Tree, Black & White, High Key

I love photographing trees and I especially like to focus on the abstract shapes that their branches make. When those shapes are the driving force behind a photograph, converting to black and white often helps to accentuate the abstractfulness (if that is a word......though I don't think it is).  In this case I found that the conversion to black and white, along with giving the foliage a bright, high-key look, really brought out the shape of the trunk and branches, which is what I was attracted to in the first place.

In addition, for me, that distant and relatively small tree at the bottom right, by echoing the shape of the main tree, really completed the image. As a friend of mine put it, 'it's a little guy, but he carries a lot of weight' filling out the bottom of the frame

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High-Key Tree  © Howard Grill

This is obviously not the way the image came out of the camera.  The original color image, after RAW processing, is seen below.  It was taken with the intent of converting to black and white.  I personally think the photo is more successful as a black and white image.  What do you think?

The original color image  © Howard Grill

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