Ancient Oak Tree
Old oak tree my grandparents planted on their place 40 something years ago.
Old oak tree my grandparents planted on their place 40 something years ago.
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Sep, 2015Views
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Awards
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Contest Finalist in HDR Landscapes Photo Contest Explore Series
Peer Award
Absolute Masterpiece
Superb Composition
Top Choice
Outstanding Creativity
Superior Skill
All Star
Magnificent Capture
Genius
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Behind The Lens
Location
This photo was taken at my grand parents ranch in Texas.Time
This photo was taken at sunset. The tree really needed some good back lighting to make it stand out as it and everything around it was green.Lighting
The trick with this was not only getting the tree at sunset but so making sure there were some interesting clouds in the sky to bring out the colors.Equipment
This was taken with my Nikon D7000 and a Tokina 11-16mm. This wide angle lens was needed fit in the scene and also makes he clouds look cool.Inspiration
My grandparents actually planted this tree and my grandmother had always wanted a painting of it. I don't have any painting skills but I figured a nice HDR photo would be a suitable alternative.Editing
The final image was an HDR composite processed in Photomatix and final touches made in Adobe Photoshop.In my camera bag
My bag is pretty consistent. Is has a Nikon D7000 a Tokina 11-16mm and a Nikkor 18-300mm. The camera and both lenses fit well in a small Lowpro bag that fits in my backpack. To keeping my rig steady for long exposure and bracketed shots I use a Manfrotto tripod and Really Right Stuff ball head.Feedback
To get an image like this is pretty straight forward. The essence of it is HDR which requires multiple exposures of the shot. This can be done automatically with most mid to higher end cameras but can also be done with cameras that allow you to manually set the exposure. I used Pgotomatix software to combine the exposures into the HDR image. I usually pick a preset that looks good and start with that. I tend to not get too carried away with the settings and will generally finish in Photoshop using layer masks to bring back a touch of reality and fix issues with the sky that arise from moving clouds having a cloned look from the combining of the images.
