The running tree

[gahspidy]

I like how this shot came out, but am unsure if the dof is to much and takes away from the subject. I would appreciate your thoughts. . .

[PuckJunkey]

I think you probably could afford (while focusing on the middle of the tree) to drop the DOF by a full stop. Maybe 1.5 stops to blur the trees in the background a bit more. I like how the whispy cloud plays off the tree and its shape. Very cool.

[gahspidy]

I think you probably could afford (while focusing on the middle of the tree) to drop the DOF by a full stop. Maybe 1.5 stops to blur the trees in the background a bit more. I like how the whispy cloud plays off the tree and its shape. Very cool.

Thanks for your thoughts. I am glad you saw the clouds off the tree, I like that as well. I tried to edit the photo a bit to see what it might look like with a bit less dof. i like the result but would be far happier if I had caught it that way to begin with as it does not look quite so natural with editing( at least not with my editing skills yet). I have to get my self to think about depth of field and settings in every shot I take. I am happy with it but would have been more happy with less dof. Thanks again for your advice, PuckJockey.

[PuckJunkey]

You're welcome. Upon seeing a mock-up of it, I do like the composition even more with less DOF. Gives a whole different feel...

[stew]

a couple comments. first, i like the tree in-and-of-itself because of the unusual shape, but i'm not a big fan of the road in the background of your shot. could you possibly capture the tree with just the sky if you took it from a different angle (the land looks like it slopes away where you were standing)? also maybe try it in b&w?

second, if you're looking for more dof, in this case i would suggest re-taking the picture instead of editing in photoshop. both you, puckjunkey and others here have demonstrated some really cool editing features - and thanks for those who've done work on my pics! - but in this case i'm sorry i don't feel it works well. the impression i'm left with in the altered picture is that it looks like a fake tree on a diarama (sp?). does this make sense?

hope this helps...

[darkrainfall]

I think it depends on how you look at the road, I think the rail pulls you into the picture. You see the tree as the main focus, but there is more to the picture and that rail draws you into the rest of the picture as it curves around and vanishes. It definitely would look better if the shot were retaken and not photoshopped. Though the job was done relatively well, it still doesn't look quite right. It is a good photo though, and as pointed out before by someone else, I especially like the wisps of clouds playing off the tree branches. *smile*