Evolution
All life forms on the planet have adapted over time to survive in their, often harsh condition in which they live. To me, this Divi Tree is a reminder of that e...
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All life forms on the planet have adapted over time to survive in their, often harsh condition in which they live. To me, this Divi Tree is a reminder of that evolution, as despite the the harsh condition of living in hot sands, the tree, leaning towards the waters and twisted in it's growth by the trade winds of it's environment, appears to be trying to reach out for the life sustaining substance just feet from the place it is rooted.
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Feb, 2013Views
3770
Likes
Awards
Contest Finalist in A Lonely Tree Photo Contest
Contest Finalist in Wood In Nature Photo Contest
Featured
Superb Composition
Peer Award
Top Choice
Absolute Masterpiece
Outstanding Creativity
All Star
Magnificent Capture
Genius
Superior Skill
Virtuoso
Jaw Dropping
Top Ranks
Top 10 rank week 1
Top 10 rankTop 10 rank week 1
Top 10 rankTop 10 rank week 1
roboto
February 19, 2013
Amazing capture, stunning composition, superb colors and nice contrast between the tree's foliage and the sand!
Premium
Premium
Mar
October 12, 2013
Is this the tree in Costa Rica? Gorgeous capture, this simplicity makes it stunning
andrewgibson
March 05, 2014
Aruba, I almost have an identical shot to this one! "Aruba - One happy island"
PRO+
PRO+
cevert
June 12, 2015
A Divi Divi tree! Brings me back to Aruba! Beautiful shot! Love the contrasting colors :D
Platinum
SusiStroud
June 12, 2015
Beautiful and so remote. Excellent capture and congratulations on being featured.
Premium
Platinum
PRO+
Deebo48
July 30, 2015
Join the conversation. Add a comment or even better, a critique. Let's get better together!
dankanasr
October 30, 2015
I've a photo like this in Berlin where I was staying....on the wall of my bedroom:)
Same photographer See allBehind The Lens
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Behind The Lens
Location
This image was taken at Eagle Beach on the island of Aruba. There are actually two of these trees side by side, but I wanted to single one out and frame it against an abstraction of colors from the white hot sand to the warm turquoise of the sea, and resting with the cool blue sky.Time
The image was shot in the early afternoon, right after a 15 minute rain storm that came through. The storm offered a lot of advantages, first, it cleared the other beachgoers out of the frame leaving the image a sense of isolation and natural zen. Second, it smoothed out many of the footprints in the image, reducing shadows in the sand which may distract from the subject. The clouds also offered a break from the extremely harsh sun light of mid-day on the equator. Lastly, the clouds offered character to the sky, breaking up the constant blue and adding tot he abstract feel of the background.Lighting
All of the lighting was natural. The key to the image was waiting for the clouds to diffuse the light some, and cool the image which would have been way too hot without themEquipment
This was captured with a Canon 5D MKII and a 24-105f/4l lens sitting on a tripod. No fill flash was used in this imageInspiration
The inspiration of this image was this beautiful subject. To me, this seems like an oddity in the world, to find this type of life, not only surviving, but seemingly thriving in the harsh heat of the sun, and the dry, loose sand of a beach. This is a story worth telling. Couple that with the abstract color changes of background, and I have an image that is worthy of my gallery and a conversation piece.Editing
Absolutely! Post processing is a must. This is how I look at post processing, photography without it, it journalism. Photography with post processing is art. For me, the thing that draws me to art, is the colors. Rich, vibrant colors, which I match to the room I hang the pieces. So for me, Step one is alway to improve the saturation of the color to recreate what MY eyes see. I look at the world through eyes of color. I see these beautiful tones, and cameras don't capture that in the raw image, so I correct the deficiency with some color correction, and saturation.In my camera bag
I carry a smaller camera backpack, jam packed with the Canon 5D MKII. Attached to it in the bag is the Canon 24-105mm f/4l lens, which has a polarizing filter on the end. I also carry a Canon 100-400mm f/4-f/4.5l lens to get up close to subjects which I cannot get up close to. Even though I shoot landscape images, also carry a Canon 580EX II flash, as this eliminates shadows from my subjects (I wish someone would have taught me the value of this piece in landscape photography years earlier!). I carry my camera charger, and lots of batteries for the flash. The tripod hangs off of the side of the backpack, and it all weight about 25-30 pounds!Feedback
My best advice I would give to try to capture a similar image, is: Step 1, pick your subject, frame it, and wait for the best moment. For me, the clouds offered what I was looking for in both lighting, and character in the image. Step 2, shoot many shots! You may think you have "the shot" but two minutes later there may be one even better! The clouds will move, the sun light will change, and the water will change colors based upon the light. Wait, and shoot a lot! Step 3, review them all to see what you got. Again, the one you thought was the best while you were on-location, may not have been the best one. Narrow down the images to the one that gives you the image you want Step 4, post process the image. level the horizon, crop to frame the subject if it is not exactly where you think it should be on the image, and then feel free to process the image to improve the drama of the scene. Too many people are afraid to do this, but I am not. I want the image to be dramatic, and wild with color. I want my images to stand out from the rest, and enhance and highlight the colors that I, and anyone whom buys the image, will pair with the colors of the room the image is hung within. This is YOUR image, make it what YOU want, not what others want or think is proper.
