Thanks for the comments, I really apreciate them. Anne, you are right this is the look I am working towards, I took the original shots at midday under strong sunlight to highlight/enhance the shadows and show the depth of the grain, I try to remove most if not all of the background to try to give a woodblock/scraperboard effect. It is too easy to lose the post in the background, where as I try to make the background and the post combine to give a sense of isolation.
I like the strength of the angles and the emphasis on the grains in the wood, and the moss adds a softer touch. With the exception of the moss, it almost looks like a b&w photo. I'm wondering what look you are trying to accomplish here, though. Were you going for the look you achieved? I noticed that your end post photo has the same type of exposure, so am thinking this is what you were going for.
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