Exposed | Weekly Photo #119
Last week, I talked about how I was in a bit of a creative slump with my photography and was struggling to feel inspired by the photos I was taking. In the post, I mentioned how some people when in the same position will put the camera away and physically step away from it all while they recharge their creative battery. Others including myself may continue to get out to the places they like to shoot, mentally stepping away to take the pressure off but keep the camera close enough, just in case an opportunity presents itself.
Well, this week I did just that. Leaving most of my kit at home, I headed to my favorite city in the world with just a single camera and lens in my bag and explore London without any pressure on myself to take a single shot.
For those that have known me for a while, London is where I started taking photos, it is where my passion for cityscape photography began and I just love being up there, especially on a warm summer’s day and although I would have been fine with an empty memory card, by the end of the day, my card was full and I had a great time snapping away as I walked around this familiar place.
Although I’m not there yet, the time I spent in London went a long way towards getting my photographic mojo back! I plan to share the photos I took in a dedicated blog post very soon so keep an eye out for that!
Fujifilm XT2 | XF10-24mm | 12mm | 1.5 Seconds | f/10 | ISO400
A few weeks ago I took this photo on a foggy morning on my local woodland. The conditions were perfect for adding a bit of atmosphere to the lush green, early summer foliage and I took no time at all spotting this composition on a bank, close to where I was walking.
What initially caught my attention were the exposed roots of these tall beech trees which look to me like skeletal feet at the bottom of a huge pair of legs belonging to a giant bird-like creature high above me, clinging onto the bank, claws dug into the ground. Yeah, sometimes I let my imagination run free but it’s all good fun.
With those strong roots and vibrant greens in the misty background, I decided to stop and compose the shot. Getting low and somewhat close with my wide-angle 10-24mm lens, my aim was to make the exposed roots the clear subject in the frame with everything else playing a supporting role. Adjusting the composition by moving left and right, I wanted to keep the roots towards the left of the frame while ensuring any overlapping trees in the scene were kept to a minimum. Overlapping trees can often disrupt the flow of a woodland composition as the aim is usually to simplify the normally chaotic scene in front of the camera and one way to do this is to ensure there is a nice separation between trees where possible.
With my camera lined up, I mounted my circular polarising filter to cut out the reflective glare on the leaves and then dialled in my settings to take the shot.
Back in post, I adjusted the tones to bring out some of the colour in the woodland floor and give the greens a little punch. I then took the photo into Photoshop to add a touch of glow to the brightest areas using the Orton effect and then back to Lightroom for the finishing touches. The areas at the very top and bottom of the image weren’t adding much to the photo and I feel it looks stronger in a 2:1 letterbox aspect ratio.
Until next week.
Trevor
This post is featured in my Weekly Photo series where I post a new photo every Monday. To have this delivered directly to your inbox, you can subscribe to the mailing list here.