Beauty only skin deep

Gallery: LandscapePosted December 16, 20179,198 views10 comments

Greetings and thank you so much for the comments on my previous image. The answer to the question is 4. There are two trunks on the left, the charred skeletal remains in the center and the last tree on the right. I appreciate the comments.

This is the last of the tree trunk images from this same area of Yosemite Valley where my last few images were captured.

Not sure of the title, but kind of a reference to the red/orange that is revealed beyond the burned outer bark of this tree. I think it may be Incense Cedar, but not sure - certainly not Ponderosa. I was initially attracted to the root-like patterns on this particular trunk; in some way hinting of cypress from the deep south, but clearly not.

I almost didn't process this one because the raw file was rather flat and not to exciting. But pulling from the Kuyper school of processing I discovered the nuances of color and tried to bring them out. I hope this enhances and helps the image, and that I haven't gone overboard on this. I don't recall observing all the color at the time, but still want to present with some sense of realism. I would love your thoughts on this.

Thanks!

oh, this is a 2-image focus stack.

Comments

10 comments

Comment posted by Harley Goldman on December 16, 2017 at 3:24 PM

Cool shapes, lines, textures and colors. The colors look very realistic, so you are not quite in the Kuyper school yet. sad

No offense, Tony, if you are checking in. This turned out great.

Registered on November 19, 2003, 586 Posts, 11271 Comments

Comment posted by Preston Birdwell on December 16, 2017 at 6:36 PM

This tells a great story. Yes, it is a cedar. I think your 'color mining' works really well. It's not over the top, but does bring out the subtle colors that are present in char. Nice textures and detail!
--P

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

Comment posted by Kah Kit Yoong on December 16, 2017 at 8:49 PM

Great job with the illusion of compressing the 4 elements into one. The slivers of more vivid orange really jump out of the more dull colours in a good way.

Registered on September 27, 2006, 636 Posts, 10682 Comments

Comment posted by Michael Lowe on December 17, 2017 at 2:49 AM

I like the balance achieved from the "look" of the center folds of bark resting against each other. The highlights peeking out from underneath look like embers still burning. Processing looks great to me.

Registered on February 11, 2004, 777 Posts, 5252 Comments

Comment posted by Igor Doncov on December 17, 2017 at 9:07 AM

One of your best bark images ever. There was a red one you did during the 4X5 days that was exceptional but that's about it. This is better than the charcoal images. An emotional abstract that has the tension of muscle fibers yet mystery about it. The blues and yellow lichens are the colors that I like here. The oranges are appropriately subdued. The flatter wood on the left feels different than the rest. Is that for the best? If you crop half of it's width and some from the top would that be an improvement? Can't say because all of the wood flakes would become larger and they look optimally sized for this frame. A very fine image.

Registered on November 22, 2014, 189 Posts, 2733 Comments

Comment posted by Ed McGuirk on December 17, 2017 at 9:47 AM

Lon, this my favorite of your recent series of bark images. The textures are wonderful, but I also really like the green moss on the right hand side of the tree. I think that color accent is just as important as the orange strips on the left. The diagonal lines just pull your eye through the image. not everyone would have seen this image in the field, but it is a real gem.

Registered on November 29, 2017, 19 Posts, 260 Comments

Comment posted by Harry Lichtman on December 17, 2017 at 8:17 PM

Definitely not overdone to my eye, though maybe compared to the raw file it is. Looks great, you've brought out a lot of nice detail and colors and it has a 3-D feel. Almost like magma beneath cool lava. Converging and diverging parts of the wood add another layer of interest. Another fine macro-esque shot of your tree studies.

Registered on September 17, 2010, 304 Posts, 3507 Comments

Comment posted by gary phillips on December 17, 2017 at 10:27 PM

Maybe not quite Kuyperesque, but I like the colors alot. Excellent image. I love the ribbing of this old tree. I collected quite a few stumps like this in my furniture building days. Very nicely done, Lon.

Registered on October 24, 2013, 185 Posts, 4136 Comments

Comment posted by Ed Lowe on December 18, 2017 at 10:13 AM

This is even better than your last one, Lon. The large view opens up to display the gorgeous details and textures of the char and I love the bands of red running through the bark as though the tree is still on fire from within. I do not know how you spot these gems, but I am glad that you do so you can share with the rest of us.

Ed

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

Comment posted by Craig Moreau on December 18, 2017 at 8:14 PM

I think you did a great job of pulling color out of a flat raw file, as you say. It has a lot of life, but doesn’t look unnatural. My first impression when viewing it was that most of the folds in the bark are to the center and right of the image, and I wonder about a crop off the left to center them more. But as Igor says, I don't know if that would be better. It is very nice as is.

Registered on April 21, 2015, 64 Posts, 584 Comments