Fine Art Photography Techniques: Sunday's Shot Tech

Great Smoky Mountains National Park: Deep Creek Area

Anne and me traveled to Bryson City, NC last weekend to go hiking and mountain biking; we began our short weekend taking a hike at dusk.   Carrying our tripod and camera, we took a short loop into the Deep Creek Area just outside Bryson City.  A combination of dead silence and the heavy canopy blocking much of the light created a very peaceful atmosphere.

Near the end of our walk we stopped once or twice to listen to the silence.  I looked up to view the treetops and found this interesting silhouette.   (Truth is, I like this photograph enlarged to a 20x20 square print; smaller versions, (like the one illustrated in this post), does not show the leaf detail; the main attraction of this composition.)

Click photo for a larger view

Using the tripod would be ideal, but instead hand held this shot.  This frame was the keeper out of a three shot bracket.

      Photo Tech: 

·      As in most of my shots, ISO = 100, even with the low light; a result of the thick canopy above our heads.

·      Camera was set in Aperture priority mode – I dialed to an F/5.0 setting.

·      Meta data revealed the camera picked a 1/25 sec. shutter speed.

·      I set Exposure Compensation to +1.3

·      This particular frame was composed using the 23mm setting on my new Canon F2.8 16-35mm II L.

Post Production:

·      I felt a “square” crop best represented what I saw through the viewfinder.

·      After making minor dodging mod’s and luminance adjustments, I crafted the BW rendering using Silver Efex-Pro 2.

·      The final you see here also includes a minor application of a copper dip.

As always, I look forward to your feedback and questions.  Thank you.

Best regards,

Lance A. Lewin