I really love the colors, the textures, and the contrasts in this photo. The blue of the waters is awesome, and really works as a background for your capture. Technically, the image is sharp and clean, and very pleasing to the eye.
A few things to work with: The roof in the bottom right corner is a distraction, making my eye wander to it over and over. I also want to look at the blue of the water, rather than the man with the thatch in his hand. As for meeting the challenge, I like to give credit for "eye candy", and I don't generally vote down if it's a stretch on the challenge. However, I can see how people would vote you down, due to the challenge being "Branch" not "Wood", and the two are not the same.
Overall, this photo is definitely an attention getter. Keep up the good work!
Dude, sorry you were robbed. I thought this one would top ten for sure. Don't know why so many people voted it down honestly. Some people mentioned that they couldn't see the branch connection.
The fact that there is a boat made of wood in several different styles is one clue, but I would have figured most people would have caught the branch in the guy's hand.