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Apollo and Daphne
#1

Does any one else see figures in this section of an old tree trunk? Comments and critiques are welcome.

[Image: tree_1687-Edit.jpg]
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#2

Hello Gary,
This photo has very natural colours I like and it is crisp sharp. I am drawn to similar trees and do take similar kind of photos. Usually the response to my photos of this kind and similar photos on the critique sites tends to be somewhere between muted and non-existent. I find the undulating opening in the trunk apealing, but not in itself engaging enough. The texture is nice, but not "special enough" for me, the colours are pleasing, but they do not draw my attention to anything. A large part of the photo is evenly illuminated, and so I do not find enough of shadow-highlight play, although there is clearly some. I would drop the leaves at the bottom, as there is too little showing to be a distinct part of a photo and yet they are big enough to distract. I understand why you placed the crack in the middle. Both sides have some interesting textures, however the symetrical composition does not really work for me in this case. I would crop 1/3 to 1/2 the distance between the frame and the crack from left.

My suggestion to you Gary is the same as on many of your photos. Consider whether the subject has enough colour or enough ligh/shadow to carry the photos. Most (but not all) photos which have little of either do not work for me. There may be situations which you will encounter when this general rule does not hold and go boldly for it. However think about it when you are selecting subjects for photography and during post-processing. Pavel

Please see my photos at http://mullerpavel.smugmug.com (fewer, better image quality, not updated lately)
or at http://www.flickr.com/photos/pavel_photophile2008/ (all photos)
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#3

Thanks for your well-considered critique, Pavel. Yes, the illumination is very even, and given the location of this tree, I don't think that can be changed. Your suggestions about cropping are good. What caught my eye in this photo (and that was only after I saw the resulting image) was the resemblance of the right half of the tree trunk to the female figure. But maybe I have an overactive imaginationRolleyes
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