Reach for the sky
The bare trunk of a tree reaches for the depths of the blue sky above, also has the look of a nerve branching out, transferring electrical impulses feeding back...
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The bare trunk of a tree reaches for the depths of the blue sky above, also has the look of a nerve branching out, transferring electrical impulses feeding back information about the world around it
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Oct, 2018Views
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Awards
Action Award
Chatter Award
Contender in the Visual Poetry Project
Gem Award
Achievement in Originality
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Top Pick Award
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Halfway22 Award
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Curator's Selection
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Top Shot Award 21
Legendary Award
Summer 2020
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Behind The Lens
Location
The photo for this piece of digital art was taken in December 2010 in a beech forest that runs along the sides and tops of the hills to the south of the river Stour valley In Dorset England. These hills run for about 2 miles and overlook the village of Shillingstone.Time
It was taken late in the afternoon just as the sun was sinking behind me as it cast a beautiful read glow across the countrysideLighting
I lay on the ground with my head close to the trunk of the tree and looked upwards. I ensured the setting sun was not casting a shadow across the tree truck from either surrounding trees or from parts of my body, I did not want the beautiful reddish glow of light interrupted. As I framed the photograph it struck me how much the image looked like the veined forearm of a person reaching up for the sky, so in that moment the image I saw through my viewfinder named itself "Reach for the Sky". I wanted the photo to evoke the feeling of distance, of the trunk of the tree reaching far up into the heavens, so I allowed the foreground to be very slightly blurred, with the focus increasing as your eye is lead up into the branches that touch the sky. I just used the natural reddish lighting of the sunset to illuminate the tree all the way up its trunk into its branches as they fanned out across the skyEquipment
I used my old dependable Nikon D70 with a 18-55mm f/3.5-5.6 lens, the camera is still going strong after all these years, it is very robust and was ideal for taking with me when out walking in the woods with my family Sarah and James and our two dogs Tigger and MarleyInspiration
I always take a camera out with me, even today in 2021 I often take my dependable Nikon D70 as I did on the day I took this photo just over 10 years ago. I was walking through the bare beech woods with my family and two dogs. I was taking photographs of all sorts of things, fallen trees, moss, reflections in puddles and more when I decided I wanted some photographs looking up through the bare canopy to the beautiful blue sky above. So I lay down on my back next to this majestic beech tree, put my head on a soft cushion of moss and looked through the viewfinder of my camera and the photo I took is what I saw. I took time to frame the photo so the trunk of the tree lead the eye up to the middle of the photo with the branches fanning out evenly on three sides. I then adjusted the focus to blur the foreground slightly and took the photo, I managed to take about ten photos before my two dogs with tails wagging jumped on me. So I nearly did not get the shot!!Editing
I did do a little post processing with this photo. The photo was a high data content J.PEG file. I wanted a really stark contrast between the trunk of the tree and the blue sky because the tree with the ivy on its trunk initially reminded me of a veined arm reaching for the sky. I decided to increase the red colours that the setting sun was casting on the trunk, and contrast this quite vividly with the sky by changing the sky to a slightly more turquoise colour.In my camera bag
My Nikon F 70, D 70 and or my D7500, a NIKON AF-S 28-300 mm f/3.5-5.6G ED VR Telephoto Zoom Lens, a NIKON AF-S DX 16-80 mm f/2.8-4E ED VR Wide-angle Zoom Lens and a NIKON AF-S 50 mm f/1.8G Standard Prime Lens, a few filters and rolls of film for the Nikon F 70 film camera, lens cleaning equipment, lens shades, spare batteries, flash. If I am going on a specific shoot I always take a tripod and some snacks and drink as well. I also have a small torch.Feedback
Have your favourite camera with you as often as you can when you go out for leisure activities, one that you know well and find easy to operate. Have an open mind and be aware of your surroundings, try looking at things from different or unusual angles, take your time to frame the photo and think about how you want to focus it. Also don't take just one photo, take multiple photos and that helps to ensure one of them will be as near to perfect as you wished. Allow the creativity to flow and don't be frightened of engaging in some post processing to create the image you have in your mind. I always save the original image as original and have the processed image as a new file. I am as equally proud of the original as I am of the image named “Reach for the Sky”. It only struck me how much the image would be improved and stand out when I sat down and looked at it in my laptop. I realised if I slightly increased the reds on the tree trunk and made the blue sky more turquoise then these colours would be in quite a vivid contrast with each other and the trunk would really stand out as it thrust towards the sky. And finally make sure your dogs are on a leash or a long way away from you before you lay on your back and point your camera towards the heavens.
