Bonsai in Spring
I would love to see this image in a different light direction so that you can really play with the gnarly shadows the tree is casting. Harsh light works here in that sense, but this composition is really busy. The branches are touching the right side of the image, so it is cropped too closely there. Also, my eye is struggling to find a focal point, so the subject needs to be chosen more carefully. If you choose the tree as the subject, use a softer light. This will help calm down the harshness of the branch shadows. If you choose the shadows as the subject, use the harsh light source and crop out most of the tree, but make the entire image filled with shadows (on a reshoot).
© 2026 Camera Club of Hendersonville, NC
