Shade Photo | TrekEarth

Photographer’s Note

Finally! Some shade!

Near here was the once fabulous town of Kelton, Utah. It was the third largest town on the old railroad line that went from California to the East. It is also very near Promontory Point, where the Golden Spike was laid, marking the joining of east and west via railroad.

Kelton boasted several saloons, a very nice hotel, and many other amenities. Now all that is left are piles of rubble, bits and pieces of broken glass, and a few other remnants of a once proud city. When the railroad moved south and across the Great Salt Lake, the town died and became a ghost town like many others along that same railroad line. Now, all of the buildings have fallen, though if you are perceptive, you can still find many building foundations and the main beam of the fine hotel that was once here.

The tree itself is a Utah Juniper (Juniperus utahensis) and is a very common tree in the area. They usually come in groups and not single, like this one.

kensimage, jhm, designsoul, robiuk, ChrisJ, john_c, mortijo, xuaxo, feather, Didi, syd1946, cam, stego, pboehringer, Xalkida, Bien has marked this note useful

Critiques | Translate

kensimage (8541) 2007-08-29 22:42

Beautifully done, David! The tones in the sky are great, the horizon is placed with nice proportions, and above all, the centering of the tree gives some kind of wry irony. (What else could we expect from a theater guy, if not wry irony?) Irony is not easy to achieve in a photo, as I have learned in making a somewhat feeble effort or two myself. But you have succeeded. Regards, Ken.

cessy (13647) 2007-08-30 0:20

simple but lovely
very nice picture, David

jhm (82545) 2007-08-30 4:26

Hello David,

A very simple picture but did very well with your interesting note, the tree is the lonely subject in this image.
Thanks for sharing.

Best regards,
John.

designsoul (21394) 2007-08-30 5:40

Marvellous work, David. The lone tree smack in the middle is superb. The perspective very pleasing, so are the colours. I am very fond of such lone trees myself... there's one close by but I have never managed to take a decent shot of it (plus there are some ugly buildings in the distance which doesn't help...). This one is striking.
Take care
sasa

baba_flies (7985) 2007-08-30 6:47

You have to walk far for a little shade! This tree must be pretty crowded on a hot summer day ... :) Hard to believe that there was once life nearby. This is what I like, this feeling of emptyness that I miss so much around urban areas like where I live, and I guess you could not show it any better ... this is good. Take care, Barbara.

robiuk (10763) 2007-08-30 11:46

Hello David!
Glad to see your new post after some time,
but I have to go straight to the point and
say I'm a bit dissapointed by the technical
quality of the shot.
Apart from that, The colours are fine and
both subject & composition very pleasing!
The shape of the juniper tree I find very
important here - looks like it's been trimmed
(which I doubt) and someone cares about the whole
place even though it dissapeared from the
earth quite some time ago, as you write.
Have a good day my friend,
Robi

dkeus31 (26182) 2007-08-31 1:07

hello David,
A very static and centered composition, well underlining your note.
regards
didier

john_c (24635) 2007-08-31 7:52

Hi David,
This minimalist shot works well in portraying the lonely prairie and the theme of your interesting note. I am not sure if the shot would work better with the Utah Juniper a little off centre. On balance, its a toss-up. The tree acts as a lonely sentinel here and its rather flat top matches the horizon line, contributing to good graphism. A lone survivor amidst a sea of grass...Very fine work, David. Cheers. I hope you are not overworking these days.
John

mortijo (12238) 2007-08-31 10:47

This is a great shot. The lonely tree in the middle of this emptiness created by that sea of grass. The note helps to understand the picture. Great work, congratulations. John.

Stepan (27175) 2007-08-31 13:22

Finally, that's no so different from the former post : minimalim, nature, loneliness... And a great mood too.
Stéphane

xuaxo (5727) 2007-08-31 14:36

Hi David,
The subject placed in the middle of frame gives a strong impact.
That's interesting, the view seems like some typical landscapes of Southern Portugal; maybe you've seen some here, such as this.
Regards,
Francisco

ChrisJ (70231) 2007-09-01 0:57

Hi David

Not much shade in Utah, I'm afraid, judging from this. I like the composition into thirds & the superb blue sky. Good sharpness & contrast. Congratulations!

feather (49860) 2007-09-01 7:07

I think this is the first time I've see a level horizon that isn't water, and totally unexpected for Utah. Are you sure you didn't go out with a big roller first? :)
Most people prefer to off-centre a single subject in a frame but there's something about both the flat land and the smallness of the tree that makes this centralisation work. You could sell this to Windows as a desktop image :)
Kath

evanrizo (456) 2007-09-01 8:12

Hi David, a simple and very stunning composition here.
The lonely tree at the line of the horizon gives a great impress.
You captured it with very good light too.
Cheers
Evan

drago (4826) 2007-09-01 9:15

The remainings of the Wild West?!It would have been great if some of these cities were still standing,giving us a real view to Pioneers life!Splendid minimalistic shot,greatly balanced!
Regards
Panagiotis

Didi (36090) 2007-09-01 10:37

Hi David
Nice composition who makes me thirsty.
One beer it's enough for me :))
Well done with this centered lonely tree.
Cheers.

syd1946 (17901) 2007-09-01 10:47

Hello David,
Really impressive!The lonely trees are always an interesting subject to shoot.But this one is something more!The small size of the tree and the excellent graphism works so well here.A piece of art(in the nature).

Wishes for the weekend,
Thomas

zeca (20026) 2007-09-01 14:00

Very nice composition! The quality is very nice, but the symmetry is great, with a nice idea to capture the tree centered.
Regards,
Zeca

lestans (15456) 2007-09-02 0:13

Hi David ! It looks like a myracle, something from Bible book.
Lovely strange picture, enhanced also by sky color

Livia

Angshu (33645) 2007-09-02 0:30

Hello David
Can't be simpler than this! Beautifully done with the horizon kept just appropriately in the frame. But the punch is the tree right in the middle. the more I look into the shot, the more I like it.
Regards
Angshu

toto (18709) 2007-09-05 0:50

Belle photo de cette grande étendue dont la transition entre ce beau ciel et ces herbes se fait par un seul et tout petit buisson.Jolies couleurs et bonne prise au raz du sol, cela grandit ce buisson. Amitiés Thomas
je reviens

cam (8880) 2007-09-07 19:11

Hi David
Good placement of the horizon (1/3-2/3),which gives a very far DOF for this very unusual flat area in utah, outside the salt lake.
The note gives some ancient life to the almost out of interest place, but pleasantly presented.

I have some reservation about the centered tree, I feel a little bit uncomfortable.

Have a good We
Charles

Jeppe (18623) 2007-09-08 14:20

Hi David
I believe this one must candidate to the lone-tree shot theme :-)
A fine way to use a center motif shot (at least horizontal) the special light horizon gave me a feeling of long shutter times and dimmed light but I can see this not the case.
tfs this - I can't think of a place in Denmark where this type of shot could be taken - too many trees and houses.
Jeppe

stego (22352) 2007-09-09 20:13

Hi David,
They say that simplicity is beautiful, but I think that a much inspiration is needed to make minimalist compo so appealing. Even more taking into account that it is centred (what a sacrilege! :-) and not that sharp.
Congratulations.
Regards, José.

Bluejeans (32293) 2007-09-19 10:22

Ola David,
Que bela cena esta arvore perdida no meio deste campo desertico , gostei de ver a arvores ao centro da foto , bom contraste de cores , parabens!!!
Um abraço Gonçalo

sacavem (8265) 2007-09-19 14:23

Hi David,
The tree is the lonely subject in this image.Lonely tree, but very well for the landscape.
Best regards and a good day
Filipe

jmcl (13809) 2007-09-19 17:18

hi David,

so few pixels in that tree .. so much power in them .. lovely and thoughtful emptiness .. I always find the lonely tree an evocative subject .. here the combination of the small size and centered position gives it extraordinary power.

When I was a kid most small South Dakota towns were celebrating there centennials .. most did lengthy town history books .. but the town of Blunt .. out in the West river ranch country .. instead chose to put together a joke book about their town.

"What is the job of the dog catcher in Blunt? .. to sit by THE tree and wait."

take care,

John

berek (28907) 2007-09-21 22:42

Hi David,
I feel loneliness. I like magic light and simple effective composition. have a nice weekend.
B.Erek

SchwebagMike (1490) 2007-09-22 11:28

A very "simple" composition, giving an excellent shot!
Well done, Mike

pboehringer (770) 2007-09-22 17:39

LOL, David! Shade?! Where ... I just see a very tiny tree lost in the middle of the image and I hardly can believe that there is any shade under those three leaves. A totally minimalistic shot with very well balanced elements throughout.
Regards, Peter

RandomCameraGuy (3063) 2007-10-07 10:57

awesome composition. I love the negative space and the colours pop.

It does seem a bit less sharp than it should be though...

Xalkida (11740) 2007-10-10 23:26

Hi David,

What a unique landscape: a big flat area with only one tree! :) Fine composition, great framing.