Oaks at Los Osos

[tom w]

This is my first post. I have a fascination with oaks. Just spent 2 days on the Central CA coast and found this one at a State Reserve near San Luis Obispo.

[wolfnowl]

Hi Tom, and welcome to the list!

Mike.

[Isaac]

I see the huge low boughs - but I don't get a feeling for how far they spread from the tree, I don't get the feeling that the bark in the top-left corner is really close to me and the other tree limbs stretch 30' or 40' away from me. With that subject matter there was maybe an opportunity to make the spread of those tree limbs the subject of the photo.

Bright areas always grab attention, so those places where the sky can be seen distract attention from the trees - maybe multiple exposures and exposure blending.

Oak tree bark isn't extraordinarily attractive but in some woodland edge situations it can be made attractive by golden sunset light - maybe the sunset doesn't reach into this woodland.

[tom w]

Isaac, thanks for your comments. I found Los Osos to be a fairly difficult area in which to shoot. It is not an open environment like an oak and grass woodland. There are many trees with many branches in very close proximity to each other. So, it is difficult (impossible) to isolate a tree. The sun was just rising so it was fairly dark in amongst the trees but the sky was becoming quite bright. This was my first visit to this spot and one of my main goals was to try out a lens I had just acquired (Zeiss 21 in Pentax mount). I have made a print on Epson Hot Press Bright 13x19 which I find very pleasing. The jpeg does little justice to the print. I see my oak images as portraiture.
 

[shaunw]

Hi Tom

Youve chosen a difficult location to shoot here my friend...such a complex composition means the eye is pulled around the frame and maybe never really finds an adequate resting place/focal point? I wonder if you have considered looking at this image in monochrome and really working on the textures/detail in the glorious bark?

Bold effort and well done what you've got you've done well...but i think the odds were stacked against you at this location re gaining pleasing/balanced comp

best Shaun