Sunny
03-07-2010, 01:21 PM
Trees are a very important part of a road traveller, whether he is conscious about their presence or not is another matter. Me having travelled a lot on motorcycles often sought shade under trees, or looked for a tree in vast deserts like the Nullarbor plains of Australia. Nullarbor, interestingly, means ‘without trees’.
I didn’t intentionally focus on shooting trees or using them as elements in photos until very recently. Shooting trees and foliage can be very challenging, especially in harsh lighting conditions where there is a lot of micro contrast due to the light seeping through the leaves, ambient light and the shadows created by each individual leaf. It is enough to confuse the exposure system of any camera. Even HDR fails many times when encountering certain light situations dealing with lots of trees under the sun.
This page shows 20 of my photographs dealing with just one tree in the compositions. This is the easiest and most powerful way to use them as primary and secondary subjects and produce deep and intelligent compositions.
I am on the lookout for a single lone tree which can provide me with a logical breakup of the frame and often provides me with a natural frame in which to compose my primary elements.
Let us take each of my photos one by one:
1. Shot in Australia one cloudy evening. The light in the sky was enough to make a silhouette with it. Notice that I have framed the tree, which is the main subject to the left, leaving a lot of space on the right for any text or other elements.
http://www.motographer.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/03/1.jpg
2. Shot in Australia, this forms a very powerful composition with another tree lying uprooted and dead on the ground and the other one weeping and arching back in disbelief. The fog helps fade the background elements softly, eliminating any glaring distractions.
http://www.motographer.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/03/2.jpg
3 & 4. Shot in Australia, the fog and the diffused skylight helps create an atmosphere of mystery. The black and white treatment with soft focus helps accentuate the effect. The images wouldnt have been so powerul if there were more than one tree.
http://www.motographer.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/03/3.jpg
http://www.motographer.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/03/4.jpg
5. Shot in Australia, processed to have a light sepia and grains, this image exudes pain and suffering, and perhaps resilience of tree (the main subject) in the time of adversity.
http://www.motographer.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/03/5.jpg
6. Shot in Australia, this photo takes the tree to divide the photo into two asymmetrical spaces and forms a natural border for the subjects in question, the cows. The leaves and color have a positive effect of life and energy, a stark contrast to the previous images.
http://www.motographer.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/03/6.jpg
7. The branches of this tree provide an interesting way to have an inner natural frame emphasising the main subject, the motorcycle.
http://www.motographer.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/03/7.jpg
8. Shot in New Zealand, this tree was with a white bark and no leaves. The trunk and its shadow again divide the photo asymmetrically into two halves.
http://www.motographer.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/03/8.jpg
9. Shot in New Zealand, the main subject is again the tree.
http://www.motographer.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/03/9.jpg
10. Shot in New Zealand one evening, three is used to connect to the main subject, the moon and give the photo a lot more depth, something which wouldnt be possible with just the moon as the element.
http://www.motographer.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/03/10.jpg
11. Shot in New Zealand the windblown bare tree gives an effect of movement and mystery in the photo.
http://www.motographer.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/03/11.jpg
12. Shot in India. This is an example of how leaves and foliage can be used to a more create more interesting photo.
http://www.motographer.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/03/12.jpg
13. Shot in India, the tree creates a natural division of the photo, placing the main subject (the man) on the left side.
http://www.motographer.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/03/13.jpg
14. Shot in Australia, the bare tree in a parched landscape seems to be reaching for water in the clouds. These sort of obvious and philosophical meanings can be attached to these kind of photos.
http://www.motographer.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/03/14.jpg
15. Shot in Australia, the lone green tree stands in a bleak and rustic landscape.
http://www.motographer.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/03/15.jpg
16. Shot in India, the tree again divides the photos into two halves, each one having a subject of interest.
http://www.motographer.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/03/16.jpg
17. Shot in Ireland, the hundreds of branches make for an intriguing silhouette.
http://www.motographer.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/03/17.jpg
18. Shot in Ireland, the photo has been given a high key treatment with grains. The drooping naked branches exude mystery, sadness and humility.
http://www.motographer.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/03/18.jpg
19. Shot in New Zealand, this extremely old tree with extremely convoluted roots made for a very interesting subject.
http://www.motographer.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/03/19.jpg
20. Shot in India, this photos has trees in different 'layers' fading into the background.
http://www.motographer.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/03/20.jpg
Subscribe to my RSS feed by clicking here (http://feeds.feedburner.com/%7Efc/motographer?bg=b47d28&fg=31220b&anim=0) to enable me to send you updates right in your reader.
I didn’t intentionally focus on shooting trees or using them as elements in photos until very recently. Shooting trees and foliage can be very challenging, especially in harsh lighting conditions where there is a lot of micro contrast due to the light seeping through the leaves, ambient light and the shadows created by each individual leaf. It is enough to confuse the exposure system of any camera. Even HDR fails many times when encountering certain light situations dealing with lots of trees under the sun.
This page shows 20 of my photographs dealing with just one tree in the compositions. This is the easiest and most powerful way to use them as primary and secondary subjects and produce deep and intelligent compositions.
I am on the lookout for a single lone tree which can provide me with a logical breakup of the frame and often provides me with a natural frame in which to compose my primary elements.
Let us take each of my photos one by one:
1. Shot in Australia one cloudy evening. The light in the sky was enough to make a silhouette with it. Notice that I have framed the tree, which is the main subject to the left, leaving a lot of space on the right for any text or other elements.
http://www.motographer.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/03/1.jpg
2. Shot in Australia, this forms a very powerful composition with another tree lying uprooted and dead on the ground and the other one weeping and arching back in disbelief. The fog helps fade the background elements softly, eliminating any glaring distractions.
http://www.motographer.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/03/2.jpg
3 & 4. Shot in Australia, the fog and the diffused skylight helps create an atmosphere of mystery. The black and white treatment with soft focus helps accentuate the effect. The images wouldnt have been so powerul if there were more than one tree.
http://www.motographer.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/03/3.jpg
http://www.motographer.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/03/4.jpg
5. Shot in Australia, processed to have a light sepia and grains, this image exudes pain and suffering, and perhaps resilience of tree (the main subject) in the time of adversity.
http://www.motographer.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/03/5.jpg
6. Shot in Australia, this photo takes the tree to divide the photo into two asymmetrical spaces and forms a natural border for the subjects in question, the cows. The leaves and color have a positive effect of life and energy, a stark contrast to the previous images.
http://www.motographer.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/03/6.jpg
7. The branches of this tree provide an interesting way to have an inner natural frame emphasising the main subject, the motorcycle.
http://www.motographer.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/03/7.jpg
8. Shot in New Zealand, this tree was with a white bark and no leaves. The trunk and its shadow again divide the photo asymmetrically into two halves.
http://www.motographer.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/03/8.jpg
9. Shot in New Zealand, the main subject is again the tree.
http://www.motographer.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/03/9.jpg
10. Shot in New Zealand one evening, three is used to connect to the main subject, the moon and give the photo a lot more depth, something which wouldnt be possible with just the moon as the element.
http://www.motographer.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/03/10.jpg
11. Shot in New Zealand the windblown bare tree gives an effect of movement and mystery in the photo.
http://www.motographer.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/03/11.jpg
12. Shot in India. This is an example of how leaves and foliage can be used to a more create more interesting photo.
http://www.motographer.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/03/12.jpg
13. Shot in India, the tree creates a natural division of the photo, placing the main subject (the man) on the left side.
http://www.motographer.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/03/13.jpg
14. Shot in Australia, the bare tree in a parched landscape seems to be reaching for water in the clouds. These sort of obvious and philosophical meanings can be attached to these kind of photos.
http://www.motographer.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/03/14.jpg
15. Shot in Australia, the lone green tree stands in a bleak and rustic landscape.
http://www.motographer.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/03/15.jpg
16. Shot in India, the tree again divides the photos into two halves, each one having a subject of interest.
http://www.motographer.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/03/16.jpg
17. Shot in Ireland, the hundreds of branches make for an intriguing silhouette.
http://www.motographer.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/03/17.jpg
18. Shot in Ireland, the photo has been given a high key treatment with grains. The drooping naked branches exude mystery, sadness and humility.
http://www.motographer.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/03/18.jpg
19. Shot in New Zealand, this extremely old tree with extremely convoluted roots made for a very interesting subject.
http://www.motographer.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/03/19.jpg
20. Shot in India, this photos has trees in different 'layers' fading into the background.
http://www.motographer.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/03/20.jpg
Subscribe to my RSS feed by clicking here (http://feeds.feedburner.com/%7Efc/motographer?bg=b47d28&fg=31220b&anim=0) to enable me to send you updates right in your reader.