8.12.09 - Get Down!
I had almost given up on finding any natural colour in December, but in reality I had just stopped looking properly. A local cafe had agreed to stock some flyers for my work, and on the way back to the car I walked through the Arboretum for the first time in a few weeks. There were plenty of bright berries, even a few small Winter flowers, but the real beauty was a small patch of dead leaves. It was very dark down in the wet grass, but for a few seconds they were illuminated by a shaft of light slicing through the trees. The best way to show them off was to get down and wet, but I think it was worth it. There are some more shots here; http://www.lightanddreamsphotography.com/Nature/THE-ARBORETUM/6049364_a8pPu#735846472_YQuXX
I was going to add a dark vignette to frame this, but the more I looked at it the more I realised that it already had a natural one. I was shooting at ISO 800 because of the low light, but the sudden shaft of light gave a fast shutter speed in the end. I increased the contrast slightly to bring the colour back, and an unsharp mask adds to the natural grain and impressionistic feel.
I had almost given up on finding any natural colour in December, but in reality I had just stopped looking properly. A local cafe had agreed to stock some flyers for my work, and on the way back to the car I walked through the Arboretum for the first time in a few weeks. There were plenty of bright berries, even a few small Winter flowers, but the real beauty was a small patch of dead leaves. It was very dark down in the wet grass, but for a few seconds they were illuminated by a shaft of light slicing through the trees. The best way to show them off was to get down and wet, but I think it was worth it. There are some more shots here; http://www.lightanddreamsphotography.com/Nature/THE-ARBORETUM/6049364_a8pPu#735846472_YQuXX
I was going to add a dark vignette to frame this, but the more I looked at it the more I realised that it already had a natural one. I was shooting at ISO 800 because of the low light, but the sudden shaft of light gave a fast shutter speed in the end. I increased the contrast slightly to bring the colour back, and an unsharp mask adds to the natural grain and impressionistic feel.
8.12.09 - Get Down!
I had almost given up on finding any natural colour in December, but in reality I had just stopped looking properly. A local cafe had agreed to stock some flyers for my work, and on the way back to the car I walked through the Arboretum for the first time in a few weeks. There were plenty of bright berries, even a few small Winter flowers, but the real beauty was a small patch of dead leaves. It was very dark down in the wet grass, but for a few seconds they were illuminated by a shaft of light slicing through the trees. The best way to show them off was to get down and wet, but I think it was worth it. There are some more shots here; http://www.lightanddreamsphotography.com/Nature/THE-ARBORETUM/6049364_a8pPu#735846472_YQuXX
I was going to add a dark vignette to frame this, but the more I looked at it the more I realised that it already had a natural one. I was shooting at ISO 800 because of the low light, but the sudden shaft of light gave a fast shutter speed in the end. I increased the contrast slightly to bring the colour back, and an unsharp mask adds to the natural grain and impressionistic feel.
I had almost given up on finding any natural colour in December, but in reality I had just stopped looking properly. A local cafe had agreed to stock some flyers for my work, and on the way back to the car I walked through the Arboretum for the first time in a few weeks. There were plenty of bright berries, even a few small Winter flowers, but the real beauty was a small patch of dead leaves. It was very dark down in the wet grass, but for a few seconds they were illuminated by a shaft of light slicing through the trees. The best way to show them off was to get down and wet, but I think it was worth it. There are some more shots here; http://www.lightanddreamsphotography.com/Nature/THE-ARBORETUM/6049364_a8pPu#735846472_YQuXX
I was going to add a dark vignette to frame this, but the more I looked at it the more I realised that it already had a natural one. I was shooting at ISO 800 because of the low light, but the sudden shaft of light gave a fast shutter speed in the end. I increased the contrast slightly to bring the colour back, and an unsharp mask adds to the natural grain and impressionistic feel.
See photo in gallery
