DSC00284
I fell in love with this wonderful grandmother tree in Humbolt County in Northern California at the base of a trail in Fern Canyon. ...
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I fell in love with this wonderful grandmother tree in Humbolt County in Northern California at the base of a trail in Fern Canyon.
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Mar, 2017Views
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Same photographer See allBehind The Lens
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Behind The Lens
Location
Fern Canyon trail, in Northern California near Eureka, California.Time
I believe it was mid morning by the time we arrived, maybe 9 or 9:30 AM. In many settings much earlier in the morning would be better, but in this Canyon area the forest and rise of the land provided some easing from direct sunlight's harsh lighting.Lighting
This was a circumstance in which I was there only once, before travelling onward on a time line, and had no idea I would find such a delightful photo subject, it was just seize the moment, lighting as it was. Early dawn is a lovely time to photograph in the coastal forests when mist, fog and overcast skies offset and intensify the greens. But the presence of sunlight gave me that little halo of golden light on the ground, and highlights on the tips of the ferns, giving a watercolor like ethereal touch and a water-color like dab of a contrasting color to the photo that might otherwise have felt flat and cartoon-like.Equipment
I believe I was still using a Konica-Minolta Dimage Z5 with a 35-120 mm built in zoom lens, which shot at 5 megapixels, my first digital camera. Its no longer made.Inspiration
I was visiting relatives who live near the North Coast Redwoods where frequent fog, and cool temperatures produce lush green growth, and moss and ferns wedge their way into any crevice. They suggested a hike to Fern Canyon and there near the start of the trail was this wonderfully curvaceous tree. Then it was a matter of selecting an interesting angle, to emphasize the grace of this tree's sinuous curve, which I believe was a Sitka Spruce, and which part of this elder to include in my framing, and waiting to catch the shot when the tree wasn't being climbed on by tourists. I love to photograph and I adore trees, they are a very challenging but also delicious subject with the heft and textures.Editing
Very little, I might have dropped the exposure a little.In my camera bag
I predominantly photograph with a Nikon Coolpix S9500 all in one, no changeable lens, unfortunately no viewfinder, and its case, as I like to travel light. I own but rarely carry a tripod, which limits my success in some situations.Feedback
Lighting and composition, those are my best friends in photography. If you can pick your time of day, its the low light of early morning and early evening until twilight, for most subjects, but when you are photographing trees in thick forest, you can succeed in daylight if you are in shade or enough forest to filter the light, or an overcast day as greys bring up the greens. Still, you will be doing more post processing of exposure. With large trees sometimes getting down low and shooting upwards gives an interesting angle and a better sense of the size. With this photo I was interested in form and texture, so the angle of the shot was important to the composition. Look for an angle that will give highlights on one side will help with modelling the tree trunk. I might also try for a greater depth of field to capture the varied textures of tree, moss and fern.
