Fractals of nature
Shot in Phoenix Park, Dublin, Ireland
Shot in Phoenix Park, Dublin, Ireland
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Jun, 2016Views
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Behind The Lens
Location
This photo was taken in Phoenix Park, Dublin, Ireland. The tree is located in the walking trail by the Magazine Fort. That was my first time at that part of Phoenix Park.Time
It was early afternoon, in the middle of March.Lighting
It was a bit overcast, but I could see the sun finally deciding to come out. I had to be really quick to get this shot, especially to get the silhouette.Equipment
I had the best camera with me, you know, as in, the best camera is the one you have with you, when the need arises. It was captured using my iPhone 6S.Inspiration
I was just having an early afternoon stroll with my wife and kids. Most of the scenes were quite typical of what we would normally see in a park. But towards the end of the stroll, I came across this tree and I was so mesmerized, by the fractal effect in the branches. Though the day started quite overcast, I could see it was becoming brighter the moment I saw this tree. The natural fractal effect that captivated me so much would be best preserved only if I capture the silhouette of this scene. So I quickly snapped out of my trance and capture it, which worked out pretty good, with the help of my trusty iPhone.Editing
The original itself was quite good. But I had to reduce the highlights a bit and increase the contrast to better showcase the fractal effects in some of the smaller branches. I then converted it into a black and white image, to make the silhouette more pronounced. It was all done using the Photos app in my iPhone.In my camera bag
I normally shoot with my trusty old Nikon D80. I carry the following lenses Nikkor AF-S 18-55mm f/3.5-5.6 G IF-ED DX Nikkor AF-S 70-300mm f/4.5-5.6G IF-ED VR Nikkor AF 50mm f/1.8 I also carry a Nikon SB-600 speedlight, a mono-pod or a tripod, my iPad mini, filters, extra batteries and SD cards.Feedback
I actually did not aim for a silhouette shot, but when I saw it and captured it, I wanted to take more of it. I simply couldn't take more of this particular shot because it was getting brighter. So for anyone that wants to take silhouettes, pick your time of the day, like late evenings or very early mornings (or simply move to Ireland and you can shoot all day, most of the days :). If I had my DSLR, I would have used my 50mm prime lens, my tripod, obviously with a smaller aperture, a higher ISO and slightly longer exposure. The usual tips apply, like use a shutter delay to avoid vibrations after you press the shutter release or use a remote trigger. Don't over expose it, the darker the original shot, the better, since you can always expose darker areas in post-processing. After every shot, zoom into sections of the image, in the camera preview, to confirm sharpness, overall.
