Equilibrium
By: Quan
Tags: Bryce Canyon National Park, snow, tree
Category: Black & White, Utah
| Aperture: | f/2.8 |
|---|---|
| Focal Length: | 28mm |
| ISO: | 400 |
| Shutter: | 1/0 sec |
| Camera: | Canon EOS 5D Mark II |
This image is taken on the same trip with the one I posted last week (Disintegrate).
It’s not easy being a tree in this harsh land. I think the roots grow above the ground because the soil is so hard, and the roots are looking for water. Standing right at the very edge of the cliff, being push by the wind; it has to bend the trunk backward to avoid falling over.
Judging from its height and the trunk diameter, I think this tree has not yet reach maturity. I admire this young tree who can maintain equilibrium and composure; despite having to endure the severe living condition.
I also think that it’s very pretty and graceful, don’t you?
-Q.
Addendum: Tuesday, January 11, 2011. I receive several comments regarding a distraction caused by a branch from another tree showing at the left edge of the image; and that image size is too small. So I replace it with a revised version. Hope this one is better.
Quan's 1lens Photoblog 
Hay lam anh Quan. I liked how you analyzed cau chuyen above nghe rat hop ly. I too think it’s very pretty. Although part of the branch from another tree (on the left hand side) is somewhat a bit distracted IMHO.
Thanks for sharing your beautiful work as always.
Em Tanni 😀
Tanni,
Thank you for the constructive comment. Yeah, I think you’re right about the branch at the left; I just have to live with it, you see, I was already standing at the very edge the cliff.
-Q.
Cool shot again, I think of myself when I look at this. A balancing act of dancing to avoid conflict with home and hobby time. 🙂
As most, if not all of your image, it’s not the image that really matter but it’s the feeling that it conveys that make the viewer think about what the image generate in his/her mind when the image is viewed. Just a tree on a cliff but it hangs on to that dried land at the edge to not only survive but to live it’s own
existence, it’s life. That’s life, a balancing act of living and enjoying one’s life to the fullest without going over the edge (unless it’s an act of nature), an equilibrium, indeed!
I think having the tree in the let foreground and then the eye leading landscape behind to the right is a very good/clever shooting angle, btw.
Anh TMJ,
You’re right, life is a balancing act. I am happy that you “feel” something from viewing the image; I am happy that the visual image can transmit some feeling to the viewer. And, I am grateful that you share your thought.
-Q.
It’s just a tree.
Wai Leong,
Thank you for stopping by. Maybe, it’s just a tree; maybe, it’s not just a tree. Who knows?
Hi Quan,
You may be mistakenly guessed the age of this tree :-). It may be an old fart that you don’t know. In my opinion, it could be a giant bonsai… haha.
Good captured photo, except a little distraction as Tanni mentioned above.
Anh Nghiep,
That’s funny 🙂 You remind me of how Bonsai look like. Thanks for visiting.
-Q.
I’ve seen the comments on a couple other site on this and I think the are all valid. This one is definitely better presented with less distraction and better background lighting. However, I still like the first one just as much. 🙂
It’s interesting to see diffrent view points, after all most people only see an apple falling from a tree as a fact and only Newton see it differently and came up with the law of gravity. It always nice to have different view points and improve your work accordingly and I think you have done that well with passion. TFS!
I am pleasantly surprised that this image receives so many constructive comments, as you noticed. I am thrilled and enjoy reading them all (yours included). And most of all, I learned so much from this image and from reading the feedback. This project has proven to be very educational for me, so far.
Thank you,
-Q.
Gosh! I wish you weren’t so humble. This is a fantastic photo. It did something to my heart. It made me breathless. I guess I feel my life is on the edge and this photo aptly expresses that.
How was it processed? Was it taken in color and then what?
Gayle in Saginaw, MI
Gayle,
I always want to learn to make images which carry, at least, some sort of emotion to the viewers. Of course, there are countless failed attempts; some photos would be just pretty, some others would come close. I am thrilled learning that this photo touched your heart. For me, that defines success.
To answer your question, I am going to try to describe my workflow. On the camera, I set the file format to RAW+JPG, and the picture style to monochrome. This way, I see the scene as monochrome and the play-back on the LCD show the B&W image. Back home, after loading onto the computer, I get two files, a B&W JPG and a color RAW. In Photoshop, I convert the RAW file to B&W, apply contrast, sharpening, burn & dodge.
Whenever you feel your life is on the edge, you are always welcome to come back to this page and view the photo.
-Q.