How to take pictures of tree roots

[Ilovebokeh]

Hi,

Any suggestions for photo tips for tree roots? I love old lovely tree trunks and roots but struggle with:

1) composition:

How to best use the frame?

2) lighting?


I attach an example picture (just a snap). I think I capture only .000005% of the beauty.



How to improve (feel free to critique)

Any favourite example pictures of amazing tree trunks/roots?

thank you



132404

[landyvlad]

I sometimes like to photograph roots from ground level. At least give that a try.

Alternatively from up in the tree looking down. Basically a perspective different to what people are "used to"

The general rule of composition applies.. whatever looks good to you. The old rule of thirds isn't hard and fast but in nature it's generally best to avoid plonking a point of focus straight in the middle of the frame*. So a root snaking from one corner to the opposite corner can look good...
I can see why the tree is centre of frame in this one (so roots can be seen) I am more talking about if just looking specifically at a closer up view of roots themselves.


As far as your image goes - and I can't claim to be any kind of talent at this, some depth of field control so that the background is blurred, keeping the main tree the sole point of focus would be better.

For the B&W I've found some really interesting effects can be had using the free Silver Efex Pro (Google Nik program). But you probably already knew that.



* the exception being where the object itself IS symmetrical eg butterfly.


Anyway that's my $0.02 FWIW.


edit: Not a bad idea for a photo challenge subject 'tree roots'.

[Tannin]

A subject like that you wouldn't even see my hands move. Ask no questions, do not pass go, do not collect $200, go directly to the proper lens for the job. (A rectangular fish, of course.) Get down low, keep the horizon level and in the centre of the frame: can't go wring, instant classic.

(87 out of 100 photographers will disagree, and the a dozen other won't understand the question. but that's fine: they are wrong and I am right. This is a job for the big fish.)

[feathers]

l agree with all the above. Here is a HDR shot taken with my trusty samyang 14mm at dawn at Quarantine bay cooktown. Set the tripod low, to try and get the most out of the roots.
https://photos.smugmug.com/My-First-Gallery/i-TxP76cs/0/74e890a6/L/DSC_2856_7_8_tonemapped_pe_pe-L.jpg




This next one l took yesterday on my walk by the water, it was a bit of a rough play, just to see its potential, and l would not normally post this, but just to add interest to your topic.
It was flat, so l blurred the background then added a preset hdrish feel to it, which came framed. Check out "Bokeh panorama" a method that can get similar results using stitched shallow depth of field images.
https://photos.smugmug.com/My-First-Gallery/i-nCCsnFr/0/0faaf60c/XL/DSC_3790_pe_pe-XL.jpg

[Mary Anne]

Did you know you can post images up to 400kbs and 1200px on the longest side, this size is way to small for CC.
Have you read on the Library > How Do I

You could always google > images> Tree roots.... Plenty on flickr also, up the top of flickr page in the search bar type Tree Roots > Photos, lots with exif data on them too.

Best of all is to go out there and practice and keep practicing using different settings that is the only way to learn.
Try out your own settings first, we cannot tell you what settings to take them on, time of day and all that is so different.

Oh and check out composition here on the Library > New to Photography, so much to learn when reading what is on there.

Another good way to learn is to look at other Members Threads You know how to Search *Tree Roots* here recent ones are best.
Read the comments and even comment yourself, after all That's What Makes Forums Work :nod:
Try more than I love these photos tell the Member why you love their photo's, look at their exif data and if you cannot see it ask them, if recent you will most likely get a reply.

[Plays With Light]

I don't have the luxury of a fisheye, yet! So have to make do with my widest lens, either my 24mm tilt-shift, or the 24-105mm, which is my walk around lens, so it's in all likelihood the one I have on the camera at the time I discover some nice tree roots.

This following image (which to me is just a so-so image) was taken using the 24-105mm lens at 84mm of length, not at 24mm! Why? Because I would have gotten too much crap in the image if I went really wide with it. I tried that out first off and took a few steps back then zoomed in to where I could eliminate most everything from the frame. I also got down nice and low for this one, as suggested by Tony above. My horizon is about two thirds the way up the frame, so that the roots are the stars here. In post-production I darkened off the background and the foreground, then painted in more light along sections of the roots, to give them more dimension.

https://photos.smugmug.com/photos/i-GcG2mBV/2/03c777d6/XL/i-GcG2mBV-XL.jpg

[Tannin]

Who needs a fisheye when you have a 24-105 at 24mm? Same thing, isn't it? :ps:

(Well, OK, not quite the same thing, but the barrel distortion at 24mm is certainly heading in that direction.)

[Plays With Light]

Who needs a fisheye when you have a 24-105 at 24mm? Same thing, isn't it? :ps:

(Well, OK, not quite the same thing, but the barrel distortion at 24mm is certainly heading in that direction.)
All I can say is thank god for Adobe's Lens Profile Creator (https://helpx.adobe.com/photoshop/digital-negative.html#resources)! I have created profiles for all my lenses, and at a range of various lengths for the 24-105mm lens. This way the fixes applied in Lightroom or Camera Raw are unique to my lenses characteristics.

[arthurking83]

I don't think there's a single way, or a set of methods to take photos of anything really!

It's a matter of persistence, trial and error and all that bizo.

For me it's a case of .. whaddya reckon is going to look good....
So it's here there and everywhere.

This is one of my early get low and close choices:
http://www.ausphotography.net.au/forum/dbtgallery.php?do=gallery_image&id=3836&gal=gallery&type=full

10mm with the Sigma 10-20/4-5.6 lens on a D300.

Lens focuses quite close so you can display good detail AND get some OOF background as well. You can't really see the OOF background highlight in such a small sized image tho, but they're almost rounded orbs of light amongst the trees up there.

Bokeh on UWA lenses is almost always not quite nice looking.

ps. this is at the local botanical gardens, and while you can access the tree root areas, I prefer not to do so out of respect. Basically if everyone did so, it'd ruin the place in no time.
So I stayed on the path of righteousness here and couldn't get all the root system in view. So just went with that very large extrusion along the path.

I mentioned that panorama method in your other thread as well. So if you don't have an ultra wide lens like a 10 or 11mm, and you have the 18-55 type kit lens only the pano method is not too hard to do .. just remember to manually focus and then not move focus as you take the peripheral shots to make up the wide FOV.

-------------------------

If you'd like that kind of image perspective for that particular tree, from what I can see in this image .. I'd choose the tree root extrusion snaking out to the bottom right corner. Get in close to that one, and set your 3 horizontal pano images first using that as the focus point.
You could take a single shot first, but at 18mm on APS-C it's not going to be wide and close at the same time. You need a panorama effort with that focal length.

Get in low and close focus on a major section of detail on the root. Don't shoot yet!
Now you've focused, make sure camera is set to manual focus so it doesn't re focus for ya.
Move camera to left of the original framing, keeping a large part of the LHS of the original frame on the RHS of the new framing. Shoot.
Now move back to the original framing, and shoot. This is now your central pano frame. Move right and and do the same overlap as you did on the left frame .. it's best to try to have more overlap than minimal overlap.
Once that 3 shot is done, now move back to the first left hand framing again and tilt camera up to see the rest of the tree. Remember to keep some overlap between the LH lower frame and now the LH upper frame too .. and then do two more frames across from that LH upper frame.

You now have a 6 image pano stitch .. I'm sure Ps can deal with that .. otherwise try a few other pano software. If I do panoramas(very few, very little .. not that good at them), I use PTGui.

I've had this idea for an image as you described you wanted which I just thought of now(again) .. I forgot about it since I first thought to try it out.
If it works, I'll reply again and explain it. (If I don't reply about the method, take that as it was a stupid idea and it obviously doesn't work .. and why I've never heard anyone try it).

[Steve Axford]

It's the same as all photography. Choose the right subject then get the lighting right. Of course roots are not the easiest subject to choose but it can work.
https://steveaxford.smugmug.com/Plants/Tropical-and-subtropical-rainf/i-Jk9n44w/A
https://steveaxford.smugmug.com/Plants/Tropical-and-subtropical-rainf/i-z4M768t/A
Mmm. pictures don't seem to work anymore. Any ideas anyone?

[Ilovebokeh]

I don't have the luxury of a fisheye, yet! So have to make do with my widest lens, either my 24mm tilt-shift, or the 24-105mm, which is my walk around lens, so it's in all likelihood the one I have on the camera at the time I discover some nice tree roots.

This following image (which to me is just a so-so image) was taken using the 24-105mm lens at 84mm of length, not at 24mm! Why? Because I would have gotten too much crap in the image if I went really wide with it. I tried that out first off and took a few steps back then zoomed in to where I could eliminate most everything from the frame. I also got down nice and low for this one, as suggested by Tony above. My horizon is about two thirds the way up the frame, so that the roots are the stars here. In post-production I darkened off the background and the foreground, then painted in more light along sections of the roots, to give them more dimension.

https://photos.smugmug.com/photos/i-GcG2mBV/2/03c777d6/XL/i-GcG2mBV-XL.jpg

LOVE this photo!

- - - Updated - - -

Nice work everyone. I really like the photos posted/and posts.

So lighting is crucial, wide angle lens preferred, and low perspective (unless you climb the tree - which I will leave for others *good idea though)

Thank you

[Geoff79]

I was going to chime in on this one but forgot, and also noticed everyone had it covered quite well. Morale of the story is it's like anything else, isn't it? I'm definitely no expert, but one just has to shoot depending on the conditions. When we were in Vanuatu in the second resort we stayed at there was this beautiful root system on this tree we'd walk past on the water's edge every single time we walked somewhere.

I don't think I took a photo of it until day 4 (out of 5) when the tide and time of day were just right. Of course, even though that was okay, I couldn't have forecast my kids would come down and make the experience as difficult as possible, lol. ;)

But yeah, the low angle is something I'd recommend as well as the lighting, which I guess is like any photo you want to take. :)

[feathers]

LOVE this photo!

- - - Updated - - -

Nice work everyone. I really like the photos posted/and posts.

So lighting is crucial, wide angle lens preferred, and low perspective (unless you climb the tree - which I will leave for others *good idea though)

Thank you

l would like to edit your original image if you give me permission as l can see some potential:) Cheers.

[JoPho]

I suggest you pick the time of day carefully as dappled light from overhead sun is a photo killer.
Took this standing on top of a crate. I really love it... not sure too many other people care for it much. Had to edit out loads of bird poo. (my poor model is so giving).
https://farm1.staticflickr.com/725/20973579138_fb41ea69ce_b.jpg (https://flic.kr/p/xXn5nq)Treeona (https://flic.kr/p/xXn5nq) by Joanne (https://www.flickr.com/photos/77375175@N04/), on Flickr

[feathers]

Great pic Jo Pho:th3: I likeitalot:nod: You have created some excellent mood in this shot. Well composed, and good lighting. Cheers.

[Ilovebokeh]

I suggest you pick the time of day carefully as dappled light from overhead sun is a photo killer.
Took this standing on top of a crate. I really love it... not sure too many other people care for it much. Had to edit out loads of bird poo. (my poor model is so giving).
https://farm1.staticflickr.com/725/20973579138_fb41ea69ce_b.jpgTreeona (https://flic.kr/p/xXn5nq) by Joanne (https://www.flickr.com/photos/77375175@N04/), on Flickr

Love the photo!!!

Politely, I love the concept more. Unsure, how to improve it, but something feels like it needs a small adjustment to make it even more mindblowing. Unsure what.

Great share!

[JoPho]

Great pic Jo Pho:th3: I likeitalot:nod: You have created some excellent mood in this shot. Well composed, and good lighting. Cheers.
Thank you Feathers. Nice to know I'm not alone in liking it.:p


Love the photo!!!

Politely, I love the concept more. Unsure, how to improve it, but something feels like it needs a small adjustment to make it even more mindblowing. Unsure what.

Great share!
You are quite right, might need to have another go :-) and fix what ever it is?? ;) It scored middle range in one of the weekly comps.

[ricktas]

Something else to consider:

Leading lines. Find a root and set your camera up so that the line of that root leads your viewers into the scene..to the other roots, tree base etc. Also humans are naturally attracted to the brightest part of a photo. Go look at some photos and if you are reasonably self aware you will find your eyes wander to the brightest part of the photo. So make sure that what you want your viewer to look at is reasonably bright, in the overall photo.

If you look at the above examples, the ones that stand out just for the roots, are those that have the roots as a bright part of the photo. Feathers photo is a beautiful scene, but the roots are just part of that. Same with Jo's portrait, the roots work, but our eyes move to the lady as she is brighter.

You want to compose and edit your photo so that the roots are what draw people in.

So to go back to your photo in your initial post, the roots are nice, but our eyes are drawn to the brighter part of the photo, especially the right hand side, and we go looking at the background, rather than what you want us to look at.

This brightest part of the photo thing does not just apply to tree roots, it applies to fairly much all photography. When using colour photography, a single dominant colour can have the same effect. There is a reason National Geographic photographers for years photographed 'native' people in full regalia as they often displayed very bright clothing or head-dresses. And all so often in a bright red. It even became a bit of a badge of honour to get a national geographic 'red' portrait. Why? Cause It Works! It makes our eyes look at what the photographer wants us to look at.