road many times, I had never appreciated the decaying lines of macadam asphalt. Most likely I noticed them now because they led me into the skeleton structure of the oaks. Four to five years without the winter rains has taken a toll on some the oak trees. I liked the combinations of contrasts between the new life in the grasses and the deteriorating road way; as well as the silhouetted branches against the twilight cloud mass. Taken just after sundown.

Lightroom processing with graduated filter for the exposure balance in the sky and some brushed on saturation for the red clay of the roadway. Comments and critique welcomed. Thanks for looking.

Nikon D7100, F16, 0.4s, 16-85mm @ 50mm. two images merged in Helicon focus

Comments

3 comments

Comment posted by Preston Birdwell on April 16, 2016 at 2:43 PM

A very moody image, Stephen. I can almost feel the storm coming in. I do think the foreground could be a tad brighter. I really like the sky as it is. I am curious as to the location.

--P

Registered on November 1, 2003, 471 Posts, 5188 Comments

Comment posted by Stephen Stanton on April 16, 2016 at 3:01 PM

Thanks for the comment, Preston. This is in the Cleveland National Forest off Ortega highway, past the El Cariso Hot Shots camp, below Blue Jay Campground.

Registered on March 1, 2015, 54 Posts, 453 Comments

Comment posted by Eva McDermott on April 17, 2016 at 10:01 AM

I like the lead in Stephen. I agree with Preston on brightening up the fore ground a little bit.

Registered on January 4, 2009, 1015 Posts, 13229 Comments