The added bit of light on the tuffs of leaves is really important to this images because of the darker background. The design elements of the tuffs and trunk outline/branches really add to the impact of this image. The darkness in the background, for me, add a bit of mystery and I like that..I want to know what's lives in the darkness (deer, rabbits, mice, etc.). I'm fond of trees with beautiful shapes. I have several types of oak trees in my backyard, and in the wintertime, I photograph the shapes of the branches without leaves. Looking at the original image, you did a great job replacing the sandy soil with grasses and I do like the darker background as it makes the large tree in the foreground stand out. Great photo.
  Posted: 07/06/2021 14:12:18

This is a fine image Trey and your processing has done it justice. But I'm going to play "Good Cop, Bad Cop" with this one Trey. Please don't get me wrong, I'm just trying to offer some constructive (I hope) thoughts. Without reading your story, if I was to look at this hanging on a wall, or in a club environment, I would be asking what is this image all about? What's the story here? This tree, as we would expect is of a good age and size, with many leaves. You mentioned the strength of the verticals in the background (I'm guessing you're calling them distracting). You also mentioned many climbing scouts. Some of the leaves at the edges have been omitted in the original capture. If you were to present this to us in vertical or possibly even square format, the trunk and its branches would then be more dominant in the image, their form and texture demanding our attention and you would loose many of those background verticals. I think focusing our attention firmly on the trunk, could remove some of the vagueness of this image. Just offering some thoughts.   Posted: 07/08/2021 03:56:25

Trey, You've done a very nice job processing this image. Such an improvement over the original image. This really is quite a tree and likely has many stories to tell.   Posted: 07/14/2021 16:46:22

A old and beautiful tree. I like the way you have brought out the true colors in post processing. Just a thought, placing the tree in the center of the frame instead of using the rule of thirds, would make it a little more dominant in the photo.   Posted: 07/17/2021 21:05:24

This tree looks impressive. I like the color and the trunk that stands out.
If I do a simple image reading, the main subject is indeed the tree, its majestic and living side.
Your choice of personal processing gives it a presence.
I only regret that the other trunks are also present. In the reading of the image, we see this beautiful tree but the gaze goes to the right and comes up against a series of small trunks, cute but which block the view and prevent from returning to the giant tree. The strong point for me is the trunk of this big tree, the others, I would have darkened them to put more in front the tortuous side of the main tree. Nice image and nice improvement compared to the original. You mastered the processing well. Good continuation.
  Posted: 07/18/2021 01:23:44

Thank you all very much for your input. I have cropped to an 8x10 format, dodged and burned. The square format didn't quite include enough of the tree. I was hesitant to have the trunk in the middle, but your perspectives helped drive home the point that center is appropriate for this image.   Posted: 07/18/2021 08:47:43