Ganshi, I have a few thoughts. Firstly what I like....I like the way you used the tilt & shift to focus the center also the use of aperture to throw the rest of the trees in shallow depth. I am not sure if the center placement of the draco is really working, what about a little higher up instead of being right in the middle. The reason might be that the parallels in the frame are just too occupying for the mind and the draco right in the center is competing too hard for attention. The draco looks more like an odd twig here, probably the same frame and a draco in flight would have made this image unforgettable and am sure you have some like that . I also tried to see it from the angle of a small life around the vastness, the draco 's lower part merging with the tree is working from that sense, am not even looking for details and definitions etc, just an impact Ganshi, looking for it desperately....also thinking if the rounding off of the tail of the draco against the sky might have created the intended impact. I know what am saying is perhaps too easy to say as I know creating these stuff are extremely difficult, specially with too many such attantion grabbing elements in the image....hope you understand what am trying to say here . I liked Kiran's draco image posted in FB, different mood though and much easier to handle setting, not sure if you two were together here...hey man, thanks for sharing, I thought u wud call me up before u go go... .

Just struck me again, can you try a squarish crop by keeping the tree on the right of the frame out of the composition ? Looking better in my view...

Thanks Nilanjan for your thoughts, lots of thoughts/images to share - will come back and write about them. Don't want write something in hurry, currently packing my bag for another trip in an hour...

yes ..i agree a squarish crop will be nice....

Ganesh, many elements of this image grab attention. While I understand the difficulties of image creation, i too would have liked a better draco definition.
And, travelling again ? Have you quit 9-5 job ?
-RD

Hi Ganesh,
Though it looks easy but looking at the scale it must have been quite difficult to spot. The scale you chose is very apt for depiction of cryptic life. I'm ok with the draco. A bit more of light on it would identify it better. looking forward to more.
Thanks for sharing

Interesting image Ganesh, esp if you scrolling through the image from top to bottom (or even the other way!) The slanted tree trunks running parallel to each other gives a nice feel to the Draco when scrolling.

Simply super composition Ganesh, The DOF pulls me to the subject.
I am not sure if a more square crop here would work, but I feel the right of the frame should have had sky rather than a OOF tree.

I love everything about this image. Off straight lines and the raised head profile of this amazing being is portrayed at its best. Another unique and original composition by you Ganesh!

Ok, back now to write more about it and answer some questions here.

Hey Nilanjan, I used 300mm f4 wide open, no tilt-shift here. Probably square crop would have worked but I don't have much space above and below and left/right to retain all the trees in the square crop, so decided to go with this.

About non-center placement of the draco, I thought it would dilute the emphasis on the draco. This is reason for using the lens wide open to render the rest of the trees out of focus to steer the eyes towards the draco.

This image is part of the series in which I tried to portray its cryptic life. Most of them are silhouettes. If there is light on the draco then it does not get visual attention - why ? It beautifully camouflages with the bark of the tree. I did mostly silhouettes for this reason. As Prithvi mentioned space after right most tree might have worked better. Harsha, slanted trees in the composition is by design. I thought that would add some dynamism into the image even though science does not like that view

Thank you all friends for your views !

Agree that at times we really do not know what might work best, it's much easy to be clinical later on, but some images really do not allow us to be 100% sure....