This was taken at the same place from my earlier post here. Not so coincidentally called Sycamore Grove. Not very original shooting up into trees, but I found it quite a challenge shooting with the 4x5. The camera/lens is but a couple feet from the lower part of the trunk and I had the whole camera tilted nearly 45 degrees off vertical. Mostly an excersize to see what I could do with the 75mm lens. The tranny is pretty sharp bottom to top so I was happy with the results. However, it's quite apparent that I need a center filter on this puppy. As it is, I did some selective masking to simulate a center filter, but it's still apparent.
anyway, thought I would toss this in for fun. Does this work for anyone?
4x5, 75mm, f/32, V100
Lon
Posted by Cory Freeman on March 3, 2007 at 12:03 AM
My first thought was of laying flat on my back under these trees and staring straightup at them. I think it works for me.
Posted by Dan Baumbach on March 3, 2007 at 12:41 PM
I like what you have here. My only nit is the lighter sky in the lower left. I'd add a gradient and darken it a bit. What kind of 75mm do you have?
- Dan.
Posted by Lon Overacker on March 3, 2007 at 12:51 PM
Thanks guys. Dan, I agree with the lightness. I used some selective painting with various opacities, mostly near the center and building out from there. I'll have to spend more time on that lower sky. The 75 is a Nikkor-SW 4.5. I use to have the Nikkor-SW 4.5 90mm, but did a straight trade with someone about this time last year when I changed out just about my entire outfit going from 2 lenses to now 5. I hardly use it and wonder to myself if it was worth the trade.
Lon
Posted by Dan Baumbach on March 3, 2007 at 6:54 PM
The Nikkor 75mm is a beautifully sharp lens. I used to use mine a lot but now I rarely use it. Nikon never made a center filter so I got a Heliopan from Midwest Photo. It works very well. It even does a good job on my 58mm. I haven't used either lens in over a year and a half though.
- Dan.
Posted by Nelcha Cross on March 4, 2007 at 12:28 PM
Oh Lon, now you got me excited
this is such a cool angle for a 4x5...
I can hardly wait to see your version of the
Elm in Cook's Meadow from last week.....
For those of us w/o your accumlation of knowledge and if I don't know what to look for ..
Could you maybe educate me with what you were hoping that filter would do?
Maybe it's the web version? but I can't see what you are wanting to filter for?
Please inform the uninformed, ...inquiring minds want to learn
In gratitude,
Nelcha
Posted by Dan Baumbach on March 4, 2007 at 3:03 PM
Nelcha,
Wide angle lenses on large format cameras are not retrofocus lenses like the ones on 35mm and digital cameras are and they tend to get dark in the corners of the image. A center filter is a filter with a neutral density filter in the center that evens the exposure over the entire image.
Not working for me. It's a nice shot, but not great. I assume if you post here you expect your pics to be more than nice...
I like the angle, and the -erh- hairs comming from the trees behind you (top of pic). I don't like the uniform sky and the polarizer gradient (too much). Overall the delivery is missing that special something that makes a photo memorable.
There seems to be potential for originality in that angle and these trees... yet, maybe there' not enough potential for more than just a nice pic...
Thanks for your honest opinion. Like anything else in life, I can't expect everyone to feel the same way about each image.
"I assume if you post here you expect your pics to be more than nice... "
Not sure if I understand this, but wanted to respond. To be honest, I don't necessarily want to always post my best, most appealing images. One of the purposes of these forums is to learn and grow as a photographer. If I thought my work was better than anyone elses, I wouldn't need to post anything. Like many I suspect, I'm very critical of my own work and perhaps many images that I think are more than "nice" might not be appealing to others - and vice-versa.
Hope that makes sense and thanks again for your honesty.
However if you post a photo you're not totally happy about, I assume it's because you want honest feedback AND a useful one, like maybe someone with a fresh eye can figure out why the photo is not quite working.
Even if you post one you're 100% happy with, I expect you still want the same. Though since I'm not that good a photographer, I'll have a harder time to openly say something (it's a little presomptious to criticise a photo which is a a level you know you can't touch).
Finding the right critique is a hard thing to do sometimes. For this one I can say it's not quite working for me, but I'm having a hard time to say why. I try to avoid just posting too many kudos.
Here's another feedback: Maybe try to darken the sky at the bottom left, to have a dark-light-dark gradient to steer the eye more into the branches of the 2 maintrees, and increase the feel of us looking up. The other trees are just there for reference...
The chaning tones in the sky is throwing me off a little but otherwise this ia fine image. I really enjoyed the prespective you have chosen here. A very immaginative composition.
Discussion
11 repliesanyway, thought I would toss this in for fun. Does this work for anyone?
4x5, 75mm, f/32, V100
Lon
- Dan.
Lon
- Dan.
this is such a cool angle for a 4x5...
I can hardly wait to see your version of the
Elm in Cook's Meadow
For those of us w/o your accumlation of knowledge and if I don't know what to look for ..
Could you maybe educate me with what you were hoping that filter would do?
Maybe it's the web version? but I can't see what you are wanting to filter for?
Please inform the uninformed, ...inquiring minds want to learn
In gratitude,
Nelcha
Wide angle lenses on large format cameras are not retrofocus lenses like the ones on 35mm and digital cameras are and they tend to get dark in the corners of the image. A center filter is a filter with a neutral density filter in the center that evens the exposure over the entire image.
- Dan.
Lon
I like the angle, and the -erh- hairs comming from the trees behind you (top of pic). I don't like the uniform sky and the polarizer gradient (too much). Overall the delivery is missing that special something that makes a photo memorable.
There seems to be potential for originality in that angle and these trees... yet, maybe there' not enough potential for more than just a nice pic...
Thanks for your honest opinion. Like anything else in life, I can't expect everyone to feel the same way about each image.
"I assume if you post here you expect your pics to be more than nice... "
Not sure if I understand this, but wanted to respond. To be honest, I don't necessarily want to always post my best, most appealing images. One of the purposes of these forums is to learn and grow as a photographer. If I thought my work was better than anyone elses, I wouldn't need to post anything. Like many I suspect, I'm very critical of my own work and perhaps many images that I think are more than "nice" might not be appealing to others - and vice-versa.
Hope that makes sense and thanks again for your honesty.
Lon
However if you post a photo you're not totally happy about, I assume it's because you want honest feedback AND a useful one, like maybe someone with a fresh eye can figure out why the photo is not quite working.
Even if you post one you're 100% happy with, I expect you still want the same. Though since I'm not that good a photographer, I'll have a harder time to openly say something (it's a little presomptious to criticise a photo which is a a level you know you can't touch).
Finding the right critique is a hard thing to do sometimes. For this one I can say it's not quite working for me, but I'm having a hard time to say why. I try to avoid just posting too many kudos.
Here's another feedback: Maybe try to darken the sky at the bottom left, to have a dark-light-dark gradient to steer the eye more into the branches of the 2 maintrees, and increase the feel of us looking up. The other trees are just there for reference...