I was walking the dog with my partner Jed Manwaring – and had just my phone with me. But in the spirit of always looking at the world around me, I was noticing all the luscious green hues that were everywhere – ferns, mosses, grasses. OK sorry to those in snow-country but then you have that wonderful element to work with!
The bay laurel trees are covered with lush green mosses right now from all the rain we’ve had, and along this one path they are very abundant. This type of tree tends to shoot up many trunks from one core, and years ago I made a photograph of a bay tree with 11 trunks! This picture above is similar in that it was all coming from one tree, underground apparently. I loved how the tree trunks seemed to be reaching up, and decided to use my phone to pan on them to create an expression of dancing limbs. I had to use ‘Slow Shutter’ – an app that allows you to get your iphone camera to go slower or you’d never be able to get the effect. 1/2 second did the job. I brought the picture into Photoshop and added Nik’s Tonal Contrast filter from Color Efex Pro, a filter I really love to use to make things pop a bit more. I’m planning on going back to make this same image with my big camera, but it will not be identical because of the free-handed movement. That’s what I love about abstracts like this – they are one of a kind!
**************
If you are interested in purchasing Nik’s software and want to save yourself some money, visit my discount page and follow the directions to get your 15% discount.
***********
Still room on our Death Valley Workshop in February 2011. Get out of the cold/rain and come join us in the drier desert!!!
Oregon Coast workshop for July 2011 is almost full.
Check out the workshop schedule here.
