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The Hollow Tree by Janet Louise Swoboda Lunn
The Hollow Tree by Janet Louise Swoboda Lunn
Neil


Photograph Information Photographer's Comments
Challenge: Book Titles (Classic Editing)
Collection: Old Challenge Photos
Camera: Canon PowerShot G2
Location: Niskayuna, NY
Date: Nov 8, 2003
Aperture: 8
ISO: 50
Shutter: 1/60
Date Uploaded: Nov 11, 2003

This is my favorite tree which happens to be in my backyard. Not only is it completely hollow, but it has an incredible angle which makes you wonder how it can stay up! It's a crab apple tree by the way.

Statistics
Place: 80 out of 231
Avg (all users): 5.6312
Avg (commenters): 8.4286
Avg (participants): 5.3953
Avg (non-participants): 5.8582
Views since voting: 1302
Votes: 263
Comments: 10
Favorites: 0


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AuthorThread
11/19/2003 04:06:38 PM
Critique Club

Composition:
Neil, you've presented a different and interesting perspective on this subject. It certainly fits the title you selected for your submission but its your cropping and perspective that seem to inject your artistic expression into this submission. Good job in finding your own "voice" with this image. The proximity you chose presents the subject to the viewer at such a close level it becomes difficult for the viewer to understand the subject's overall orientation and your choice to crop so closely to the central essence of your subject (eg. the hollow trunk) helps to reinforce the emotional power of your photo. Having never read the book you selected I cannot speak to this subject's appropriateness in terms of storyline but as a presentation of a hollow tree you made some solid artistic decisions that constrain the viewer to interact with your interpretation of your subject much more than a more panoramic view might. Good job.

Color:
The coloration within the photo is mostly uniform staying within browns and yellows but departing into a rich azure in the upper lefthand corner. This might be distracting to a viewer so I would suggest considering desaturating some blues and/or greens. I think that would have some effect on the tree bark in the lefthand side from about the center of the photo down into the lower lefthand corner. The yellows through the hole in the trunk are robust and might also benefit from slightly less intensity.

Focus:
You got a good focus on the near surfaces that comprise your subject and the objects in the lower righthand corner (which I take to be leaves that have fallen) are appropriately OOF. What appears to be a tree branch in the upper lefthand corner does stay in focus when I think it might have been less noticible had it been OOF. It seems to almost extend the main subject (which I take to be the hollowed trunk) up and away from the diagonal that cuts from the lefthand side to the top and I find that original line to be a pleasing compliment to the inner diagonal that contrast the well-lighted bark with the darker shadows within the hollow. I think that this is a good shot and definitely a positive expresssion of your "artistic eye" but I would like to see what impact you could generate with a slightly narrower depth of field. Perhaps going to f/4 or f/5.6 if your lens allows might provide similar focus through the hollow without capturing the offending branch(es) as clearly.

Lighting:
This is a good study in shadow and that shadow provides a wealth of depth in a medium that tends to oversaturate with color. You created a nice presentation with a limited (and some would say duller) range of color. You used the natural shadows to good effect capturing the image with a particular duality wherin light was coming into the hollow to illuminate the "inside" of your subject while the more exposed external skin has several shadows playing across its "outside". As I look into the hollow the shadows provide some opportunity for interpretation both in a literal sense (like what's in there) and in a figurative sense (as in, what was Neil thinking when he took this; how did he interpret that shadow having read the book as I'm sure you did). While I definitely like the image you captured I think you would do yourself no harm in having a little more light reflected into the hollow just to give you some different views of your subject (perhaps you already did this and you selected this particular view for your own reasons; if so then you know much better than I how the others look and I'm just offering this as one additional way to consider your subject and perhaps increase your options). Good job with the lighting on your subject. Again I think a slightly shallower DOF would have thrown some of the intensity of the leaf color out and helped to solidify the hollow trunk's presentation.

Overall:
This definitely goes far beyond snapshot photography. You took a mundane object and with your own interpretation and vision of it you crafted a view for others that force them to deal with the subject that you chose. If anyone interacts with this photo, whether positively or negatively, they must interact with the nature of the hollow tree, its dark recesses and its textured exterior. The background can be a little distracting but your overall presentation is well above average and spot on for a submission in the Book Titles challenge. Good job and keep on sharing your photos with us.
  Photographer found comment helpful.
 Comments Made During the Challenge
11/18/2003 12:31:55 PM
Great picture to go with the title. Here's my vote. 10!!
  Photographer found comment helpful.
11/16/2003 02:55:42 PM
Very abstract but fractally attractive composition. It would have been nice if somehow you managed to get some blue color (like sky) into that diagonal shadow, to balance out the colors.
  Photographer found comment helpful.
11/16/2003 11:23:47 AM
Absolutely beautiful!!!!! :) 10
  Photographer found comment helpful.
11/15/2003 01:57:10 AM
Very beautiful capture! Love the soft feel of this shot! 10
  Photographer found comment helpful.
11/14/2003 06:12:56 PM
good composition and nice color
  Photographer found comment helpful.
11/14/2003 02:38:47 PM
ok
  Photographer found comment helpful.
11/13/2003 12:45:41 PM
Great colors, I like the tree and the detail.
  Photographer found comment helpful.
11/13/2003 03:21:33 AM
Beautiful shot, especially with the yellow of the leaves.
  Photographer found comment helpful.
11/12/2003 09:32:33 AM
Nice picture. Great colors, contrasts and subject matches 100%.
  Photographer found comment helpful.


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