Mini-Challenge #205 - Lonely Tree

travelways

Let's play the theme "Lonely Tree"

This was a theme that I liked on ViewBug (who doesn't know about, don't worry). It was actually sponsored by SmugMug and the prize was a free pro account. The winner was a SmugMug photographer (When I'll find the link to her photo I'll post it)

Anyway, this is all about YOUR interpretation of a Lonely Tree - I hope you like trees

The Challenge will run until May 1st (I mean, no matter how late on the last night of April. It will be considered closed in the next morning - I am on US Pacific Time)

* Also, please read the rules (below) of playing before entering:

** I posted this challenge on my facebook page (https://www.facebook.com/Travelwaysphotos), and I will also post the winners there with links to their own photography pages


Here are some of my examples:

<a href="http://www.travelwaysphotos.com/Thematic-Photography/Photos-of-Nature-and-Wildlife/Trees/i-h9NhvC5/A&quot; title="Oct. 21, 2010The clouds were breaking up, revealing a gorgeous sunset. Ottawa Canada"><img src="http://www.travelwaysphotos.com/PicturesofCanada/Ottawa-Photos-2010/i-h9NhvC5/41/L/tree-4b-L.jpg&quot; title="Oct. 21, 2010The clouds were breaking up, revealing a gorgeous sunset. Ottawa Canada" alt="Oct. 21, 2010The clouds were breaking up, revealing a gorgeous sunset. Ottawa Canada"></a>

<a href="http://www.travelwaysphotos.com/Thematic-Photography/Photos-of-Nature-and-Wildlife/Trees/i-WppCzxg/A&quot; title=""><img src="http://www.travelwaysphotos.com/Thematic-Photography/Autumn-colors/i-WppCzxg/7/L/autumn-a-L.jpg&quot; title="" alt=""></a>

<a href="http://www.travelwaysphotos.com/Thematic-Photography/Photos-of-Nature-and-Wildlife/Trees/i-mMtPWcc/A&quot; title="December 11, 09Almost darkTree branches and birds silhouetted against a pale sun shining through dense fog. Ottawa Canada"><img src="http://www.travelwaysphotos.com/PicturesofCanada/Ottawa-Photos-2010/i-mMtPWcc/35/L/almost-dark-L.jpg&quot; title="December 11, 09Almost darkTree branches and birds silhouetted against a pale sun shining through dense fog. Ottawa Canada" alt="December 11, 09Almost darkTree branches and birds silhouetted against a pale sun shining through dense fog. Ottawa Canada"></a>

<a href="http://www.travelwaysphotos.com/Thematic-Photography/Photos-of-Nature-and-Wildlife/Trees/i-vJqzqVg/A&quot; title="Gros Morne National Park"><img src="http://www.travelwaysphotos.com/PicturesofCanada/Gros-Morne-National-Park-NFL/i-vJqzqVg/0/L/gros-morne-national-park-L.jpg&quot; title="Gros Morne National Park" alt="Gros Morne National Park"></a>


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OUR UN-OFFICIAL GENERAL RULES
1. Have fun sharing and seeing what others share!
2. The host supplies a topic and YOU POST 1-3 IMAGES. The host judges the winners (1st, 2nd and 3rd) and is not eligible to enter. The 1st place winner becomes the next host, chooses the next topic and becomes the next judge.
3. Any photo you’ve taken is eligible, regardless of when taken or camera used.
4. Any amount of post-processing is allowed. However, it is helpful if you list your camera and lens along with your photo.
5. You may comment on other contestant's images. If you want someone to leave you some critique or criticism, just ask within your post.
6. The winner has up to three days (72 hours) to begin a new mini-challenge, or the honor goes to the #2 finisher and so forth.

Guidelines:
1. Enter 1-3 photos and put them in a single post.
2. Either embed your image in the thread or, if you must, supply a link to it. Keep in mind, however, most people don't want to click to open photos hosted elsewhere (i.e. on your website).
3. Also try and resize your photos prior to posting so they're sized appropriately for viewing without having to scroll (~800 pixels on the longest side works best.)
4. Give each image you enter a title.
5. Enjoy discussion with members about their images, don't let this just be an entry thread!
6. When quoting a post, change the IMG urls to a 200x200 size picture so it is clear your post is feedback and not another entry. (See here for help).
7. Don't be hesitant; share 'em and enter!

Mini-Challenge pointers:
1. Upon winning a mini-challenge round, your first step is coming up with a new theme and starting a new thread using the same format as others have used.
2. Make sure to notify the admin of this thread to update the main thread links with your entry thread.
3. Feel free to watch the thread as it grows or wait to the end time and look at all the entries all at once.
4. After the time/date has passed, then officially close the thread with a single post notifying everyone of the fact.
5. After you're finished judging, start a new thread (again using the prior formats) and post your Winner and runners-up. It is important to have runners up in case the winner does not show within the 72-hour window.
6. PM the winner with this info above and let them know they have 72 hours to set up the next mini-challenge.
7. If the winner does not show/start the next mini-challenge after 72 hours, notify the next runner-up and post a message on the Winner thread of the fact.
8. Remember, if you're the Winner, you run the next mini challenge!
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Have fun with the "Lonely Tree" Challenge!

Cavalier

Congratulations Tatiana for the Billiards shot win in the Sports challenge - nice one!

And ooh....I love trees - the lonelier, the better! Here are my entries.

1) Twin trees - keeping each other company:



#2 - Lone Cypress, Monterey, Ca. Probably one of the most photographed trees in California, but I still shoot it whenever possible!




#3 - The Crane Tree, Highway 41 just north of Fresno. Not alive anymore, but still a show-stopper.

travelways

Thank you Joe, very nice trees here

CHANDLERJA

Great subject choice Tatiana!! I love shooting trees
Gonna have to dig deep for this one!

grandmaR

I hope you don't mind a second generation lonely tree - this is a photo of a painting I did from a photo I took in the same area as the Lonely Cypress. And I'll have to see if I can get a better photo of it.

I find a couple more later

DonRicklin

My three. Great concept!

1) Sentinel Snag, Hurricane Ridge, Olympic NF, WA.



2) Tree on Hoodoo, Bay of Fundy, New Brunswick, CAN



3) Grand Canyon South Rim



Don

travelways

Beautiful painting!

grandmaR wrote: »

I hope you don't mind a second generation lonely tree - this is a photo of a painting I did from a photo I took in the same area as the Lonely Cypress. And I'll have to see if I can get a better photo of it.

I find a couple more later

travelways

Love your trees Don!

DonRicklin

travelways wrote: »

Love your trees Don!

Thank you! The first two are old film shots. The last from 3 years ago. I do the Canyon every 20 years, starting in '72.

Don

grandmaR

grandmaR wrote: »

I hope you don't mind a second generation lonely tree - this is a photo of a painting I did from a photo I took in the same area as the Lonely Cypress. And I'll have to see if I can get a better photo of it.

This was the original photo that I did the painting from.

Two other entries

This was a slide film photo taken in 1960 in the Florida panhandle



because California isn't the only place to have lonely trees

And this is a Lone Tree with friends - California again. Yosemite. The two kids in the photo are now 53 and 51 years old.

synature

Quite a few lonely trees along the missouri bottoms


This guy along Hwy 63 is no longer with us



Not really for the contest, but for those who like big trees, this link is an image I made of the record holder for Burr Oak in Missouri. It's huge, but not all that lonely since it's a regular spot for tourists and a required visit for locals. It's over on gigapan because it's huge. The camera was a Sony A900 with the 85mm prime lens; 3 rows of 4 images each stitched together.
http://www.gigapan.com/gigapans/32645

travelways

Very nice entries so far

I just added to the top of this page the fact that I posted this challenge on my facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/Travelwaysphotos I hope you don't mind

kdotaylor

I love trees...nice choice, Tatiana; and wonderful photos so far! Here are mine:

#1 Winter Trees in Minnesota


#2 Trees on the Oregon Coast


#3 Trees on the Shore of Lake Superior

Thelensspot

All I can say about the entrees so far is WOW!!!!

Here are three I could find:

#1 Potted tree



#2. Tree and hayfield



#3. Willow trees and barn in snow

matthewmcewanphoto

Lonely Tree, Colorado
www.matthewmcewanphoto.com

ENJOY!

travelways

OMG - this will be so, so difficult to judge... I mean not to "judge", but to choose only 3 winners!

sapphire73

Here are two contributions:

1) Tree on Mount Wellington


2) Tree in Joshua Tree National Forest

TonyCooper

#1 - Traditional Lonely Tree in black and white



#2 - The Florida Palmetto tree with onlookers



#3 - Apartment Complex

Meta4

This one is the home page image for my Smugmug A/c

A young Moreton Bay Fig tree in a paddock close to where I live


A mature Moreton Bay Fig tree just a few miles away


A spectacular Bottle tree growing out of a broken cliff

ChrisJ

I like trees, but I don't have too many lonely ones... Really enjoy everyone's shots, though.

Joshua Tree


Acacia Tree (Film Scan)


Grand Tree

kscooper

Dear Tatiana and all -

I don't often contribute to these events, although I usually look through and marvel at the submissions for the latest themes, just as I have done in this one. So many amazing photos! Trees are evocative, and sustaining, yes?

I *do* enjoy and marvel whenever I can encounter a "lonely tree", so here goes . . .





This is my favorite snap for your topic: whether their union was destined to be riven by lightning, or rather that the "couple" simply grew apart:



Eric

Thelensspot

Chris..."Grand Tree"---> WOW!

travelways

Hi Everybody,

Wonderful entries here

The challenge is now over and I'll come up with the results a little later today - Wow what a difficult task! Don't you think we should have these results done by public vote? it will be more fun and more fair I think...

grandmaR

Could we vote for our own photos?

I heard someone say that if you were running for office and did NOT vote for yourself that no one else should either.

DonRicklin

grandmaR wrote: »

Could we vote for our own photos?

I heard someone say that if you were running for office and did NOT vote for yourself that no one else should either.

For the regular Dgrin Challenges that have been discontinued and were done by popular poll vote, it was alway bad form to vote for your own entry.

Don

TonyCooper

travelways wrote: »

Hi Everybody,

Wonderful entries here

The challenge is now over and I'll come up with the results a little later today - Wow what a difficult task! Don't you think we should have these results done by public vote? it will be more fun and more fair I think...

No way! You get the glory of winning and choosing, but along with that you
have the terrible responsibility of picking the next winner. It's supposed
to difficult. Very much so in this case all the great entries.

grandmaR

DonRicklin wrote: »

For the regular Dgrin Challenges that have been discontinued and were done by popular poll vote, it was alway bad form to vote for your own entry.

Don

THat was a joke

travelways

I'm a little behind my tasks - sorry for the delay.

Please don't lose hope..... I'll get the results a little later this evening

travelways

OK, here are my choices:

First I'll give Honorable Mentions to:

Jo West (Cavalier)
#2 - Lone Cypress, Monterey, Ca. Probably one of the most photographed trees in California, but I still shoot it whenever possible!

Don
#2 Tree on Hoodoo, Bay of Fundy, New Brunswick, CAN


grandmaR
b. Lone tree with friends


Kate
#3 Trees on the Shore of Lake Superior


matthewmcewanphoto
ENJOY!

synature
#3

TonyCooper
#1 - Traditional Lonely Tree in black and white

HM kscooper #2

Thelensspot
#2. Tree and hayfield


... and

The Third prize goes to:

sapphire73
1) Tree on Mount Wellington

The Second prize goes to:

ChrisJ
#2 Acacia Tree

First prize goes to:

Meta4
#1 A young Moreton Bay Fig tree in a paddock close to where I live

So Meta4 it's your turn


What great entries!!! clap

Thelensspot

Tatiana, awesome mini-challenge and thank you for the honorable mention.
Congrats to Meta4 and all the others on some awesome shots! I thought the quality of the entrees for this challenge was incredible! clap
Thanks again Tatiana!

DonRicklin

Tatiana, thank you for the honorable mention.

Meta4: good one! It has a painterly look to it.

Don