A Penny Pressed
A close-up of a 'Penny Tree' I stumbled upon during a walk in Lydford Gorge.
A close-up of a 'Penny Tree' I stumbled upon during a walk in Lydford Gorge.
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Sep, 2016Views
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Behind The Lens
Location
I got this shot on a nature walk heading down into Lydford Gorge in Devon, UK. The log that these pennies had been pressed into was just on the side of the trail. Unfortunately, I didn't have a penny on me - otherwise I would definitely have added to it!Time
I took this picture on the 24th August 2016, I can't quite remember the time - but it was not long after lunch.Lighting
The day was rather overcast but, thanks to the tree canopy overhead, there was some nice texture to the light. Although I added a gentle vignette in post, the pool of light you see in the centre was completely natural.Equipment
This was a hand-held shot on my first SLR, a Canon 1200D with a EF-S 18-55mm lens. Nothing special but it was a fantastic camera for getting started and very lightweight.Inspiration
Honestly, it was one of those moment when you stumble across a completely random object that you were not expecting. Up to that point, I had mainly been taking pictures of the people I was with but we rounded a corner to find a very old log with hundreds of pennies pressed it. It would have been crazy not to try and capture something that so many people had a hand in creating.Editing
There was only a little post-processing for this one. The green of the leaves in the background was a little overpowering, so I reduced their impact a little. I also added a soft blue vignette to help draw the eye to the natural light in the centre of the image.In my camera bag
At the time of taking this picture, I just had my 1200D. However, I now have my Canon 80D with Sigma 50mm F1.4 as standard - then any addition lenses I might bring. I also carry around lens cleaning equipment (cleaning spray, micro-fibre cloths, brushes, ect. ), spare battery and charger. Simple stuff but it gets the job done.Feedback
I took quite a few pictures of this log - to start with I wanted to try and show as many pennies as I could; this obviously didn't work well as they are so small you lose the detail very quickly. I then spent a bit of time watching how the light, falling through the moving trees, was highlighting different parts of the log. That is when I decided to get up closer and show the detail of only a few. I found a coin that had the word "penny" clearly visible on it and chose that as my focal point. The fact that it is surrounded by coins pushed in at different depths really shows how many different people have been there and added to it across the years.
