POTM [04/08] Before the storm

[Da Dego]

Ok, here's my official first entry for this month.



Sorry for the duplicate (as I posted this with others in another thread) but needed to point the POTM site somewhere

[FragileSocks]

I like it. Great colours in there, and the anticipation of the drama yet to unfold. Would love to see a larger version of it.

[Vers]

This is a good example of the Golden Hour. I'm not completely in love with the framing, but the lighting, colors and contrast are very nice. Is there more to the right of the frame that was cropped out?

[Da Dego]

Hey Matt,

Not really. That tree stands alone, and to include anything else would require a lot of frame real-estate that I didn't have available. It's probably another 20' or so to the next tree, which actually starts a large stand of them that obscures the lake's edge anyway I really need to have you out here some time!

And thanks, FragileSocks! You can get a larger version from my site, just click the picture. On my gallery there is a "Full Screen" on each of the pictures when you mouse over them.

[Vers]

Hey Brett, I was referring to the foremost tree being slightly cropped off on the right side. I'm actually drawn to the largest tree in the background rather then the single tree in the foreground. The image reminds me of those which are taken in a public place, and some idiot moves into the frame at the last second....that tree is the idiot . BTW, where in PA do you live?

[FragileSocks]

Thanks I found the larger picture now and I must say it is even better. Love that golden light hitting the tree branches and contrasting well with the storm clouds, and the darker parts of the trees.

As Vers said, not getting the whole of the foreground tree in the frame spoils it a bit, but there is no getting away from the beauty of the light you captured.

[Da Dego]

Originally Posted by Vers

Hey Brett, I was referring to the foremost tree being slightly cropped off on the right side. I'm actually drawn to the largest tree in the background rather then the single tree in the foreground. The image reminds me of those which are taken in a public place, and some idiot moves into the frame at the last second....that tree is the idiot . BTW, where in PA do you live?

Hehe..no, I cropped it by accident attempting to squeeze the very far tree on the very left edge of the frame. Such is the problem with viewfinders - they're not 100% accurate of the rendered frame. There are three trees that all form a diagonal line from right to left, and I want to draw the eye to the middle one where the storm starts to dominate the image. So in a way, I did what I wanted. But maybe not in the way I'd hoped. I was more concerned with the gradient of the storm than the foreground element, I guess.

And I live in ohio, fairly near lake Erie.

[Vers]

Bah, OH, thats what I meant...Late night last night, still feeling it a bit.

I see what your goal is/was, its a great process of thinking. The second highest tree in the rear tree line on the left side of the frame would make for a better 'end point' if you will within the line, that was you could have incorporated the entire tree in the foreground. Anyhow, try to get into the habit of framing a shot a bit wider than you'd like...you can always crop later. I did the same thing (tight in camera crops) and missed plenty of shots because of it.