Help with composition

[Edward (Halifax,NS)]

I have been eyeing a tree across the road from my house. It looks like there are macro possibilities for colour or B&W. I snapped a picture with the digital camera today and wonder if anyone has some framing suggestions for tomorrow when I take out the 4X5? All suggestions are welcome.

Edward

[Mark Stahlke]

Ask yourself what attracts you to this tree and focus ( ;) ) on that.

[jp]

Once you get some shapes you want, return at different times of day to see how it's lit.

Here's a small-format example of how I like a tree trunk lit. (link instead of image because it's not LF)

http://jason.philbrook.us/gallery3/index.php/2011/2011-11-26---walk-photos/_DSC7425

B&W film can handle a lot higher contrast light than digital, so keep that in mind for more options too.

Your scene specifically might look nice with a double barrel shotgun leaned up against the tree, thin and/or soft DOF on B&W. Especially with a little glow of sun on the side like my sample photo.

I see lots of abstract color possibilities which for the fun of it I have drawn shapes on.

It might be nice to revisit when snow flies too. Perhaps some antlers beside the tree with a half inch of snow could be an interesting study in separating shades of white and tan.

[Robbie Shymanski]

It may be very helpful to keep shooting with the digital to better sketch your ideas out. Ain't gonna cost anything. But more it will give you something to look at and experiment with. You may stumble on something you hadn't even considered.

[Edward (Halifax,NS)]

I shot with C41 120 rollfilm so I am actually getting the prints back tomorrow. It saves money on sheets and time on the developing. BTW, I don't have a shotgun; double barrel or otherwise.

[sun of sand]

I don't see anything with that tree. I might be wrong. Ive never done very tight true macros but Im sure there are "nice" photos everywhere when doing such
If that's a true statement then you don't need that particular tree
so
ME
I'd head for the woods as there must be 100 trees right near you with even more possibilities

[Alan Gales]

I don't see anything from your photo either but of course I'm not actually there and am only looking at one view. Robbie has a great suggestion about using a digital camera and trying different focal lengths. Sometimes using a wide angle or super wide and getting in close works. Jp498 is right. The right time of day can easily make or break a photograph.

[Edward (Halifax,NS)]

Nothing special but here was the best shot.

CC400
210mm f/5.6 Sinaron-S
Fuji Reala

[Brian C. Miller]

Your scene specifically might look nice with a double barrel shotgun leaned up against the tree, thin and/or soft DOF on B&W.

And don't forget the sexy babe and the dog! ;)


Nothing special but here was the best shot.

#1, that's not macro. You need to first extend your bellows absolutely as far as they will go, and then compose the shot. You need 1:1 or better.
#2, the light is wrong. From what it looks like, the side you are looking at is the north side of the tree trunk. The sun is low, so look at either the east or west sides. You need the light to come across the trunk.
#3, color might not be the best choice for this. Think in B&W, and maybe extreme contrast for an abstract. Take the knot in a 4"x5" crop, convert to B&W, and then run up the contrast. Now how does it look?
#4, the color bits are the moss growing at the base of the trunk. When using color, put something colorful in the frame. Enhancing filters can work wonders to bring out the colors.

[Preston]

Edward,

In situations like this one you need to move in on the tree trunk and look for patterns, shapes and lines that tie together in a way that's pleasing to you. As Brian intimated above, you have to also see how the light is working, or not working for you. ("If the light is not right, move around to the other side of the tree.")

Also, when you are shooting close-ups, the depth of field will be reduced. You will need to work carefully with swings and tilts and aperture to get everything sharp, assuming that is your goal.

Here's a detail ( It Is Knot! (http://www.gildedmoon.com/images/canp/684-1-Web.jpg) )from the inside of a lodgepole pine snag. It was shot on Velvia 100 with a 210mm at f22. I was maybe four feet away. that, hopefully, illustrates some of my points.

--P

[Heroique]

Nothing special but here was the best shot.

Well, you’re getting closer, but maybe you can get a lot closer than that.

I’m talking “Honey, I shrunk the kids” close – there’s a lot of landscape in the wood grain.

To complement Preston’s shot, here’s one that was flat enough for a neutral camera.

Tachi 4x5
Schneider 150/9 g claron
Ilford FP4+
1/8th @ f/16 (effective approx. f/22+)
Extended bellows, high magnification
Epson 4990/Epson Scan

[Robbie Shymanski]

Another thing you might look into are the gnarled tree trunks shot by Weston and Adams and see what they were doing right, or wrong.

[Merg Ross]

Since you have asked, let me comment, and please do take may comments as intended.

Perhaps, for reasons yet unknown to you, the subject before you has an attraction. Why? Have you seen photographs of distressed trees that lead you to believe that this particular tree has merit? It certainly is a subject worthy of your interpretation.

So now, the project is to enlist your unique vision. Color, black and white, close-up, context of the surrounding, or isolated abstraction. Again, what attracted you to this subject?

The challenge is to look beyond what it is, and employ your vision. Do your homework, and spend time with the subject; it does not appear to be going anywhere soon. You have looked at the subject from afar, so move increasingly closer, closer, and closer still. Perhaps the very thing that attracted you was a a few square inches of the bark.

I am not a fan of using a digital camera to learn composition. I make this clear to all of those who contact me on the subject. I am particularly sensitive to this, because large format photography is not about sloppy seeing and cropping later. Large format photography is a slow, methodical process that necessitates seeing, not merely looking.

I am off my soapbox, and leave you to your future visual interpretations. Have fun!

[Curt]

As Paul Strand once said, "Have something to say."
What do you want to say here, about the scene in front of you?

[Edward (Halifax,NS)]

I have gotten closer and I will get closer still. The closer pictures had a light leak somewhere. It is probably due to my technique with the rollfilm holder. I will keep on trying.

The main attraction is the contrast between the bark and bare tree. I am not sure if it the colour contrast or the texture. As it has been said, the tree isn't going anywhere.

[jeroldharter]

I agree with the get closer comments. The contrasting tones of the dead parts vs the dark bark or the boundary between the two look interesting. Might need to boost the contrast in B&W. Perhaps the base of the trunk has some interesting details/contrasts. I don't think the out of focus background adds much.