Long Arm Oak

[painperdu]

From I'm Learning

I'm in the process of learning how to work with the exposure settings. I think I captured a pretty good depth of field with focus on the middle depth with this shot of an arm of an oak tree.

I wish I could get the overall focus more crisp. What do you think?

BTW, the arm of this oak continues about 2 yards behind where I took the shot and never touches the ground! I sat on this limb and it barely moved.

City Park, New Orleans, La.

[irishwhite]

there's a couple of things that stand out to me right away when i look at your photo. the first is, i have no clue what the subject you are photographing is. especially if i came across the photo with no background information. the trees in the background, the branch in the upper right, and the branch in the lower right confuse my senses. the other thing is the branch in the lower right and how it's out of focus. it's my opinion that something that close should always be sharply in focus. in this example, if that were in focus and the rest of the branch slowly fades out to a blur (shallow depth of field), it gives the impression of the branch reaching out into eternity. at least, that's the way it would look in my mind. i also think this particular branch might not be straight enough for that effect.

i don't know, this is the first time i've tried to critique someone else's work another idea, if you're set upon using that particular branch. maybe get underneath of the branch and take the photo along the underside. or lay down below it if it happens to be the lowest hanging branch, and shoot upwards into the tree, keeping that branch in focus and the rest of them out of focus. i've never tried any of these, so i'm not quite sure how it would work out, but the main thing is to keep shooting and come up with your own unique perspective.

[painperdu]

. . .get underneath of the branch and take the photo . . .

Thanks for the input.

I was thinking of the same thing when I got home and was looking at what I had shot. I think if I would have gotten some ground underneath the branch in the shot it would have been better.

I think I titled it wrong. What I was going for at the time was the green stuff (ferns?) in the near-middle.

BTW, I hope you're still willing to respond to my posts after the Saints win this weekend!

[sagelike31]

I agree with Irish, a different viewpoint to get the subject clear would help. And in this case, focus first then go out of focus as the branch moves away from the front.

[Redrabbit]

I agree with irishwhite. I have just got onto the thing of taking at least twenty shot when I come on to something that odd.

[greer]

One concept that I really like about this photo is the contrast between the urban setting (the street and the houses on the right) and the wild, unfettered growth of the ferns on this gnarly old tree. It would be interesting to try different compositions to emphasize that storyline/concept. Cropping out the left side and some of the foreground might help this particular shot.