Stills

Hey, Rex, this is upside down :-)
 

I have to admit that my first thought was that this was another Autumn shot but I have warmed to it considerably since first impressions. A lot of care has gone into the composition and the trailing nature of a thin beech branch/twig is really rather clever. The composition is almost abstract and the 'missing' shapes of the trunk help to contribute to that look. Photographically, the control of dynamic range is good: the shine on the leaf is not burned out and the there is detail in the shadow. From a naturalistic perspective one imagines this to be in the shade a lot of the time given the moss on the trunk and the thinness of the twig. So, in the end I like it.
 

The shadows make this work. Without them, I'm afraid the colors would have been a bit too much.
 

I like the richness of the colors (no big surprise there) and depth of the shadows. It is also nicely designed. I'm partial to moss -- it makes a lovely background.

I think Colin's remark is because the moss seems to be growing downward. Did it not work for you right-side up?
 

Did this rotate? If so, I think I preferred the portrait version. It seemed more alive than this one. The leaves hanging straight down gives me this thought. Very simple composition and the imperfections in the leaves add rather than detract. That long diagonal branch/twig divides the shot well in two and the leafless twig/branch breaking up all that moss on a subconscious level.
 

Sorry for the brevity of my comment, but now that I've looked at this many times it is still my reaction to the photo. Maybe once seen like that it is just that my mind can't shake it off. Och, as our neighbours would say.
 

I had to check the orientation; it does seem to be the right way up. I quite like it 90 deg ACW. It was taken at 1/25th at ISO800, I don't recall using a tripod but I must have done!

For me it was just a simple celebration of forest autumn colours, with a bit of composition thrown in.
 

For me it was just a simple celebration of forest autumn colours, with a bit of composition thrown in.

That's exactly what I see there. Entertaining the first time and the second time I look at it.