B&W Challenge No. 25 - Trees

[whippet]

Forgot to mention. Both tree pictures are my own.
Used ON 1.





Both images looked better in ON 1, than they did in Elements.
Why would that be?

They look better when enlarged.

[hmca]

Went out on a bit of a tree hunt today. All B/W conversions done in LR.

[pontiac1940]

Very neat limb lines in your top photo Helen. Nice. 

Clive 

[alexr]

Thank you everyone for the great contributions so far. Sorry I haven't been around much. Hoping to get have some 'photo-time' during the bank holiday tomorrow (particularly as the cricket finished early...).
A couple of weekends ago I had some time in Hampton Court and then Kew Gardens.
Firstly an overgrown tree lined avenue at Hampton Court that I thought suited mono:


Hampton Court tree avenue by AlexR!, on Flickr

And next an oak/cork hybrid tree at Kew, just loved the bark and general gnarliness:


Oak/cork hybrid at Kew by AlexR!, on Flickr

Both converted in Silver Efex Pro, full structure (smooth) preset, which I find I use the majority of the time.

[whippet]

The bottom part of this photo was already in deep shade, so darkened when converted to b/w.
I didn't know how to lighten that up.
Nothing I tried, worked. 

Taken this morning.

[alexr]

Aug 25, 2019 17:39:00 GMT whippet said:

The bottom part of this photo was already in deep shade, so darkened when converted to b/w.
I didn't know how to lighten that up.
Nothing I tried, worked. 

Hi Whippet, don't want to teach anyone to suck eggs but I'm not sure whether you capture in RAW or JPEG. With the former you get more chance to see the hidden detail when you lift the shadows or selectively lighten (albeit both of these options tend to add a fair bit of noise). In difficult situations like this there is little you can do post-capture, you will need to have taken multiple images at the time and combined using a technique such as HDR.

I probably haven't told you anything you don't already know and therefore haven't helped much...  

[Peterj]

On1 used for all processing this 5 image exposure blend ...

[fotofrank]

Infrared Raw Image custom white balance and Camera profile. Finished in Luminar IR preset.

[whippet]

Aug 26, 2019 16:35:27 GMT alexr said:

Aug 25, 2019 17:39:00 GMT whippet said:

The bottom part of this photo was already in deep shade, so darkened when converted to b/w.
I didn't know how to lighten that up.
Nothing I tried, worked. 

Hi Whippet, don't want to teach anyone to suck eggs but I'm not sure whether you capture in RAW or JPEG. With the former you get more chance to see the hidden detail when you lift the shadows or selectively lighten (albeit both of these options tend to add a fair bit of noise). In difficult situations like this there is little you can do post-capture, you will need to have taken multiple images at the time and combined using a technique such as HDR.

I probably haven't told you anything you don't already know and therefore haven't helped much...  

I would learn how to suck eggs, but eggs don't agree with me. 

I always have my camera on automatic, so haven't a clue. 
I will have to find the manual.
I like the idea of multiple images - but what is HDR, please?

[pontiac1940]

The Whaleback, SW Alberta. 
The trees along the edges enhance the hills of The Whaleback

[alexr]

So as we leave August I wanted to say thank you to everyone who has contributed to this month's theme. A wonderful selection from 'once was a tree' through 'nearly a tree' up to lone trees, single trees and great forests of trees. And a great variety of processing from in-camera through to infrared. I hope you have enjoyed seeking out new images, revisiting old ones and trying out new things. Your images have each inspired me in different ways to develop my own craft and helped me to see what works in mono, so I am sure they have done the same for others; so on everyone's behalf, thank you.
I look forward as ever to future challenges, but please feel free to continue contributing to this where appropriate.

[preeb]

Enchanted Forest

Bristlecone pine grove at about 11,000 feet on Mt Evans, CO.  Some of these trees were already well established before the 1st Crusade was organized by Richard I.

[hmca]

Just want to thank alexr for agreeing to help with this challenge. I may have commented before but even if I did; it is worth repeating. The success of any forum
depends on member participation. Alex not only helps to host this challenge but is a member of the IOW Judges' team as well. His posts are always kind and helpful
and help promote the friendly atmosphere that is valued by our members. So thank you, Alex. This challenge wouldn't have been able to continue without your help!