You were trying to take out the dead places on the fronds, I assume?

No, it's actually a comination of two photos that I took on a weekend trip to Alibag, while in India. I set up the camera on a tripod, took a photo of the sunset, which left a silhouette of the frods. Then I took a flash shot of the fronds. This is the result of the two combined. Next time, I'll use a rear-curtain flash, like I should have from the start.