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There's something very evocative about a lone tree in the landscape, and such an image can be a strong visual metaphore suggesting, loneliness, strength, endurance, shelter and so on, depending on the viewers' mood and intent.
This stunted lone tree is to be found on the Sychnant Pass, on the North Wales coast next to Conway, and is growing in a very exposed and infertile patch of ground surrounded by heather and gorse.
I've taken many photos of this tree, in various compositions and lighting conditions, but in terms of conveying a mood I think this image is the strongest so far (I'll keep trying every time I visit).
Strangely enough, when I first processed this image in colour I wasn't impressed, with very little of the emotion I was feeling at the time of shooting coming through in the final image. It was just too pretty.
I tried a monochrome conversion and POW! There it was, that feeling of melancholic wistfulness that seeing this tree struggling to survive against the environmental odds always arouses in me every time I pass by.
Filename - tree 03.jpg
Camera - Canon 5D
Lens - 24-105mm zoom @ 24mm
Exposure - 1/13sec @ f16, ISO100
Location - Sychnant Pass, North Wales
This image - 800x533px JPEG
Conversion - ACR & PS-CS2
Comments - Tripod, mirror lockup and cable release used to prevent camera movement.
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