Defeated by a Fixed Lens, a Fence and a Narrow Road.

[xpatUSA]

It's sad how our eyes pick out a potentially nice shot but the resulting image is somehow not the same.

I see this sight several times a week just before I turn onto the dirt road that leads home. My mind sees a big Texas ranchhouse framed by a couple of bent oak trees. On this occasion I had a Sigma compact camera with me, so I stopped to take the "shot of the month", ho ho. Here is the depth of my defeat before your very eyes:



As can be seen, the Ranch House shrunk to miniscule size - nothing to do with a 24mm lens on a 1.7 crop camera, of course not. Couldn't get closer - that's a pretty tough fence and trespassing in Texas is not a recommended activity. Couldn't step back much either, with a view to closing in the trunks and cropping in post. Greatly reluctant to actually stand on the recently "repaired" road (with dirt after a recent flood) while rednecks dust me with their pick-trucks en passant.

Not to mention that ugly power pole at left and wooden fence post slap dab in front of the House.

As General Patton said: "I shall return" with a longer lens and stand elsewhere . .

[Shadowman]

That is a challenging shot considering your physical constraints, perhaps a stepstool would help eliminate the fence but would also create issues getting all of the trees in the shot. I think several shots with individual objects might be the way to go.

[xpatUSA]

That is a challenging shot considering your physical constraints, perhaps a stepstool would help eliminate the fence but would also create issues getting all of the trees in the shot.

Yes, very true. Also, I'm not sure that stepping back would work because that fence post would then likely rise in front of the house. BTW, I don't mind the fence at all - I like to keep such stuff in local "country shots". Same with power lines - all part of the ambience, so to speak.

Right now I'm thinking of going right up to the fence with a 17-70mm zoom + DSLR and only trying for partial trees in the shot - cropping as needed later.

I think several shots with individual objects might be the way to go.

Sorry John, I didn't get that. How would that work?

[Jimr1961]

I've been frustrated with something similar. At a coffee shop near my house, there are beautifully lit trees at night. A perfect shot, except what is creating the beautiful light is also creating two large street light posts right through the shot. To much effort to try to remove them in post. Not sure I would even be successful the way it goes through all of the leaves and branches.

[xpatUSA]

Right now I'm thinking of going right up to the fence with a 17-70mm zoom + DSLR and only trying for partial trees in the shot - cropping as needed later.

Or moving down the road to the left so that the tree trunks move inward toward the house - relatively speaking.

Only one little problem with that . . .



. . . a big hole made by flooding earlier this year.