post your trees!

[orgraph]

Ukraine. Wista SP, G-Claron 240/9 @ 16, Shanghai 100.

[purple57]

interesting shot Lee

[DaveF]

Rowsley Sweet Chestnut Tree 2 by David Fearn, on Flickr

Here goes...

My second ever large-format shot: please be gentle! A shot of a nice Sweet Chestnut Tree in Rowsley, Derbyshire (UK)

I can blame a mixture of Ben Horne, Alan Brock, Tim Parkin, Richard Childs, and David Ward, whose online presentations of the virtues of shooting large format finally convinced me to give it a go.

This is a cropped in because of vignetting caused by an overdose of front rise. The second shot, since for the first, where the composition was a little better, I miss-read the lightmeter, and only realized the error after I had packed up the shot.

Early lessons learned: read meter correctly, do not be hasty; vignetting here wasn't in fact an issue because the crop works; even when you think something major has gone wrong with a shot, get all the sheets processed so you can fully assess.

17/2/16, 11.30am

Linhof Technikardan S45
Nikkor SW75
Ilford Delta 100 (N+1)
1/4" f/32, 32mm front rise (i.e. too much) and 5mm of rear backward tilt. Processed by Peak Imaging.

The rear tilt was a tip from Jack Dykinga's book about how to compensate for wide lenses that vignette and don't have a centre-filter. Seemed to have worked OK (if understood and applied it correctly).

Since I don't yet have a film scanner, this was "scanned" with 4 frames shot onto lightbox with D800E and 60mm micro, stitched in CS6.

[NedL]

nice tree!

[Harley Goldman]

Rowsley Sweet Chestnut Tree 2 by David Fearn, on Flickr

Here goes...

My second ever large-format shot: please be gentle! A shot of a nice Sweet Chestnut Tree in Rowsley, Derbyshire (UK)

I can blame a mixture of Ben Horne, Alan Brock, Tim Parkin, Richard Childs, and David Ward, whose online presentations of the virtues of shooting large format finally convinced me to give it a go.

This is a cropped in because of vignetting caused by an overdose of front rise. The second shot, since for the first, where the composition was a little better, I miss-read the lightmeter, and only realized the error after I had packed up the shot.

Early lessons learned: read meter correctly, do not be hasty; vignetting here wasn't in fact an issue because the crop works; even when you think something major has gone wrong with a shot, get all the sheets processed so you can fully assess.

17/2/16, 11.30am

Linhof Technikardan S45
Nikkor SW75
Ilford Delta 100 (N+1)
1/4" f/32, 32mm front rise (i.e. too much) and 5mm of rear backward tilt. Processed by Peak Imaging.

The rear tilt was a tip from Jack Dykinga's book about how to compensate for wide lenses that vignette and don't have a centre-filter. Seemed to have worked OK (if understood and applied it correctly).

Since I don't yet have a film scanner, this was "scanned" with 4 frames shot onto lightbox with D800E and 60mm micro, stitched in CS6.

Very well done! I like it!

[takpro]

Nice.

Rowsley Sweet Chestnut Tree 2 by David Fearn, on Flickr

Here goes...

My second ever large-format shot: please be gentle! A shot of a nice Sweet Chestnut Tree in Rowsley, Derbyshire (UK)

I can blame a mixture of Ben Horne, Alan Brock, Tim Parkin, Richard Childs, and David Ward, whose online presentations of the virtues of shooting large format finally convinced me to give it a go.

This is a cropped in because of vignetting caused by an overdose of front rise. The second shot, since for the first, where the composition was a little better, I miss-read the lightmeter, and only realized the error after I had packed up the shot.

Early lessons learned: read meter correctly, do not be hasty; vignetting here wasn't in fact an issue because the crop works; even when you think something major has gone wrong with a shot, get all the sheets processed so you can fully assess.

17/2/16, 11.30am

Linhof Technikardan S45
Nikkor SW75
Ilford Delta 100 (N+1)
1/4" f/32, 32mm front rise (i.e. too much) and 5mm of rear backward tilt. Processed by Peak Imaging.

The rear tilt was a tip from Jack Dykinga's book about how to compensate for wide lenses that vignette and don't have a centre-filter. Seemed to have worked OK (if understood and applied it correctly).

Since I don't yet have a film scanner, this was "scanned" with 4 frames shot onto lightbox with D800E and 60mm micro, stitched in CS6.

[Ken Lee]

I mostly like it. Personally I'd pull the curve down a little (reduce gamma) so it would have richer deep tones without increasing contrast (look at it squinted). I know it's not usually your style, but it would make the shapes slightly stronger.

I'd ignore the concerns about the trees not being perfectly vertical. They are rarely that way in real life and it's a type-a fault to expect them that way in photos.

Warning: Mumbo Jumbo follows....

What I do see I really like about this is you are starting to portray the correspondence between the trees. Not written words of course (they'd use vellum not paper if they did), but a visual relationship, in this case from their similarity and position. I think this can be built upon with more photos. There is a duality between the path and the arrangement of trees. Some would say the trees composition show the path, others would say the photo shows the S-path with trees along it.

I think it's conspicuously missing from most landscape photos (and is not necessary for grand landscapes, but useful for intimate landscapes) We ascribe communicative metaphor and compare their relationship without even thinking about it as consumers or viewers... Charlie Brown's tree versus the colorful aluminum trees... Matched trees standing close together we might think look like a couple or siblings. Trees with hanging moss we might think as old compared to a tree that doesn't. Twisted trees seem strong like rope; a cord of three strand is not easily broken type of thing. Tons of subconscious correspondence relationships we ascribe to trees as abstract objects if we spend enough time looking at them in person. We can do that with rocks and or anything else common in the woods too. Some people do it with flowers in a vase but I like the serendipity/discovery of the woods.

If we are conscious of it, we can show some of that with photos. Placement in the composition. Light. Shadows I consider a communication between the trees. Not actual of course, but visually shadows from one tree touches another tree, etc.. Fallen trees versus 100-year-their-youth small trees, similar trees creating tension between homogeneity and transcience/disorder. Trees are a rich and nearly universal subject. I've been playing on my own with some of these themes as I shoot trees this winter... https://www.flickr.com/photos/13759696@N02/ (mostly medium format) and some from last year (8x10) https://www.flickr.com/photos/137596...7632415274849/ https://www.flickr.com/photos/137596...7632415274849/ https://www.flickr.com/photos/137596...7632415274849/ Maybe this deserves a book chapter and not a forum post?

Thank you for your very insightful "Mumbo Jumbo". Now that you point it out, I see it.

And thanks to others for their comments and suggestions.

I hadn't made any photos in the woods for a long time, until we went shooting in December. Seeing your work inspired me to try again. You're to blame

Here's a revised version.

[jp]

I'm looking at it on a cheap laptop today rather than my big photo editing monitor, but that revision looks nice Ken! Your area has good woods too.

These are scans from a recent visit to Beech Hill in Rockport ME. Most people take the scenic path through a blueberry field to the top of the hill. This is the woods path on the SE corner of the property. Great place to pick up ticks in the summer, but a nice place to visit in the winter with a variety of tree species and shadows and snow. 4x5 speed graphic, 9" Gundlach Hyperion soft focus lens, fp4+ in pyrocat hdc.


img859
by Jason Philbrook, on Flickr


img863
by Jason Philbrook, on Flickr

[scheinfluger_77]

Thank you for your very insightful "Mumbo Jumbo". Now that you point it out, I see it.

And thanks to others for their comments and suggestions.

I hadn't made any photos in the woods for a long time, until we went shooting in December. Seeing your work inspired me to try again. You're to blame

Here's a revised version.

...

Subtle, but I like it.

[jp]

with 7.25" Verito:


img864 by Jason Philbrook, on Flickr