AusBonsai

I have got myself a little studio happening on the front verandah. Being my own Boss i decided today was playday I have my old Elm in the queue for Winter pruning wiring etc and wanted to update its photo history. I would love some feedback on lighting, which is best etc which height of camera. Most know this old Elm and as it progresses it is improving but needs another ten or so years of ramification to be impressive. Not looking for a critique on the tree just my camera skills. The camera is a "finepix s5600 and at about 400 not up there with the big boys of cameras.

The camera is fine for the purpose, it gives good detailed images with what seems to be good tonal range. My preference as you know is for a darker neutral background (not solid black) as the tree then stands out from the background, and the camera metering usually gives a luminous clear exposure for the tree. You can see that the shady side of the elm trunk is a bit muddy - it might glow a bit more against something dark. Maybe do some tests?

Not a bad piece of tree either.

Gavin

maybe the tree is too close to the background.

I noticed you have two light sources.
Given the image looks flat, I am guessing the large one on the right is brighter or as bright as the little one.
It is also possible your little light on the left is the same color as the large one on the right.

To create depth and contrast so the subject pops out of the image, try using a brighter smaller light that is closer to the subject.
Using a warmer light source as your spot light can also help create contrast and a sense of depth.

A lens with a smaller depth of field is a really good tool to create images where the subject appears to pop out by blurring the back ground and part of the subject.

Nice set up Bodhidharma, with a little more practice we will have you photographing your tree's for 360's!

Like Bki said, if possible you should move your tree further away from the backdrop.

Regards,
Steven

Thanks for all the feedback thus far Gentlemen. I have poured over the Kokofu books and their photography is magical. Good photo's can make a tree look stunning and bad photo's can make a stunning tree look ordinary. I am after the the first. Thanks again.

good thread Bodhi,
love my trees but as a photographer I admit failure thru ignorance.
Will keep an eye on this
well done with the tree by the way.

pic # 4 for me is the best of that lot.
much bettter framing.
The lighting to me gives a nice shadow under the branches to provide that 3d view.
try to Move the tree away from the background and see how that is. you will need a bigger backdrop tho.

Also a different colour backing. Sheets or cortians are cood so long as they are not shiny.

mid grey, dark blue or black work well

Ken

I also agree with moving the bonsai further away from the background. Having said that, you might be able to get around that in manual mode by shooting wide open( I think your camera goes up to f3.2), this will cause the background to blur and create distance in the image.

Maybe try lowering the camera to the level of the pot. This will allow you to capture the pot and stand, but avoid the table it is sitting on. You might need to add a bit of angle to the camera(facing slightly up) in order to capture the entire tree. The angle will also create a sense on height in your shot.

Only other advice would be to take heaps of photos till you are comfortable shooting the subject with your camera. Practice makes perfect

Nice tree by the way

i think youre going to get better results setting up indoors. from the first image of your set up, it looks like you have ambient (not sure if that's the right word) light hitting the tree and backdrop, unless of course its coming from the metal lamp on the far left side. having the same kind of light would likely help as well, especially with the white balance.

I believe the camera is a little high, I am curious to hear opinions.

Gerard wrote:I believe the camera is a little high, I am curious to hear opinions.

I agree too.
I think the suggestion of Naimul would make it too low myself.
I think about 1/2 - 2/3 the way up the tree is ideal. Ido not like looking up into the tree which is what would happen if the camera was pot height. You woud also miss the nebari and potting medium surface treatment ( Moss, Gravel etc).

Ken

That is one of the secrets isnt it? Camera height, it plays such an important part of it. I have noticed with branching and ramification if the camera is at the wrong height it excludes a lot of it. Probably why the tree is always better in the flesh/wood. The Kokofu books i have though seem to get that perfectly. One of the comments here is that the picture seems flat and that is one of the tricks of lighting i guess. To make the tree 3d with shadow etc is a wonderful skill to master.

Hi, I've started phographing bonsai recently, so looking for some valuable knowledge. All the tips stated here are correct, there's just one Q - Why did you placed the background right between the tree and the source of daylight?

petegreg wrote:Hi, I've started phographing bonsai recently, so looking for some valuable knowledge. All the tips stated here are correct, there's just one Q - Why did you placed the background right between the tree and the source of daylight?

Most good pictures are down with Studio lighting as daylight is too variable to work with.
very hard to setup a fixed location and work with natural light.

Ken