After shooting the chicory I took another look at this tree farm that sits across from the Conte Refuge in Hadley. I’ve often though of making images of the trees in their tight neat rows and Monday with it’s moist atmosphere appealed.
I had the 180 macro on and just made do with that. I did do a little “personalization” while processing.
Stephen Gingold Nature Photography Blog 
I’m guessing the personalization involved some darkening at the periphery to make the bright area at the far end stand out all the more. That brightness certainly grabbed my attention.
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That and other effects…all of which could have been done in a wet darkroom.
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♥
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❤
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There’s an Impressionist alive and well in Massachusetts.
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A sometime impressionist. More often a realist. Thanks!
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True, the impressionist does not come out very often, but when he does…
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Oh, he’s a shy laddie, he is.
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Wonderfully inviting, Steve.
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Thanks, Jane. Rainy days can be that way too.
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An intriguing photo. I am particularly intrigued by the walnut reference. Are these walnut trees? If so, why are they so close together, or is that an illusion?
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Yes, they are walnut trees. It is a slight illusion, but this is a tree farm. I do not know whether they are growing that close to eventually be dug up for sale, although it seems they are getting too large for that, or if they thrive growing close together and the nuts will be harvested. These are just two of many like rows. I would think they are not meant to be in this location for very long as walnut trees can get quite large. Another possibility is for the wood, but again they seem too close together to be allowed to grow large enough for lumber harvest.
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I did a little Google searching and found this for Black Walnuts.’ Growing Black Walnut tree seedlings for timber also requires more tree seedlings planted per acre than other types of trees. High-density tree stands create more dark colored heartwood, increasing wood value. Dense tree stands encourage trees to grow faster and straighter as well.” https://www.treeplantation.com/black-walnut.html Apparently black walnut is very good for woodwork and makes good gunstocks and coffins. That’s handy. 😉
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Great find, Ann. Thanks! There are a couple of apparent “plantations nearby. That’s a pretty good return for the land use. Walnut was my favorite wood to work with and to restore when I had an antique restoration shop. It’s a great wood to work and has some nice figure that adds to the beauty of the piece. It’s amazing the expense folks go to for coffins. I know it’s the final gesture to be made for a loved one, but once underground it doesn’t get appreciated…and the deceased certainly can’t enjoy it. When I first started furniture repair I went to a workshop led by the company we bought our supplies from. The undertakers outnumbered the furniture repair guys by 5 to 1. When you are paying thousands for a coffin a scratch is unacceptable.
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Lovely to learn more about your experience with walnut, woodwork, restoration etc. But, it always saddens me to think of how much time and money people lavish on coffins. On another area of time, money and wood, my daughter and I have been looking online at the incredible parquet floors in the Winter Palace, St Petersburg. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/St_George%27s_Hall_and_Apollo_Room_of_the_Winter_Palace#/media/File:St_George'sHallWP.jpg
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Those are fantastic. Here in New England we have a few old homes like that also. Every once in a while I get to work in a customer’s home where such work has been done. Kind of hate to walk on those floors.
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Indeed, I can’t believe that visitors to the Winter Palace get to walk on those floors.
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Yeah. I am sure they are well maintained but you never know what is stuck in the sole of a shoe.
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Lovely – feels like a very secret place, full of stillness.
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Thanks, Ann.
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Very impressive and I am glad that you decided to shoot this scene. I read that you “fixed” this one up a tad or two but it has sort of an eerie appeal that reminds me of a painting. Nice work.
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It’s an okay image right out of the camera, but I wanted to add a little more to it. All stuff that’s been done for ages so nothing I have to be ashamed of, but something making it more of my own interpretation. I’m glad you like this one too, Yvonne. 🙂
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Speaking of parquet floors, you might be interested to know that Grand Banks trawlers have them, rather than the more common teak and holly strips. I’ve refinished a few in my time. Sometimes it’s easy, and sometimes it’s not, especially when water’s seeped into cracks and raised bits of wood here and there.
This image jumped right to the top of my list of favorite photos from you. The light is wonderful. It’s the sort of landscape that John William Waterhouse might have created. The only thing missing is the pensive lady seeming to float through the forest. (Of course, that raises the question: is she really ‘missing,’ since I can see her in my mind’s eye?)
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Water and wood are not good companions at times. When I have to refinish a table and water has found its way through the finish it can be a nightmare. One can bleach it out but the patina gets lost and the grain doesn’t look the same unless one does a lot of sanding, again losing the patina and creating a dip in the flat surface. And I imagine, in your work, salt water makes it even harder to restore the original look.
The imagination adds a lot to the viewer’s response to an image. I’m glad you are able to project the woman into the corridor. I’ve seen lots of work from photographers who bring a model to add the human presence to an image. As you might guess, it doesn’t appeal to me in my images but I do enjoy that work of others.
The bright light at the end of the tunnel, not meant at all to resemble that which we might see in death, is sere grass catching what little light there was on this rainy day.
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Ironically, it’s not salt water that causes problems inside those boats, but fresh water: usually leaking refrigerators or ice makers. Those boats aren’t the Pequod, that’s for sure.
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A lovely photo. This would make a great cover to a book.
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Thank you, Lignum Draco. Having it published would be quite rewarding.
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“Personalization” – I like that. 🙂 And I like the result, the very soft, impressionist look is fitting.
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I know that a lot of photographer value “in camera” as the best photography but I think adding one’s own interpretation is valuable too.It seems that someday there will be a camera that does everything for us but that seems more the work of a robot than a human.
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Very dreamy, like a scene from a fairy tale. 🙂
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Thanks, Eliza! I wasn’t as fortunate to have the same conditions the other day so none of those will likely see the light of blogging.
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