Greetings from the Critique Club!
I wish this image had done better in voting but there is no accounting for voters' tastes. That poor tree isn't weathered, though it was the weather (tornadoes) that did the damage. That tree had been stripped to its bones.
Basically the tree itself is fantastic, with all those broken limbs and strong lines everywhere. The lighting is great (overcast skies have some use after all). The focal point is clear, composition simple, focus is great looking at your settings, small wonder you're loving that setup you now have.The background buildings don't really detract...yes they are there, but they're not drawing attention away from the tree.
So why didn't this image do better, it didn't even get any comments during voting? Well, it is a safe image, there are no dark corners for us to probe and explore. A nighttime shot of this tree, perhaps with the moon caught in its branches, could have taken things an entirely different direction. Also, I think too many voters just simply saw the title and just didn't realize that this was a tree that had simply weathered quietly and died, but in fact had undergone some severe trauma in that death. It must've taken a lot of tornado power to rip the bark off of a tree!
Hope this helps, and please keep on entering - you clearly have an eye and some good gear to play with, so please make the most of both!
Susan |