Started off as colour. Played around with curves and saturation in monochrome, and added a burn and dodge layer to bring out the detail at the bottom and a darker top area. Thanks for stopping by. Comments welcome. :-)
Very 'Pan's Labyrinth'. I like what you have done, it accentuates the roughness of the bark and the starkness against the bright sky, just as I would have viewed the scene. The curved flaying branches look quite animated.
This is nicely observed Richard, you did well to spot the potential. Using black and white has brought out the textures in the bark and upped the character.
~~~~~~~Photographematis de Deus Facturae ~~~~~~~~. IF I VOTE ON YOUR IMAGE YOU WILL RECEIVE A 10/10. Why? Because every capture of life around us or artificial generation of color and lines is unique and special.