PDA

View Full Version : Line Dancing



Julie Kenward
01-15-2010, 09:17 PM
I was out with my camera this afternoon for the first time in over two weeks - man, did it feel good! I went to photograph a large fountain that had frozen over but snuck in a few images of these trees (I believe they are peeling bark birch?) on my way there. I was doing some minor tweaks in pp and thought the trees looked like a group of line dancers. :D

Canon 40D, EF 400mm f/5.6L
F6.3 @ 1/640th, ISO 400
Handheld, natural light, very overcast/foggy sky
Manual mode, pattern metering
Processed in ACR & CS4 with tweaks in Viveza 2 to the contrast.
Minor cloning and NR.

I'm heading back there again tomorrow so any adjustments you think I should make would be helpful.

Gerald_Gilligan
01-16-2010, 02:57 AM
Julie,
Line dancing or the "Macarena"... this image sings for me...The composition works and the "Bokeh" is wonderful...Lots of detail and great blur...The background might be a concern but it actually does not take away from the overall scene for me !

I like it !

Jerry

Robert Amoruso
01-16-2010, 02:52 PM
I hope you got a macro of all the great detail in those peelings. ;)

Good idea on combining the FG and BG groups of trees. BUt I am feeling that a vertical is stronger here with the FG trees either left or right in the frame with only one of the BG trees. I believe that I like the left BG + middle FG trees best as a group.

Good eye seeing the possibilities here Julie.

Julie Kenward
01-16-2010, 05:01 PM
Robert I chose the horizontal to avoid the fence and freeway in the BG. ;) I might go take another stab at it tomorrow and see if I can work around those elements as there were a few other groups of trees in the park. I also thought about doing the two tree groups you suggested but thought it might pull the eye back and forth between the two and have always heard (?) groups of three are better than groups of two in photographs - that's why I went with all three. I'll take another look at them, though and keep your suggestions in mind! Thanks so much for the input.

And, yes, I did get some macros of the tree bark peelings as well as a few tree blurs. :D

Robert Amoruso
01-17-2010, 08:08 AM
Julie,

I never heard the "groups of threes" for photographs" though I have seen it as a recommendation for landscaping plants. Recommendation in plantings is groupings of 3, 5, 7, 9, etc.
:)

Roman Kurywczak
01-17-2010, 12:02 PM
Hey Jules,
Pretty cool find. I generally prefer more DOF and in this case it is mostly because the RH tree cluster is too soft for my tastes. After reading your response, I have a possible suggestion for you also.....I find the bark and show hole shape very interesting....perhaps getting slightly higher and concentrating on the central 2....with the hole may make for an interesting comp....just some food for thought on your next trip out!

Dave Mills
01-17-2010, 01:01 PM
Hi Julie, Agree that the 2 OOF tree groups are somewhat distracting, I like the central group along with the indentation in the snow. Paper Bark Maples can be very interesting subjects...

Julie Kenward
01-17-2010, 03:22 PM
Paper bark maples! I kept thinking they were birch but you're right, Dave. Thank you! I'll take another look at the composition if all the snow hasn't finally melted. Thanks for your help everyone!