2009.07.15 "Trees" discussion

[primesuspect]

Trees

[primesuspect]

Dras: I like; maybe a little richer would have been cooler. Colors seem a bit washed out. Also, you've set the bar very high for your compositional skills with yesterday's entry so I'm gonna hold you to that from now on :D

[primesuspect]

Mine was a composite of four photos taken today. I originally had an idea to compose a shot with my bonsai tree next to a huge pine tree, but I snapped about 15 different angles before I gave the idea up as a wash. While I was framing one of the shots, I saw an interesting light inside of the pine tree in front of my house, so I went in there and starting shooting. I ended up getting a shot that made me think of giant "world trees" like Teldrassil or the world tree from Faxanadu.

That led me to start getting some closeups to make it look like a massive tree; to give it scale I needed little people on it. So I guess this photo could be considered a followup to the "Magic Tree (http://www.flickr.com/photos/icrontic/3712383252/)" photo I took five years ago.

The branch and the hole are two different photos, and then I shot my kids. Perry was very poseable, as I told him my idea, but he wouldn't get "in character"; I had originally envisioned him shirtless (imagine - the one time I actually WANT him shirtless), and with dirt on his face and a staff. A wild kid. He left his walking stick at my parents' house and he wouldn't let me get him dirty, so this was the best I could get. Kyle was a much less willing model, as I was infringing on his reading time. He reluctantly stood in front of my backdrop, and just sort of went limp. Meh.

The shadows are invented, of course. I didn't do very good with them, but this was the first time I ever tried. I wanted it to look more menacing - like two lost little boys on a dark, horrible branch with only a little lantern to light their way. I don't think I captured that at all, but the end result still looks sorta cool.

[Sidekicksol]

My god. I look at that photo and go "wat" and then simultaneously "omg".

Prime, your pictar skillz are epic.

[mondi]

Nice Brian, I actually came here to call you out on the reference to the Magic Tree, but I see you did that yourself :)

The biggest problem is of course that the shadows are completely planar, and don't follow the shape of the tree at all. Try using illustrator to sketch the contours behind the boys, where you think the shadow would fall, then use that to create the shadow shape and blur it a little, should help quite a bit. Also, their general shape suggests a much more distant light than the lantern, which confuses the eye a little.

Dras: I agree with Brian in that a little more tonal variation would definitely benefit your image. The biggest issue I find with shots like this, is that lacking a particular point of focus, the eye tends to wander a little. Some deeper shadows, and perhaps a little more distinction in the 2 main colors would help alleviate that.

[drasnor]

I'm inexperienced with color/tone changes in postprocessing. Could you suggest a tool/filter/thingy?

-drasnor :fold:

[ReyRey]

Brian you woulda had a field day with this tree! It's pretty amazing!
Here are a couple other shots I took there.
http://i285.photobucket.com/albums/ll41/fototales/tree3.jpg

http://i285.photobucket.com/albums/ll41/fototales/tree2.jpg

[Mr TRiot]

When I get a decent digital camera I'll take a pic of the 150ft silver maple in my backyard and add it to this thread...

[RyderOCZ]

Put the pictures in this thread: http://icrontic.com/forum/showthread.php?t=84641

[shwaip]

she did - she just had a few more to share :)

[primesuspect]

Snark: I'm not sure if this is a critique or not; when I saw the photo, I immediately knew it was yours. I guess that means you've developed a style :D I don't know how to say this, but I guess what I mean is that I kind of predicted you'd go this route. Perhaps your gear is constraining you into a single style? I was hoping to see something wildly different from your purple photo.

That said, this photo is excellent. Again, I cannot critique the photo itself.

Rey: Holy crap what a great choice of subject. The way you framed it is sublime. Awesome. The only thing I'd suggest is more contrast to bring out the drama of the shadows; that tree is dramatic as hell.

[RyderOCZ]

she did - she just had a few more to share :)I was referring to Mr Triot ;)

[mondi]

@ReyRey: I like your choice of subject much more than I like that particular shot. I like the 2 shots in this thread a lot more :) - Where is that?

@Dras: I'm not sure if you want to filter it. I'd recommend playing with your exposure settings before doing any post processing, although if that's not a possibility, then perhaps you could look into brightness / contrast / shadow / highlight combinations.

@Snark: I think it'd would have been a lot more interesting if you got really close and abstract with it, but then again, thats more of a style judgement than anything else .. superb technically.


That said, I did have to do a bit of post on my image for this theme - I have really crappy yellow lighting, so I had to cool it down a fair bit.

[ReyRey]

It's in downtown Greenville, SC. I believe the shot I posted originally was shot by my husband..we kept switching the camera back and forth. I thought it showcased the "whole" tree better than the rest. However, I like the two I posted her better also. If I had shot the one he did I would've played with the settings more.

[QCH]

For those that don't know what tree this is (Detroit folks)... its a Coconut tree. ;D

[ReyRey]

Black Hawk: Your tree makes me want a frozen drink! I like the pic for other reasons too.

[primesuspect]

Mondi: Great pic. maybe slightly "too" dramatic, but other than that, I like everything about it.

BH: I normally don't go for the "up the trunk" shots, but your choice of subject and the way you framed it make it work. I really like this photo.

Plus, I'm jealous for having never seen a real coconut tree :p

[primesuspect]

Nemi: nice! the colors are brilliant!

[primesuspect]

Gnome: The colors are vibrant, but it seems like just a random point-the-camera-up-at-the-trees shot. There's really no composition there. Might want to look around and see if you can find something interesting in the shot to draw the eye towards - as it stands it's just a frame full of leaves.

Nate: I think your camera is holding you back, bro.

[Nate_LapT]

its a camera phone, I know it sucks :|
Im gonna go downtown shortly there is a tree I want to get there, doubt it'll come out though, my phone sucks, and sucks worse in the dark.

[Snarkasm]

@Brian - I do apologize, but having to shoot all three on one night crushed my will for variation. I also fully recognize that my border and watermark scheme is hella formulaic, and have already planned modifications to that - but you'll have to deal with at least one more image in that vein.

@Mondi - I do have some alternatives that I think you'd like, but in the end, I went with this one. I had several where I was trying to go for the tilt-shift miniature kind of look, but time constraints pushed me to this one; I ended up liking the definition a lot. I still have the tree, so I'm going to attempt that one again when I get back. :)

@BH - I fucking love the colors and lens flare in your shot. Well goddamn done, sir.

@reyrey - Freakin' sweet tree, I love it. I can't shake the feeling that some of the roots are suffering from some motion blur.

@Dras - Little washed out, not quite enough definition for me. I like the mottled look, but I feel like you could have gotten more out of it.

@Brian again - cheater :p I always like your miniature series, though, so well done. Mondi already pointed out what I would have.

@Mondi again - I like your choice of exposure here. Half-hidden in shadow is a nice touch.

@Nemi - scary-looking tree. Nice contrast of the really bright green against the really dark, veiny branches.

@GW - I like the variation in leaves, but it doesn't really do anything for me as a picture.

@Nate - :tim:

[primesuspect]

Shwaip: I'm jealous. That's sort of the idea I was going for with my bonsai / big tree idea. You pulled it off. I like the theme.

[shwaip]

dras - i like it! i think it would be much better if it were shot a bit darker - the sun would still over expose parts, but the leaves and colors would look much darker and richer

prime - good idea, but the bad shadows kill it. i think that if you're going to photoshop something like that in, it needs to be pretty perfect. my eyes are drawn to the flat shadows, not the photo (which is very well composed, imo)

snark - when i look at the small pic, it looks great, but when i look at the bigger size, i think it would be _much_ better if all the plant were in focus. otherwise, excellent.

reyrey - very cool!

mondi - i'm distracted a little by the two lights out of focus on the left. otherwise, i really like it.

bh - i really like how the leaves on the tree look

nemi - i love the color

gw - same! I love how it's green everywhere, and i really like that shade. I feel like i'm in a forest.

me - Unfortunately, the tree wasn't quite centered, so that's not quite ideal. Also, the focus on the front tree is off a bit.

[primesuspect]

Nate, with bad gear, that doesn't mean you are forced to take bad photos. See the constraints of your camera as a challenge. Clearly you have no control over aperture or exposure; therefore the only real creative choice you have is subject and composition.

Sometimes limiting yourself in this way can help you grow your skills. You KNOW you can't take "technically" great photos with your camera phone, so it's up to you to really wow people with composition, contrast, and subject.

[drasnor]

I updated my entry on my DeviantArt page: http://drasnor.deviantart.com/art/Afternoon-Shade-129531435. Thanks for all the suggestions, I really like how it turned out after a little postprocessing.

-drasnor :fold:

[primesuspect]

CB: Awesome shot; I love it. It's a very interesting take on the subject

Doc: Great shot! The spiky fruit things are exactly what is needed to break up the monotony of a bunch of leaves. Nice entry!

[shwaip]

CB: it's good - the only comment I have is that it's a bit blurry - probably the 1/6s shutter speed

[CB]

CB: it's good - the only comment I have is that it's a bit blurry - probably the 1/6s shutter speed

/me nods.

I almost submitted a different photo instead because this one was blurrier than I thought it would be when I took it, but I really liked how it came out otherwise.

If it wasn't dark out by the time I got to look at it, I would have gone out and shot it again with different settings. I usually take each shot with several different adjustments, but I was being EATEN ALIVE by mosquitoes, so I was rushing a bit.

[primesuspect]

Bandrik: That is an awesome photo! EXCELLENT concept, composition, everything

[Gargoyle]

I love all these tree shots! I'm crazy busy trying to meet a deadline today, so I didn't think I was going to get a chance to participate. But then I saw this tree canopy lit up from the underside by a street lamp outside my building here on campus, and I couldn't resist.

Sadly, my camera is a five-year-old point-and-shoot with not a lot of options/settings. Still, trees are one of my favorite subjects, so I'm glad I got to throw one up.

[DocFrazier]

Thanks, thats the Buckeye tree in my back yard, I really really wanted to call the shot, "That Tree's Got Nuts!" but i dunno if a buckeye is actually a "nut"

[Thrax]

For those that don't know what tree this is (Detroit folks)... its a Coconut tree. ;D

Yeah, the coconuts didn't give it away. thx.

[Marushka]

Drasnor: I think its gorgeous. I love how the leaves in the upper left are almost halo'd by the sunlight.

primesuspect: Im really impressed with the vision. I cant imagine attempting something like that in photoshop and I think it took a LOT of creativity to see something like that and pull it together.

snarkasm: beautiful. I love that its sitting mysteriously in black background, almost giving it no earthly context. Its like an amulet.

reyrey: thats just so freaking cool. Im jealous you got to see it live.

mondi: I love the rich color. The whole picture looks just peaceful.

BH: what a great photo. I love the angular symmetry lines of the branches, and the great shades of tropical green.

nemikan and gnomewizardd: I dont really know anything about photography, so both of your pictures I kind of love for the same reason. *edit: by that I only mean I apologize that my opinion groups your photos together over of noting the finer qualities that make them unique.* you capture just the simple beauty of the "greenness" of trees. I feel like both pictures are just paying homage to the beauty of big leafy awesomeness.

nate_lapT: even though its a camera phone, I still get a sense of the giant size and span of the tree. Its cool its right outside your front door--its like some history thats been there a hell of a lot longer than any of us.

shwaip: so cool. SO cool. Im still impressed everytime I look at it. It continues to make me smile even though Ive seen it 8 times. there is a lot to notice and a lot to love about this photo.

CB: what an impressive sight. It makes me a little sad, but thats a tribute to how you framed the photo. You definitely give a sense of slaughter by just how many chopped trees are packed lifelessly into the frame.

docfrazier: I really like how the center of attention is on the nuts(?) but there is this gorgeous line travelling through the frame from the mid upper left to the lower right, with the leaves, stems and branches all kind of delicately shaping together.

bandrik: COOL. I really like the idea. and I like how it definitely shows human interaction with the wonderfully gigantic trees around you. I get the sense that someone real is looking at those trees and smiling and playing with cameras.

gargoyle: really neat color, and I like how even though its a little blurry, you can tell how delicate and soft the leaves are. and the tree at sunset on the campus is just majestic.

ghoosdum: I love that in the dark part of the picture you get little highlights of gold light hitting the leaves. it gives it this great shape that the viewer gets to invent a little in her mind.

gnome queen: I think this is actually my favorite. I really like the cool colors--the trunk looks slightly gray which gives it a bit of a Tim Burton effect. I can imagine those twining, gnarling stems reaching out and swallowing some kid when no one is looking :)

[primesuspect]

GQ: That is an awesome photo, no lie. I can't put my finger on it, but it really brings back memories of my dad's Yashica FR-II and shooting with film. Something about the quality of the lens.

As your inauguration to film photography, you did a splendid job.

[Snarkasm]

I don't care if it's late, that shot from the Yashica is awesome, GQ. Nice entry into film!

[shwaip]

GQ, great pic!