Hi Gloria. These are fascinating trees indeed. I certainly hope they do not fall victim to the parasite you mention. They also make a very interesting photographic subject although I don't know that I would get peace out of the image as you were experiencing. For me, with the grouping of them, I get more of a sense of community or family.

A couple of suggestions to consider. Since you were shooting up, tilting the camera, things that should be vertical have become tilted. You can see that most clearly looking at the brick building on the right. This perspective distortion can be easily fixed in Lightroom. Even if you don't do that, I feel getting the man-made structure in the middle vertical is important since that stands out among the trees (or you may want to clone it out since I believe your focus is the trees). I'd also crop down from the top a bit; the sky is beautiful, but too much of it makes it less about the trees. Finally, depending on the look you are after, you might play with the tonalities and color a bit. I think you have room to recover the shadows and make the trees less silhouette. I've taken a shot at some of these things as I might approach them in the attached. Just some thoughts to consider.   Posted: 05/06/2023 07:52:31

Hi Gloria, I'm glad I read your description. It gives me an understanding of your intention behind making your photo. You captured perfectly what you hoped to. It's a well thought out concept that tells a story very well. It's a division between the chaotic City and the peaceful nature of the trees.
The darkened lower portion against the more defined upper 2/3rds is a nice and subtle way to put the emphasis on the beauty of this scene in the midst of a chaotic city. Taken at dusk supports your theme nicely.
Visually, the two dominate polls call too much attention to themselves. I would consider cloning them out. It's because the upper 2/3rds is more organic. The polls feel out of place for this part of your photo. But, this turns into my vision, not yours. It's really up to how you conceived this story.   Posted: 05/07/2023 14:40:48

Hi Gloria,
Thank you for sharing.
Based on the description, I think your objectives are all met.
I find the interesting shape of the trees, which is well shown in silhouette.
And also I can sense the chaos of the city, whereas the sky brings peace of mind - it is a nice contrast. This image delivers what it is like a day in Rome.
If I may suggest, I would open up the shadow of the tower a bit to show the detail (keep the tree in silhouette), crop down the sky (make the cityscapes a center of attention) and show the chaos of the city more in the bottom. I would like to see more cars, not just top of the cars. This is my personal opinion.   Posted: 05/09/2023 20:20:15

Hi Gloria
I think everyone has captured my thoughts. I have nothing additional to add. I really like what Robert has done and I agree with Haru that I would like to see a bit more foreground. Have fun in Rome and bring us more photos!   Posted: 05/10/2023 14:25:15

Hi Gloria, your image is a good fit for PSA Travel division, and RA's transform work would provide some cleanup to make it a winner. I hope you consider the suggestions. Good work.   Posted: 05/16/2023 10:41:23