The exposure problem on the second image was tricky. I didn't want to blow out the sky because that would kill the mood, but exposing for the sky would leave the rest of the image quite underexposed. I mean it's full black to nearly full sun, something's got to give.
I decided to meter for the sky and hope for the best, and I'm pleasantly surprised with how much information is on the negative.
I'll try to print it tonight, but I'm not getting my hopes up. Negatives have more latitude than paper, and I maxed out the negative so this one may not be printable, at least with my skills today.
It's a great tree, isn't it? I'm glad I crossed paths with it. Today I was listening to an interview with Rosanne Cash and she was talking about the creative process for her music. She mentioned two things that resonated with me; first, she said she doesn't write her songs, she 'catches' them. I really like that imagery. She said if she doesn't catch the song right away someone else will, so she has to be ready and open. Second, she quoted Stephen Pressfield - I've never heard of him - who said "you have to show the muse you're serious."
That's excellent.
Jeff