First of all, this is a really nice image, and the following comments tend towards conjecture--to see if you could improve something that is already good. These are along the lines of Charlie's suggestions.
In your video, the zooming after the ~4:14 minute mark provides a partial preview of tighter cropping. The most engaging part of the image is the central part, namely the tree and brighter area of lichens and mosses. It is hard to judge well from the moving zoom, but it looks like cropping away the top ~10% and bottom ~10% would remove the least interesting parts of the image, leaving the part that is most special. (Maybe add some cropping along the sides.) The minor remnant of your worry area at the top center could be filled in--it's just background anyway. This would result in a frame filled with the most interesting colors and textures. --- Just suggestions for possible experimentation.
---John
Personally I don't find the white at the top distracting at all, I think I prefer it there then if it was excluded, helps add a bit more depth I feel. Overall great shot like always Ben, love seeing your work and always enjoy your youtube videos. Hope you have a good transition into the new year.
I love the richness of the color and texture in the foreground rock. And, of course, the form/color of the tree is superb. I won't try to rank this shot among the shots I've seen from your portfolio, but I think it's a keeper. Would love to have it on my hard drive.
I enjoy the white sandstone for a few reasons. First, I recognized the location. That let me immediately connect with the image. In fact, if I'm not mistaken, I was probably in the valley below at some point during the day setting up my own shot. The foreground and tree are strong on their own, but that extra little bit of sandstone background adds a lot for me personally.
Second, and I don't think it's something that can be overlooked, on images like this the reputation of the photographer has to be taken into account. Through the years your videos have shown your attention to detail in your compositions. Honestly, the background is the first thing I noticed about this image. However, I also knew that this composition was not haphazardly put together. Therefore, I started to consider what it added to the image. In addition to familiarity, I also believe it adds a greater sense of depth and scale.
