Fire Tree

Gallery: LandscapePosted November 29, 2013886 views15 comments

Fall colors at the Portland Japanese Garden, Portland, OR.

I really enjoyed spending a morning at the Japanese Garden in October. I spent almost 4 hours in the garden, but I was so engaged while capturing images that it felt like 30 minutes. The colors and shapes in this tree really caught my eye that morning. The incredible colors made it appear that the tree was on fire.

Nikon D800, Nikkor 24-120 at 100mm, polarizer
4 image blend for DOF of the tree/leaves
0.6sec at f/11, ISO 200 x4

All comments and suggestions are always appreciated. Please check out the larger version.

Comments

15 comments

Comment posted by Harley Goldman on November 29, 2013 at 11:46 AM

That is a seriously vibrant tree!! The strong branch pattern does and excellent job anchoring the image. Very minor, but I might consider blurring the top background trees just a bit more? Excellent as presented, but just a thought.

Registered on November 19, 2003, 586 Posts, 11271 Comments

Comment posted by Nick Bristol on November 29, 2013 at 11:51 AM

Scott, Makes me want to go see this tree! Perfect title too. I like the vibrant red / orange glow this has. Very cool looking!

Nick Bristol
Lone Rock, WI

Registered on February 1, 2004, 752 Posts, 14140 Comments

Comment posted by Richard Teller on November 29, 2013 at 1:35 PM

The colors in this image are really vibrant, just beautiful. I like everything about this image. The only thing I might look at is to not have cut off the tree on the left. That might have caused other problems if you had not have.

Registered on August 23, 2010, 1162 Posts, 6692 Comments

Comment posted by Mark Seaver on November 29, 2013 at 3:12 PM

Wow, that tree sure pops off the page compared to it's surroundings and the convoluted trunk makes a fascinating leading "line",

. Well seen and excellently processed.

Registered on January 23, 2011, 1103 Posts, 17270 Comments

Comment posted by Zhoen on November 29, 2013 at 4:47 PM

Love the color, this will look great on a wall!

Registered on May 16, 2013, 25 Posts, 188 Comments

Comment posted by Joseph Campisi on November 29, 2013 at 5:00 PM

Never get tired of seeing (or making) a good Laceleaf maple shot! The color contrast here is striking Scott, and the blurred background really makes the tree pop. As Harley suggested, more blur would accentuate the effect even more so. Fine as is though. Great image!

Registered on November 24, 2008, 304 Posts, 3211 Comments

Comment posted by Buck Ward on November 29, 2013 at 5:02 PM

Absolutely incredible! Gorgeous

Registered on December 8, 2003, 96 Posts, 1917 Comments

Comment posted by Scott Smorra on November 29, 2013 at 5:08 PM

Thanks everyone. I really appreciate the comments.
-Harley - I experimented with different amounts of blur for the background, but I liked this background with some blur and some structure. Does anyone else have thoughts on the amount of blur in the background?
-Richard - I know what you mean about the left hand side of the tree. The tree extends for another 3-4 feet on the left, so I had to make the decision to exclude that area of the tree in order to keep the comp I wanted. Maybe I will go back and try to do a pano next year.

Registered on November 2, 2009, 161 Posts, 2143 Comments

Comment posted by Aaron Feinberg on November 29, 2013 at 6:21 PM

Interesting take. Very 3d...but feels like it's too far left...Sounds like a really complicated blend. Great work with that. :0

aF

Registered on October 26, 2009, 399 Posts, 2789 Comments

Comment posted by Bill Fach on November 29, 2013 at 7:10 PM

Scott: Spiked my

-meter with this one! Spectacular tree, spectacular image.>=))>

Registered on November 1, 2003, 1805 Posts, 26981 Comments

Comment posted by Jeremy Kessler on November 29, 2013 at 8:57 PM

Beautiful Image Scott! I like a tiny crop off the top.

Registered on September 13, 2007, 36 Posts, 1283 Comments

Comment posted by Jared Warren on November 29, 2013 at 10:13 PM

Great subject and execution, Scott. Love the vibrance and elegance.

Registered on May 11, 2012, 84 Posts, 931 Comments

Comment posted by Bill Reid on November 30, 2013 at 10:06 AM

Colors and details are incredible in this Scott. Great comp and sharpness to the scene. I too would like a little more blur in the back round but this is wonderful as is. Great job.

Registered on January 27, 2013, 65 Posts, 2460 Comments

Comment posted by Morris McClung on December 2, 2013 at 1:46 PM

Eye-popping color! Wonderful image.

Registered on May 7, 2007, 670 Posts, 19650 Comments

Comment posted by Rick Lundh on December 2, 2013 at 2:18 PM

Absolute perfect colors. If I had to suggest an improvement, it might be to crop down tighter from the top...but thats only a minor thought. This stands strong on it's own, really.

Registered on April 28, 2004, 774 Posts, 4351 Comments