When we go on dive trips, our group always makes sure to spend some time top-side exploring the exotic places that we visit. In St. Kitts, we visited a batik factory (yes, like the one we visited in Bali) located on the grounds of Romney Manor that was once owned by the great great great grandfather of Thomas Jefferson.

On the grounds is a Saman Tree (Albizia saman). This tree is absolutely incredible... it is over 350 years old, 24 feet across at the base of the trunk, and the branches span over half an acre.

So obviously, it presented some challenges for getting a good composition that worked well to capture it. In all honesty, I should have put Anya in the frame near the base of the tree as a point of reference. Additionally, the late afternoon (almost 4PM) tropical light certainly presented some exposure issues (between a bright sky and dark branches and shared area under the tree).

Wider Composition, 1/120 sec at f/11	Tighter Composition, 1/200 sec at f/11

Technical Data: Canon EOS 7D, Sigma 10-20mm f/4-5.6 EX DC HSM AF at 10mm, 1/120 and 1/200 sec respectively at f/11. ISO 400. Raw conversion in Photoshop CS5. Romney Manor, St. Kitts.

Usual drill here - mouse over the thumbnails for the larger view, then place your vote and leave a comment letting me know why you chose what you did.

- Bill