Sketch of a Tree

[ShaneS]

A tree near my home recently caught my eye and got my first chance to photograph it yesterday. These images feel more like sketches than finished images to me in the sense that I had imagined something different from the image.

The big but here is that I'm not sure if the image in my mind is a real possibility...I had envisioned more muted lighting and a blank sky for a more ethereal, almost foggy, feel. I think that this combination is a bit unlikely in Hawaii

So here are two versions on the tree that were captured around noon on a sunny day. A couple of questions:

1. Do these image have merit as is? I think that they feel more documentary than artistic, possibly because I did not realize what I had envisioned.
2. Please let me know what you think about the different compositions and offer any suggestions that I can try on future attempts to shoot this tree.
3. Do you have a preference between the color and black & white versions?
4. As always, any suggestions on improving PP are welcome.

In color with a wider view:



A tighter version in black & white:



Thanks in advance for taking the time to look and provide your thoughts on these images.

[Geoff F]

I usually find this sort of scene is difficult to fully 'imagine' when shooting. They always seem to look different on a large computer screen compared with the camera viewfinder or review screen.

So I take a lot of variations - and ditch at least 90%.

Last week I took a selection of windswept bushes on the clifftop, and thought I had done well - but none survived the final examination!

With regard to your images, Shane. Neither one quite 'hits the spot' for me I'm afraid.

The first image with less foreground grass and more sky would do it for me.

[Shadowman]

Usually a black and white conversion on a sunny day works but not in this case, I think it has to do with the direction of the light. If you had taken this from a higher vantage point with the sun directly behind you the black and white conversion would have more contrast and would provide a crisper image. The color version from the direction you shot this works well for me. I like the background sky and even the grassy areas.

[NorthernFocus]

I like the B/W version better. Seems to lend itself better with the leafless tree.

[Dave Humphries]

These images feel more like sketches than finished images to me in the sense that I had imagined something different from the image.

Curses Shane - you've made me think - and it's getting late! (I think best in the mornings, you see)

This is a problem I have faced, hence my expending the thinking time on it

I don't know what your vision was, but here are some of my random thoughts, in no particular order, just things I might try, for culling later if they didn't work, as Geoff and John do.

I assume you can approach it, wander around it, etc.

My thinking is that we need to simplify the composition; have as few different textures and tonal as possible.

Therefore I was going to suggest getting lower, to avoid seeing those background trees on the horizon, if shooting the scene as per the mono version.
This also means trying to capture it with a 'flat' sky, either full cloud or 'clear blue'.

Other ideas to be creative with this subject (some might be impossible as I cannot judge the size of it too well)

Shoot in amongst the branches with a wide angle, looking for 'creepy' compositions of branches that envelope the viewer. Use DoF wisely, but experiment.

To shoot from high angles, if you have one, put a camera on a monopod, start 10 second timer, hoist it aloft holding the bottom until the shutter fires. (You may want to use a P&S for this last idea)

Shoot macro of the texture of the leaves or bark. (probably not what you had in mind as we'd lose the context)

Shoot it at night and light paint it with flashlight/torch, or strobe/flashgun. (US/UK terminology), perhaps using colour gels or even candy/sweet wrappers.

Shoot at odd angles - I never do this, so it would be an adventure for me

Splash it liberally with water, or apply at carefully chosen points, and shoot the glistening drops

Hope that helps, I'll let others think of creative PP ideas for taking the above suggestions a stage further.

However, none of that sounds much like ...

I had envisioned more muted lighting and a blank sky for a more ethereal, almost foggy, feel.

Cheers,

[ShaneS]

Thanks Geoff, John, Dan & Dave...

You confirmed my suspicions about these images.

John and Dave, you have inspired me with your compositional ideas. Getting higher than this tree, while possible would offer a very different image as the tree is located alongside a road on the top of a berm (I was standing atop a bus stop for one of these shots). You would totally lose the sense of a hillside and have a lone tree with the ocean as a back drop if I shot from the top-side. Getting lower is an option worth exploring.

I think that I need to go around sunrise in order to have the light behind me and then cross my fingers for a bland sky.

I like the idea of getting under the tree Dave...I think that could be very interesting and is worth a try. I did try some multiple exposures (they didn't turn out well) but that is something else I might follow through on next time I visit 'my' tree.

Thanks again everyone!

[FlyingSquirrel]

Shane, I like the tree. B/W image is way better for me, however too contrasty IMO. I like contrast in B/W but this is too much. Moving on, the potential for the subject is there. Something that, IMO, very few people think of for landscapes, especially trees, is to use a TELEPHOTO lens. That is, go far, far away, then use a big lens to isolate your subject. You will get a more graphical image, with fewer distractions, and a nicer bg to separate it out. So few people know this technique, it surprises me. I think that is the secret to the image you want.

[Kaye Leggett]

I love that you have to wait for a bland sky...................... we ache for a bit of blue in this part of the world !

One idea I had on the B&W version was to play with filters post processing to find another effect. But if you're trying for in camera this of course is not a solution.

[bnnrcn]

I agree with Geoff about coloured version,less foreground more sky...

[Wavelength]

I like the composition of B&W because of its dominant sky; but colors are awesome in the other

[ShaneS]

I like the idea of using a longer lens Matt and will add your suggestion to my bag of tricks - thanks! I have been playing with the contrast and overall PP and it is a challenge to get it right with the mass of tiny branches and of course the harsh lighting doesn't help. It is a good exercises which is helping me to better understand the challenges of the scene.

Kaye, I guess I shouldn't complain about puffy white clouds and a blue sky although the weather in your part of the world certainly has some appeal to me from a photographic standpoint.

Thanks also to Binnur and Nandakumar for your comments

I will definitely revisit this tree and share the results. In fact, it is raining today and I might be able to get my hubby out to hold the umbrella