Stills

A dramatic effect -- even though these trees were likely planted to be "harvested", it is still a depressing sight to me. Makes me think of a battlefield or graveyard.

Very effective composition, with the foreground elements and background tree silhouette, and the use of light is quite to my taste.
 

Matt - what you call a "tree farm" is, here, usually the property of The Forestry Commission; set up after WWI. In recent years the mania for setting up quangos and generally taking things out of public control has resulted in a more complex picture. This is private land with a plantation run by the Forestry Commission. There is a big drive to turn coniferous plantations into native deciduous. There has been a lot of cutting round us with these "battlefield" scenes resulting but little evidence of any new planting of any sort. We planted deciduous on our land with a Forestry Commission grant - confused?!!

Christina - because of opening up the poultry I don't usually catch light like this but I persuaded Jana to do my chores on this day.
 

Even in the New Forest this is not an unusual sight, it is reminder that although it is a national park it contains industrial tree farms.

The treatment adds to the starkness and feeling of desolation. The low PoV accentuates the regimented rows. It gains a lot from the frozen puddles.
 

One wouldn't normally think of the reverse L boundary shape as making for a very interesting composition, but it is really effective here. There is about 60% of this photo that I'm not in, and don't care about. But it doesn't detract at all. The reverse L leading to the standing tree and the light is all that I need.
 

I too get a sad feeling from this. As Christina says, this could almost be a battlefield/graveyard. The predmonant colour adds to my feelings save that lovely glowing tree in the far right. That tree makes the shot and is the sole visual stimulus - the rest incfreases your emotive feelings.
 

Coming in late on this image, I also find it haunting and looking at it as a potential monochrome. With the CS3 B&W adjustment layer, I could then use the filter sliders to create a little more seperation in the background mountains and the foreground stumps. Very interesting image, thanks.
 

Very strong subject and composition. I can feel the bitter cold. this would not be the same under a heavy Sun.
 

Many thanks for your comments. Taken a year ago (and just posted on my website) I think that I was drawn to take it because of the totality of the visual elements. There is a slightly charged atmosphere but that must have been a subconscious impulse as I am reasonably inured to the wave of tree felling round us and the consequent change to the outline of the landscape. I await future management of these and other acres with interest.

If you do not hear from me for some time it will be because some major works are happening at the end of our shared drive by the main road and the telephone box in the ground there is, in true Welsh fashion, likely to be a casualty. Of course, it might be alright!