California Winter Oak +

Gallery: LandscapePosted January 17, 20189,176 views16 comments

I found this nice old oak a couple of days ago near home. In the Sierra Foothills, our winters are reasonably mild, and with little or no snow. Unlike last winter, this year has been pretty dry in Northern CA. Hopefully, we will get more rain and much needed snow in the Sierra.

I really liked the late afternoon light and the glow of the dry grass. It ws a little tricky to pull good detail out of the shaded side of the tree and also in the brighter clouds. Thankfully, TK's masks did the trick once again.

Nikon D-7100
Nikkor DX 16-85mm @ 26mm
f-16 @ 1/100, ISO 100

Please see the large version. Thanks!

Your thoughts are always appreciated.
--P

Comments

16 comments

Comment posted by Igor Doncov on January 17, 2018 at 6:57 PM

I like this a lot Preston. The tree is magnificent but even better is the artistic vision in this image. Some may suggest a crop from the top but I like all that space devoted to it, even thought it's not about the sky. The tree is so powerful that it would make itself known no matter the amount of sky. Great job. Should the green be slightly desaturated? That's hard to say without seeing how it comes out.

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

Comment posted by Bill Fach on January 17, 2018 at 8:15 PM

Preston: We have some fabulous oaks in Texas and this one looks great to me. Just the right amount of sky for me and really nice light. >=))>

Registered on November 1, 2003, 1805 Posts, 26981 Comments

Comment posted by Dan Kearl on January 17, 2018 at 10:47 PM

I like this..
Winter scenes in no snow country (like Oregon where I live), can be tough to come by.
The FG, silhoulette and clouds work well to make an interesting photo.

Registered on September 2, 2013, 209 Posts, 1514 Comments

Comment posted by Ed McGuirk on January 18, 2018 at 8:26 AM

Preston, I too like the amount of space you devoted to the sky. The clouds are strong enough to warrant it, and you need that much sky to pick up the touch of blue, which helps the shot. I don't think the green is too saturated. Since you chose to process this as a color image instead of B&W (although this would be a good B&W candidate), the green is needed to bring a little more life to the scene. If anything I would slightly increase saturation in the yellow foreground grasses to bring them more in balance with the green. This is a very simple but very effective shot, nicely done.

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

Comment posted by Craig Moreau on January 18, 2018 at 2:01 PM

Preston, that is a beautiful tree. I like the texture of the sky. You did well pulling detail out of the dark side of the tree.

I think the green is just a bit over-saturated, because it's the only thing in the whole image that saturated. I also think a little better balance of the left and right margins would be good. The tree almost touches the right edge, but there is more room on the right.

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

Comment posted by Dave Dillemuth on January 18, 2018 at 4:47 PM

Very nicely balanced composition, Preston. This is definitely a photogenic oak - worth revisiting in other conditions. Processing looks good to my eye (no issue with the green sat) but I could see brightening up the shadows in the oak a bit.

Registered on December 10, 2015, 104 Posts, 1112 Comments

Comment posted by Chris Chamberlain on January 18, 2018 at 9:03 PM

Very nice specimen! It's nice to find a tree with such great structure and symmetry. And then to be able to isolate it in a pleasing comp too. I think cutting out any off the top just renders the sky less interesting. So I wouldn't do that. Processing is real nice too!

Registered on March 13, 2007, 500 Posts, 8365 Comments

Comment posted by Nick Bristol on January 19, 2018 at 11:41 AM

Preston, I love old oak trees and all the character they have and this one is beautifully captured. Very pleasing image for me to view and enjoy. Colors look natural which I like and I also like all the sky you included. You did a great job of capturing the tree and it's surroundings on this day.

Nick Bristol
Lone Rock, WI.

Registered on February 1, 2004, 752 Posts, 14140 Comments

Comment posted by Ed Lowe on January 19, 2018 at 1:29 PM

That is one stately looking oak, Preston. The colors and processing look spot on to me and those fluffy clouds are gorgeous. The side lighting has created some beautiful details and textures in those FG grasses along with the rest of the oaks surroundings. Nicely done.

Ed

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

Comment posted by Paul Breitkreuz on January 19, 2018 at 5:09 PM

Preston, these old oaks sure have a majestic presents about them. I guess it has a lot to do with how many seem to live on forever under good conditions...... laugh

As the subject is entirely about this grand tree I find the centering fits the mode of a portraiture very well. The winter weather and lighting is providing the conditions for a very somber look, as well as the trees leafless condition....... cool

The only minor thought for change might be to boost the scene just slightly with some exposure gamma maybe... wink

Registered on February 25, 2006, 525 Posts, 8448 Comments

Comment posted by Harry Lichtman on January 19, 2018 at 5:19 PM

Preston, your oak in winter looks a lot warmer than the one I just posted from near me! I like the directional lighting that bring out the FG textures.

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

Comment posted by Preston Birdwell on January 19, 2018 at 6:09 PM

Thanks for your comments everyone! They are always appreciated.

After reading the comments, I thought I would tweak this a bit. I opened up the shadows a bit, reduced the yellow saturation in the grass and did some selective dodging in the dry grass.

What say you?
--P

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

Comment posted by Paul Breitkreuz on January 19, 2018 at 8:03 PM

Preston, the repost works better for me. The scene seems to have more life to it now......well done.

Registered on February 25, 2006, 525 Posts, 8448 Comments

Comment posted by Mark Seaver on January 20, 2018 at 1:57 PM

It's a beautiful tree with a great shape. The cloudy sky with the touches of blue at the top fit perfectly making a view that is both somber and inviting at the same time. The sky through the branches is notably bluer and brighter than the sky alongside. Is that real of a processing artifact? I do like how it separates the branches from the sky. The extra brightness in the repost adds nicely as it reduces the somberness (is that a real word???).

Registered on January 23, 2011, 1103 Posts, 17270 Comments

Comment posted by Igor Doncov on January 20, 2018 at 3:52 PM

I prefer the original artistic/stylistic interpretation of this subject than the more natural repost. The canopy of dark branches are striking and raising their exposure diminishes the impact. The change is, admittedly, small but I preferred the original vision.

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

Comment posted by Lon Overacker on January 21, 2018 at 1:43 PM

A mighty fine oak Preston. I had previously commented to you about the luminosity of the oak and it's canopy, and now I'm undecided about which I prefer. The repost opens up nicely and actually seems to match the surrounding light, including the cloudy sky.

I do like the processing changes in the grass in the repost. I also am in the camp that the inclusion of the upper sky; in addition, the more uniform gray in the lower sky works great as a solid backdrop for the oak.

A great tree, finely seen and captured PB.

Lon

Registered on November 24, 2006, 521 Posts, 19147 Comments