Ghost Tree

[ggoldthorpe]

Canon 50D
EF 100-400L (@100)
1/160
8.0

This pale tree really stood out amongst the much darker conifers surrounding it but I'm not sure I've really managed the exposure well-enough. Any tips on how to capture this kind of contrast? Although it was a very sunny day I was taking the shot from a relatively shaded area.

[easyrider]

The only way to get that contrast just right is to wait for better light during the day. Try and let the whole tree be covered by the same light so the top isn't significantly brighter than the bottom.

Keep shooting.

[KansaiGreenie]

Hi ggoldthorpe,

This is a very interesting subject and is a very engaging image. I think that you've got a good eye to have seen this.

I agree with easyrider that shooting when the tree was fully lit would be the easiest solution. I noticed that this image was taken at 5:30 pm. I don't know what part of the world you are in, but my guess is that being on the scene as little as 30 minutes earlier would have found the tree in full light. Otherwise, I think that you could have tried using a flash to expose for the tree and let the background go dark. The white bark would reflect well and separate it from the background. However, my guess is that you were quite far from the tree (because of the lens that you used and that it has been cropped from horizontal to vertical), so using a flash probably wouldn't have worked.

Also, after poking around on the EXIF data on Flickr, I would suggest shooting in RAW, which will you give more latitude in post to be able to bring the highlights forward and the shadows down and I wouldn't shoot in 'auto' exposure. If I had taken this image, I would have shot in manual and exposed for the bark on the lower part of the tree.

Finally, have you tried this in black and white? Most of the background is green so reducing the green channel will darken the foliage. Then you can dodge the tree (to make it brighter) and burn the background and foreground (to darken them). This might make the image even more ghost tree-like and might be more of what you are looking for.

Anyway, this is strong subject and nice photo. I like it.

KG

[ggoldthorpe]

Originally Posted by KansaiGreenie

Hi ggoldthorpe,

This is a very interesting subject and is a very engaging image. I think that you've got a good eye to have seen this.

I agree with easyrider that shooting when the tree was fully lit would be the easiest solution. I noticed that this image was taken at 5:30 pm. I don't know what part of the world you are in, but my guess is that being on the scene as little as 30 minutes earlier would have found the tree in full light. Otherwise, I think that you could have tried using a flash to expose for the tree and let the background go dark. The white bark would reflect well and separate it from the background. However, my guess is that you were quite far from the tree (because of the lens that you used and that it has been cropped from horizontal to vertical), so using a flash probably wouldn't have worked.

Also, after poking around on the EXIF data on Flickr, I would suggest shooting in RAW, which will you give more latitude in post to be able to bring the highlights forward and the shadows down and I wouldn't shoot in 'auto' exposure. If I had taken this image, I would have shot in manual and exposed for the bark on the lower part of the tree.

Finally, have you tried this in black and white? Most of the background is green so reducing the green channel will darken the foliage. Then you can dodge the tree (to make it brighter) and burn the background and foreground (to darken them). This might make the image even more ghost tree-like and might be more of what you are looking for.

Anyway, this is strong subject and nice photo. I like it.

KG

Thanks for such a considered critique KG (and for the good eye comment ;-)

I'm in Georgia (Eastern Europe) and the tree in question is on a north facing slope so it sounds like the best time to be there would have been a couple of hours earlier (good to hear that the
"golden light" rule doesn't always apply).

Yup - i was too far away (maybe 300-400 meters) for flash to make any difference.

I actually do shoot in RAW whilst the images I upload onto Flikr are processed (very basic Canon software) and then converted to jpeg for general viewing. As such, I will definitely go back to the original file and try playing around more with the highlights and shadows. I'll also try
converting to b&w and playing with the filters - nice idea.

Unfortunately my software does not allow for masking and dodging etc though I did recently install Gimp onto my Mac so maybe that can help.

I also agree with the comment on using manual - especially for a nice static subject like this - it's a habit i'm trying to get into.

Lots of things to try - i'll re-post the (hopefully) improved version.

Thanks again,

Gareth