Redwood Grove, Mt Madonna State Park
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Cindy
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chuck94022

Redwood Grove, Mt Madonna State Park

Ah, there is so much not to like about this image!

Taken 7/4/1995.

I never printed this because one look at the negative told me that there was not nearly enough information in the negative to make it worthwhile.

Imagine my surprise when I scanned it today and found a rich image full of detail. I just don't see this in the TMax negative - my scanner really went the extra mile!

This image was taken from the top of a Redwood tree stump! The tripod was set up about 3 feet off the ground. I had barely enough room to stand and focus.

The forest was dark and contrasty. I have brought it under control with Photoshop. I think I know how to print this now, given that exercise.

I'm curious what others think about the composition. Using the close trees as a frame for the clearing was the experiment I was trying here.

A green filter was used to lighten the foliage. (Unfortunately, a breeze came along... sigh)

The funky dark line along the shadow at the bottom reflects my poor technique in Photoshop. My goal here is composition discussion, not Photoshop ranting...
Click to expand...
Location
Mt Madonna State Park, CA
Equipment Used
Wist 4x5, Schneider 135mm
Exposure
2 minutes (could have been longer)
Film & Developer
TMax, TMax dev, N-1 development
Paper & Developer
scanned only at this time
Lens Filter
green filter (didn't record further detail)
Timothy
Your post is about composition and I like this one a lot. One of the difficult things to do with a shot like this is get a good sense of scale. This composition, I think, does this very well and artistically. By that I mean that instead of some cliche "comparison" in the shot to show in a mechanical and clumsy way how big these trees are, the composition just makes you "FEEL" like they must be really big. And the use of the green filter is brilliant for the way it affects contrast. Very nice work.

Tim R
 
A nice picture. I presume you are going to print it now !
 
chuck94022
Thank you all! Yes, I will print this, and big. My wife has been reluctant to support the rebuilding of my darkroom, but after showing her this image last night, she was turned around. She wants a big print, and I can only do that under the enlarger.

-chuck
 
rbarker
I think the composition would be improved with a squirrel basking in the patch of sunlight on the intermediate tree (or, a wood nymph in the hollow of the distant tree). :wink:

Seriously, I like the composition. The selection of camera position gives a feeling of depth, I think. So, your framing experiment worked, I believe. The big question for printing is whether the breeze caused noticeable movement of the foliage of the small tree in the clearing.
 
chuck94022
It did. A larger print will show it. I'll have to try it to decide if it is a show stopper. If so, I'll just head back to Mt Madonna and get another one some day. Hopefully the smaller tree hasn't grown too much in the intervening years!

-chuck
 
esanford
It just proves that you can't look at a negative with the naked eye and determine what a print will look like any more than you read music sheets and determine how a symphony will sound... all negatives should be proofed (not scanned), and all music should be heard and not read.
 
chuck94022
I agree with your first statement about looking at a negative with the naked eye. This one is an object lesson for me.

I disagree about scanning vs. proofing. I think scanning is a very cost effective way to quickly assess the film without excess use of consumables.

I also think Photoshop is a useful tool for evaluating and pre-planning exposure strategies, again without using consumables. It might grate on some that I might use the evil Photoshop, but as an analysis tool I think it quite useful. I still intend to print images like this using traditional methods under an enlarger, but the computer helps me do so with better knowledge and less waste.

-chuck
 

Media information

Category
Critique Gallery
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chuck94022
Date added
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Image metadata

Filename
4383redwoods.jpg
File size
105.3 KB
Date taken
Fri, 04 March 2005 6:17 PM
Dimensions
473px x 600px

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