Having begun my project of photographing trees in my Dubai neighborhood, I was interested in advice from fellow photographers. A search of the internet returned a number of articles offering much the same tips and hints, outlined below. Their implied approach seems to be creating beautiful images. Not one of them considers the possible work of botanists or landscape documentarians. The emphasis is on using trees to create aesthetic products, rather than learning about nature or the environment. Only one of the photographers included here mentions learning something about botany, but is quick to remind readers beautiful photos can be made without it.
Amy Renfrey gives advice on exposing for dappled light in a forest scene (measuring of the lightest portion of the scene and stepping down two stops), using people to create scale, and positioning a tree against the sky to bring out the form of the tree.
Mike Busselle enjoys shooting isolated trees and sees their appeal compositionally as the single vertical in a band of horizontals. He suggests scouting the tree for it’s best angle, as trees are by no means symmetrical, and take into consideration background and lighting. He finds overcast days less desirable as they produce flat color and take away from the drama of the image. He also cautions regarding proper exposure, as often with a well-lit sky the tree will often be underexposed. [Found this myself] If not using the sky, it is helpful to look for backgrounds that offer contrast. [The assumption here seems to be that you are looking for a tree photo, and not documenting trees as they exist within a particular place.] For the forest shot, he suggests the two main considerations are composition, or being able to discern pattern, and focus. He notes that overcast days can be some of the best days for shooting forests as color saturation is enhanced. On these occasions long exposures, and tripods, may be required.
Clive Nichols has written on shooting autumn forest colors. He says no special equipment is required, except perhaps for a polarizing filter to reduce glare and bring out color. He suggests including man-made items in compositions to achieve scale and contrast. For variety he offers examples of other angles or compositions, such as pointing up into the branches, or getting in close on the trunk. Finally, hismost sensible advice is to first have a look around before shooting.
John Harvey begins by noting how hard it is to make a good photograph of a tree. “If you take any random snapshot of tree, you generally get something unrecognizable as tree or something that is generic and powerless.” How to solve this problem? Actually, John says he is still struggling, but offers some ideas, such as being able to separate the tree from the background. For him this means finding a tree that can be shot against the sky. He finds a human or a forest trail help achieve scale and perhaps perspective, and fog or smoke help separate individual tees from a forest.
Steve Parish has a wonderful collection of images featuring trees and offers of a few pointers, perhaps the most important of which is to spend time with your subject. Walk around the tree and view it from a number of angles. Be careful to avoid overexposure when shooting a tree against the sky.
Scott Simmons offers advice for shooting in a forest, beginning with time of day. He finds morning best for lack of hard contrast and presence of fog (which can help provide separation and therefore depth). Cloud cover is another bonus as it provides evenly distrubted light and eliminates hard contrast. He suggests using a polarizing filter to cut down on the reflection of light off leaves. He also advises moving around to improve composition, including changing the height from which you shoot, and varying focal length. He notes that shooting the whole tree is not necessary to produce a good image of a tree.
Alex Zorach recommends spending time with your subject, shoot often, shoot close, shoot far, every conceivable configuration. He notes that while botanical knowledge may not be necessary to take good photos of trees, it will certainly help you grow in appreciation for your subject.
The author of the ephotozine article is not attributed, but since the images are, and all from the same photographer, perhaps our man is David Clapp. His 10 Tips include adding a bit of foreground to create depth; shooting parts of the tree, like the roots, bark, or leaves instead of the entire tree; using people and other structures to establish scale; using a long lense in a forest to flatten depth; shooting a single tree in isolation; looking for unusual vantage points or angles; shooting at different times of the day or year.
Charlie Waite’s emphasis is on light. He believes front light produces flat, shallow images. He looks instead for top and back light. He finds summer the most difficult season for shooting trees as the full bloom of foliage makes trees appear lumpy and unshapely. He is the only photographer writing who warns against a polarizing filter as it can make greens fluorescent.
http://www.popphoto.com/how-to/2014/01/tips-pro-using-trees-dramatic-landscape-photography
http://www.popphoto.com/gallery/man-who-loves-trees-charlie-waite
http://www.popphoto.com/gallery/man-who-loves-trees-charlie-waite
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