Strange that the wood shows similar lines in direction of its growth like the velocity field/fradient of flowing water. Strange? That's no wonder. Both motions, the flow and the the growth are governed by similar equations. The growing wood of the tree could be said to flow, only very slowly!
And it provides a very nice shape to capture. For myself I find it nice because of the earthy colors and the white "clouds" spread over it.
Thank you very much for the detailed comment and the idea, Andre!
Indeed, it could give a very good composition, especially if also using some degree of transparency, in order to give the impression of an "unexpected" but natural background. Pan Giannakis is the master of such things. His work are of an amazing and sometimes also amazingly depressing quality. Here he is: http://www.usefilm.com/photographer.asp?ID=85837
Hi Nick, This is really quite beautiful! This kind of image is what the Patterns in Nature category is all about as far as I'm concerned. Very interesting what you wrote about the "flow" of the growth of a tree compared to the flow of water. The tree being much slower flow.
Another thing that I have seen done with this kind of image is to use the tree bark or "flowing" trunk as in this case, for a layer of a mutiple image. The flow lines in the tree can blend nicely with the curves of a tasteful nude image for instance, or even a portrait. I know it's just playing around in Photoshop, but when it is done well, the results can be very attractive. Andre