Ghost Tree
This dead tree is in the drought-stricken hills of California. The branches seemed to me to be like arms pleading to the heavens for rain....
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This dead tree is in the drought-stricken hills of California. The branches seemed to me to be like arms pleading to the heavens for rain.
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Mar, 2015Views
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Behind The Lens
Location
This photo was taken at Anderson Lake County Park near Morgan Hill, CA. It was on a hillside above the lake.Time
I had gone to Anderson Lake in the late afternoon for a photo Meetup to shoot sunset images of the lake. This image was probably about two hours before sunset.Lighting
I had been scouting locations for the sunset images so the sun was at a low angle creating shadows that emphasized texture. I set up at a 90 degree angle to the sun in order to capture both the lit front and the shadowed back of the tree. Exposure was manual mode. I used the camera's "live view" function, adjusting the settings to find the combination that gave me an image I liked.Equipment
Camera was a Canon 70 D with a 28 - 105 zoom lens at 28 mm. The camera was mounted on my Bogen tripod.Inspiration
I was looking for a location for sunset shots that would let me include the lake and surrounding shoreline and the sun setting behind the distant hills. I wasn't happy with this location and turned to hike back to my car to drive to another spot on the lake when I noticed how the low-angle light made this tree stand out against the terrain and the sky. This was in the midst of our on-going drought and the tree seemed to symbolize the condition of the land.Editing
I shot in camera raw and used Photoshop to convert to gray scale. I then adjusted exposure and contrast and then sharpened.In my camera bag
In addition to the camera, a 18 -250 zoom and an older 300 mm fixed lens, an electronic flash, circular polarizer filter, variable ND filter, spare batteries.Feedback
Use a tripod. I could not have gotten this shot without it and without using the camera's "live view" function. I almost never shoot in auto exposure mode -- whether it's shutter priority or aperture priority depends on the situation. This particular image reminds me to be more aware of my surroundings because the best images aren't always the ones you have in your initial plans. I didn't really notice the tree when I walked past it the first time. I only really saw the tree as I was getting ready to leave to check out another spot. This turned out to be my favorite image from that day.
