Palm Tree

[.tony. .riot.]

Went to the beach today to take some surfing shots (still editing those)....kinda liked this one and played with it for a while on photomatix. be honest!

[danic]

Honestly, if the clouds weren't in the background, then yes, I would love this photo. With the clouds there, I just like it

It's not a bad photo by any stretch, it just those clouds....

[.tony. .riot.]

You're right...a completely blue sky would've worked much better.

[Frog]

The lights ok and the cloud doesn't bother me as it makes the shot more unusual.
I don't like the tree having no bottom and the branches/fronds leading off frame.

[jetrim]

Tony,
I like the composition a lot. The outermost frons stepping *just* outside the frame doesn't bother me at all, and the positioning of the adjacent tree is perfect. Cloud color is good, definition and placement...not so much. I don't like it centered on the tree trunk, and waiting 30 secons to 1 minute before depressing the trigger would probably have yeilded much better results as the cloud would have been left or right of the trunk.

One other thing, photomatix seems to be doing some seriously funky things with the clouds in the lower left. They look more like a topographic map or navigational chart than fluffy wisps of water vapor.

[.tony. .riot.]

Tony,
I like the composition a lot. The outermost frons stepping *just* outside the frame doesn't bother me at all, and the positioning of the adjacent tree is perfect. Cloud color is good, definition and placement...not so much. I don't like it centered on the tree trunk, and waiting 30 secons to 1 minute before depressing the trigger would probably have yeilded much better results as the cloud would have been left or right of the trunk.

One other thing, photomatix seems to be doing some seriously funky things with the clouds in the lower left. They look more like a topographic map or navigational chart than fluffy wisps of water vapor.

I noticed the lower left after I posted it, but I thought it was my monitor.

I get what you're saying about the positioning of the clouds, just one of those things I wasn't thinking of at the moment cause I was too busy/focused on the surfing.

All comments and suggestions are really appreciated guys.

[Shebang]

The tree with its sunlit fronds is beautiful, however to me that center cloud is distracting, and the "outlined" look on the bottom right is bothersome. The clouds add interest as opposed to just a blue sky, but as another poster suggested, waiting just a bit might have made a more pleasing shot.

[jetrim]

... just one of those things I wasn't thinking of at the moment cause I was too busy/focused on the surfing.

This has consistently been one of the most difficult things for me to maintain disciple with, over the years - paying attention to EVERY element of the composition AND paying attention to the metering / exposure information at the bottom of the viewfinder. If you're like me, you "tune in to the subject" sometimes forgetting about the other stuff, I am especially bad in this area regarding "grab shots" where you don't always have the time to retake it if something is "off". The more you practice though, the more facets start to become second nature, and the less things you have to remember to check yourself on, so keep shooting! If you like this shot, don't be afraid to go back some other day and reshoot it, heck go back a bunch of times until you get what you saw in your mind the first time!

[.tony. .riot.]

That's the beauty of it. It's what makes me want to keep shooting, because I know I still have a LOT to learn.

Again, thanks guys!