6 Comments

  • I personally find the use of the sunstar to create a more dramatic image in this instance. The composition seems to communicate some relationship between the little spirit tree and the sun itself. Nice! I don’t know if you’re open to suggestions on your blog (sorry if I’m out of line), but I’d personally like to see a bit more shadow recovery in this instance. I’m not sure what information is contained in your raw file, but this seems like a good opportunity to double process your raw for the shadows. I’d also be tempted crop about half of the open water out and to clone out the flare if at all possible. Nice image Bryan.

  • Thanks, Joel. I’m open to suggestions. The image is what the image is.

    Flare happens as a natural process of shooting into the sun with the 10.5DX; I almost didn’t post this picture because of that flare, but as I reflected on the image, the flare seemed to me as the light speaking to me – making itself known to me. What more can we capture but light and here the reflection of the sun? To me, it’s almost as if the sun is communing with the tree and the flare is an invitation to join that embrace.

    The raw file probably has plenty of info to pull from the shadows. I always find it challenging to avoid this look at mid-day, but I wasn’t about to paddle back out during good lighting. I might be tempted to see what I can pull out in a print or go all black. I think I could pull enough out of the file using Lightroom to avoid the double processing. This is straight out of the camera, BTW. Nice suggestion. I may try it if I print.

    I generally print at the 4:3 ratio, so there would be a touch of cropping on the images. My instinct tells me to crop the right side of the photo and lose land over the water. One of the stories of the witch tree that I’ve read suggests that the tree was a woman who had a vision and found her way to Hat Point to serve as a lookout for a change that was coming via Superior. That story struck a cord with me, which is why I’d crop to keep as much as the openness of the lake as possible. To keep the tree standing as a lookout in the picture.

    Feel free to suggest as much as you’d like. It’s very helpful.

  • It was one of the stories in Northern Lites: A Fireside Reading Companion by Jack Kraywinkle. Amazon has them used for 23 cents if you’re looking. I found almost all the stories in the book enjoyable.

  • Thanks for the info. I was more curious from an accuracy point of view, as I’ve never heard that story before. You would think having grown up in GP and being a band member and living my whole life here that I would have heard that story before, but I haven’t. The story certainly is interesting, as it implies the coming of the “white man”, thus endangering the traditional way of life for all native americans. And the tree ‘faces’ the direction in which the white people would have come from, so it makes sense.

    I like the photo as it is, but if I was going to crop it would be off the right side, for the reasons you stated.

  • Bryan- I like both the images. You captured something in the picture of the witch tree. I enjoy the color variation in the second picture.It would be fun to paint a picture to go with it. Thanks for sharing your talent.

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