I was picking up cones from the neighbor's tree and fixin' to dump the bucket in the yard waste when I had a flash: Doug Fir cones. with their seeds looking like mice running for cover, are so symbolic. They represent everything from cash crop to stump town, from critical habitat to generations of jobs lost. I tried to capture that, but I don't know if the treatment works. What do you think?
Canon 7D with 100mm macro
ISO 125, f/24, 1.6 sec
Focusing rail, remote release, mirror lockup
Processed in LR and Nik with bleach bypass filter.
I like the commentary, Marylynne. I think with the image I might like to see more repetition of the pattern. Also with the nice side light, I bet a polarizer would really make it look sweeeeeet! A great idea for a submission to the ICP Awards in 2012 or any other Nature/environmental photography exhibition or contest.
Thanks, Craig and Catherine. I took a few shots that were not as close up, but they looked like snap shots of a pine cone. I have some "group shots" but the mesh metal table was visible through the crevices, so I might need to shoot on a black background or pony up for Elements so I can swap out backgrounds.
I'll sort through them again and see if there are some that could be cropped for a better pattern. I'll shoot one again with a polarizer and see if the effect is better. I kind of wanted the bleach by-pass harshness, but heck, it's easy enough to grab a cone, take it under the back deck cover with diffused light, and shoot away.
Posted by David Bostock on April 29, 2010 at 11:39 PM
The harshness works in this particular image, Marylynne. I think the more subtle image, with more repetition would would need to be softer, more diffuse.
Posted by Scott Smorra on April 30, 2010 at 12:07 AM
I really like the shapes and lines. The colors/processing look great as well.
Thanks, Scott. I did some different processing as well, and it was more popular among some folks I showed it to. It was more "romantic" and rich, but I wanted to capture the grittiness of the tree's history in our state. One of the things I'm working on this spring and summer is processing with a specific intention and message in mind in advance. Here is the other, which in general is nicer, but I didn't necessarily want nice and beautiful:
NIcely done. I think both images are exceptional for different reasons. The harshness in the first image paid off in that it strongly compliments the statement you're making in the narative.
The second image is a beautiful, earthy expression of nature in simple terms. The dof in both images is perfect IMO. Thanks for sharing.
Wonderful macro Marylynne. This is one of those shots that make you wonder why you've never looked closer at a pine cone before. Some of life's details are too easy to take for granted. I'm especially guilty of chasing the "big" scene, and forgetting to appreciate the little beauties and interests of nature.
My only nit would be to have left just enough room at the bottom to get the final tip in.
Discussion
8 repliesCanon 7D with 100mm macro
ISO 125, f/24, 1.6 sec
Focusing rail, remote release, mirror lockup
Processed in LR and Nik with bleach bypass filter.
I'll sort through them again and see if there are some that could be cropped for a better pattern. I'll shoot one again with a polarizer and see if the effect is better. I kind of wanted the bleach by-pass harshness, but heck, it's easy enough to grab a cone, take it under the back deck cover with diffused light, and shoot away.
http://i113.photobucket.com/albums/n232/mldiggs/Nostalgic/_MG_1013ColorFX-3Web.jpg
The second image is a beautiful, earthy expression of nature in simple terms. The dof in both images is perfect IMO. Thanks for sharing.
My only nit would be to have left just enough room at the bottom to get the final tip in.