Meadow meets Forest +bw

I hope you didn't waste your time and not get an image of the trees in the background for a B&W.

This image has a very nice layered look but I am mostly drawn to the background trees. I know you go to Yosemite quite a bit with Preston and Harley. How long do you usually stay during your outings? It is one place I have never been to, but would like to visit in the near future.

Looks really good on my phone! Won't be able to see it on my monitor until Thursday night.

Thanks Jim, funny you should ask... actually, I wasn't intending to post this.  I didn't initially photograph these with b&w intentions and honestly I'm not overly excited about the arrangement of the trees themselves.  But no doubt, this stretch of forest on the edge runs from the Swinging Bridge parking area almost to the Little Chapel, so there are lots of photo ops.  In fact I continue to return to this area after seeing an image from Jimmy Gekas he posted a number of years ago. Actually, 2009, some will remember. Still one of my all time favorite images.

Oh, and to answer your question Jim, we usually stay for 3 nights/4 days.  For me it's a matter of making my tent camping worth the while. 2 nights is to short and not worth setting up and sleeping on the ground.... ;-)  You MUST make your way to Yosemite! Would be happy to meet up with anyone who can make their way.  The valley proper and the Tioga Pass area when the road opens, is a boondoggle for b&w photography!

Here's a version featuring more of the trees/forest, and b&w conversion.

Click image for a better presentation

Lon, Wow, The large version is a wonderful treat to view. The foreground grasses look fantastic and the background trees add such interesting contrast. Nothing I can even think of that could make this better. A wonderful image perfectly captured for my taste.
It would be a long ways but I would love to photograph here! Beautiful work!

Nick Bristol
Lone Rock, WI.

I like the grasses and I like the background, but they kind of strike me as separate images. I find myself missing the middle ground to flow between the two.

I like the B&W. I might work the tonality a bit, perhaps brightening the fore grasses some? 

I wondered what you wuz doin' over there! I like this a lot. The detail is sweet, and I love the color and tonality. There is a quiet mood to this, but also a sense of movement in the grasses and the twisting tree branches.

It could be just me, but the color image appears to have a slight CW tilt. Not a big deal, though.

I like the B&W, as well, but I think it needs a bit more of the foreground grass. The tonality in the large version is wonderful.

btw folks: Both versions need to be seen in the large view. The color and tonality in the small versions do not do them justice.

Well done, sir!

Note for Jim: I would certainly be happy to link up with you in Yosemite. I live only a couple of hours north. If you are thinking of going, in my opinion the best time is after Labor Day and before Mother's Day, and avoiding holiday weekends. The Valley is not that big, and it can get crazy there, so off-season is best. Be sure to plan ahead for a campsite or other lodging in the Valley.

As Lon said, the opportunities are vast. If the Tioga Pass road is open, the Yosemite High Country (from Tenaya Lake, up and over Tioga Pass) is requisite.
--P

Lon, frankly, the B&W version does not excite me, and I don't think adding more grass will change my opinion. However, I love the original color version. Beautiful color and detail in the foreground grasses, and I like the way the grass is juxtaposed with the ghostly trees in the dark bg. Really goes to show how subjective this all is, but I really like the original and I would not change a thing. It may be my favorite so far of this year's Yosemite images.

Great colors and flow through the grasses, Lon. The trees images are a fantastic contrast...a very inspiring image.   

This picture is full of elements that I like a lot, Lon. The bright branches over the dark background on the top, the yellow and green contrast in the middle, and a very detailed grass in the foreground. It looks like three different images in one. That is not a shortcoming, you were able to mix everything together very well.
The larger version looks amazing and the focus stacking gives an incredible sharpness to the whole frame. BTW I also like the BW picture but I love colors more.
The only think that I would try is to crop a little bit the lower part just to cancel the darker part of the grass. This would work if you want a more abstract image based on three layers. Just a minor thing since the image works beautifully as it is.
Ok, this is the longest comment I have ever written in English. I hope I explained it well.

Mattia

Loving this one.  The soft colors and the flow of the grass just sucks the viewer into the scene.  The strip of yellow/green grass is a great transition between the grass and trees too.  Excellent capture Lon.

Love the color version! I really like the background trees; maybe less grass at the bottom to accentuate them some??

Lon, there are amazing details for me to explore in the foreground as well as in the background. Your approach to connect these elements by the midground layers is really interesting to me.

I just think whether an even lower vantage point might work as well.

Peter

This keeps my eye moving through the frame.  I like the tonal contrast between the brighter trees and the darker background.  Interesting contrast between the rhythms formed by the spacing of the vertical lines in the grass and trees.

Thank  you all for your comments and observations on this one.  Truly appreciated.

Lon

Very nice image all around.  What I like best is how the small grass is the dominant element here and the big trees are smaller by comparison.  This is a very effective perspective and certainly egages the viewer.

Lon,

It's taken me this long, a week, to fully appreciate this image. I'm not sure why I was so dismissive at first. But this is a fine image that grows on you if you give it time. I think it's the contrast between the two worlds that makes it so intriguing. I really like that you gave the meadow the major part of the space in this image and the tonal values of the grass is just right. Not too contrasty and not too pallid. The texture and curves in the grass give it energy and movement that contrasts to the more rigid vertical trees (although they have their own darker force). I keep wondering whether that one curved sapling in the center is adding or subtracting to the composition. As usual with your images, no perceived cropping seems to improve them; the balance is always right. 

Oh my, I was immediately drawn to this, even the thumbnail. Love the softness in the foreground and the wonderful layers.