Old Man of the Forest, a photo from Hampshire, England

Photographer's Note

The New Forest contains some very *old* looking inhabitants. The odd thing about this particular photograph is that I took probably 6-8 photographs from different angles and distances, and not once did I see the face in the wood. It wasn't until I got the camera home and started reviewing the day's shooting that I saw it. Has been cropped and auto-colour correction in Photoshop.

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Critiques | Translate

TimWilson (236) 2003-09-29 17:37

Id love to say well spotted......even if it was back at home, a great example of those "hidden treasure" photo's that are found later....A great shot, I really can see that face...

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Didi (61591) 2003-09-29 17:52

Une photo digne d'un décor du film le Magicien d'OZ.
Le sujet est bien isolé du fond et les "yeux" sont situés sur des points stratégiques du cadre.

A photograph worthy of a decoration of film the Magician of OZ. The subject is well isolated from the bottom and the "eyes" are located on strategic points of the framework.

Grae (22) 2003-09-29 18:15

This is a great example of serendipity, it's a great shot! I like the mood conveyed with this shot, the sharp focus of the 'face' and the interesting lighting. Well captured!

RobBrown (1797) 2003-09-29 18:19

Well thats the "Green Man" for you .You never know when he`s watching over you. The New forrest by name only, it is a very ancient wood,lots of ent and goblins etc.
I love this photo well spotted in the editing you never know what the camera has got , usually its a branch growing out somebodies head but then there are shots like this Bravo well seen,nice sharpness and colour

ninadev (5377) 2003-09-29 18:30

Well seen and well done. Clear details on this old man's face and a nice off focus background.

Guzman (577) 2003-09-29 19:32

Very well spotted Gwynne , with good dof, the light on this day seems to be a little harsh but this is to be expected in the uk, a small amount of extra softening might not go amiss here
reminds me of Treebeard from Lord of the rings, enjoyable image

olli (2091) 2003-09-30 2:31

Very well seen. Looks like a walking tree in the movie "Lord of the Ring". Could work also in B/W or duotone, I think. I would crop a little bit from the left.

bodinux (363) 2003-09-30 3:42

I would like to bring you my good two points for this nice picture. I have nothing more to say than what the other reviewers have already stated.
Maybe one piece of advice : never go in this wood after dark, strange things seem to happen there (this tree might transform itself into a night creature from another world, or maybe YOU will be transformed into a tree and you will want so badly, so screamingly to escape and warn other people that your deformed woodly face might just appear through the bark too).

dominique (11414) 2003-09-30 16:23

Well considering, strange like nature, it is a good idea.

Liora (1857) 2003-11-21 20:12

Neat! And the coincidence story makes the whole thing even greater... It's those mishaps that lead to great revelations. And a very good job in making it very sharp and detailed!