Serenaded in my Dreams
by BAMartin

Comment by charliebaker:
Seems more like staged historical caricature than actual "dream". But beautiful use of sepia quality for historic erea photo.

Serenaded in my Dreams
by BAMartin

Comment by Blim:
Beautiful! And funny too. I love it! [10]

Serenaded in my Dreams
by BAMartin

Comment by whiteroom:
the dude with the gun is paying careful attention. lol

The Better to Hug You With
by BAMartin

Comment by mrsmaxsmart:
I see six here -- what does this have to do with the subject?

The Better to Hug You With
by BAMartin

Comment by saiphfire:
cute title

The Better to Hug You With
by BAMartin

Comment by riversong:
What a wonderful cactus. The lighting on the catcus is very pretty and what great clouds you have!!!

The Better to Hug You With
by BAMartin

Comment by Pedxer:
Good picture, but I get the impression that the cactus is giving me the bird.

Serenaded in my Dreams
by BAMartin

Comment by buzzmom:
nce job placing the time frame in this finish...well done looks like a fun dream!!!

Serenaded in my Dreams
by BAMartin

Comment by Xilebo:
Nice sepia and candid look on everyone's faces..dream of centuries past maybe but with the sunglasses hmm, nice though

Saguaro
by BAMartin

Comment by beckettboots:
Greetings from the Critique Club

I think you have a strong subject for a photo here. The landscape itself is breathtaking.

I understand the impluse to duotone the image for the sake of minimalism (reducing the elements). This being basic editing, you're not able to use burning and dodging to support this aesthetic. This means that the cactus and other details on the rock face are lost and the outline of the rock becomes the dominant feature of the photo, supported by the softness of the cloudy background.

Your title says to me that your subject is the saguaro on the cliffside. Unfortunately their placement and size does not lend them to be the focus of the composition. Instead the dominant element in your composition is the outline of the hillside.

The rest of the photo is solid - the focus is strong, though your post processing oversharpened slightly (there is some haloing around the edge of the rocks).

I hope you'll post the details about your process in your comments in the future, I love seeing the steps and particulars about shoots mentioned there.