LONE TREE | Inspired by @benhornephoto today’s exposure is from my landscape recce yesterday and my own version of a Christmas Tree with this beautiful tree lit by the setting sun painted against a warm colored sky. Hope you’ll enjoy and Happy Holidays. Image courtesy of my #formatthitech 10 Stop ND Filter for a sexy exposure time of 25 Seconds. If you haven’t heard about Ben Horne then I urge you to head on over to his Instagram feed @benhornephoto. His work with large format is not only absolutely fantastic but immensely inspiring.
Classy! :)
Thanks Cathleen.
fantastic image. Wonderful minimalist composition, soft tones add to the mood, light shadows, and the edge lighting are great. Really love this shot a lot
Thank you Jeff. I really appreciate the comment.
Wonderfully minimal Kreyg! The coloring is gorgeous.
Thanks Alan. Took me a while to frame a composition I actually liked. Not to mention this was my first visit to this location.
Nice work, Kreyg! I love the contrast between the starkness of the bare tree and the softness of the water and sky. You've balanced it all beautifully.
Thanks Chris. Do you think I could better the composition by moving closer to the tree and shooting wider and at a lower angle? I think so. I'm going to revisit this location tomorrow and hopefully get some great conditions.
Interesting you should think about the composition, Kreyg. You've used the equivalent of about 28mm on a "full frame" camera, which I think I'd use here, although I'd use various focal lengths and viewpoints, moving up & down, and side to side. Yes, perhaps a lower horizon would be nice usually, but here that water has such lovely hues that I'd capitalise on them. Maybe just a little lower. (I doubt you'll get the same conditions next time! Very rare.)
View camera images like BH's are usually done with modest focal lengths (there are no super-teles!) and have a restrained and refined quality at best for me partly because of this, lacking the "wow" factor that can quickly fade. Using a wider lens and getting closer wouldn't make a beneficial difference here IMO. It would make horizon details even smaller, and distort the tree, not necessarily beneficially. In fact, I'd step back further with the same lens to give the tree a little more space to "breathe".
What did strike me about the composition is the centrality of the tree. I usually don't like symmetry unless it's perfect, as it can be with architecture and other human-made subjects. So I was going to comment, and post an edit with the tree moved to the left, but I'm not sure it was an improvement. Balancing the clouds at left and using the subtle detail there is in the background is tricky. Here's the best of four versions I tried, for what it's worth
Thanks a bunch Chris. I'll definitely take your suggestions into consideration when I go out later today. Happy Holidays man and a big thanks again.
Do show us your results, Kreyg! I like your spirit of enquiry. And this photo - a lot! One of your best, centred tree and all...
I can see the legitimacy of both compositions... in your edit, Chris, I get a sense of the tree waiting to catch a dancer just out of frame. As in Kreyg's shot... the tree is following sun's warmth, reaching, calling.
I love the variety of stories one can evoke from trying different shots.
Good stuff. :)
I really like the starknesss and tonal balance of the composition. Your use of the ND 10 adds an element of smoothness that enhances the beauty. Well done! Leave it alone!
I'd like to first thank everyone here for the kind words and overwhelming support it really means a lot to me. Second I was able to revisit this location yesterday and thankfully made an image. Let me know what you think of this version.
I like the intensity of light reflecting off the branches. Those smaller branches (or are they roots?) to the left of the tree weren't there in the first shot. I've forgotten... is this a lake or the ocean? I guess tide change would account for it?
The colors seem more saturated in this shot, which I like. Was that on account of the natural light or something done in post?
I enjoyed the first image, but this one is pleasing, too. Which isn't the most technical analysis... I defer to the guys for that stuff. :)
Thanks for the comment Cathleen. They're actually roots which I must say were also in the first image but removed in post. This time I chose to leave them in to add to the story I'm trying to convey of this lone tree withstanding the elements and the possibility of further growth. There were more clouds than during my frist visit which added more color. Additionally the tide was just slightly higher which also added a bit more reflection and color at the roots.
Well, well, well... you DID get great conditions again, Kreyg! The clouds do add to the scene, as do the roots. The first image is more peaceful, with the subdued colour and horizontal format; this one conveys more of your "story" as it makes the tree look strong & dynamic. Both are strong images.
Thanks a bunch Chris.