Shapes

Twisted Branches

I went for a walk in the Winter sunshine yesterday, not necessarily with the intention of taking photos, but took my EOS400D with me.  As I did not know what I would be taking photos of I chose my kit lens (17-85mm), it is a lens I have not used for some time; the results can be a little disappointing at either end of the focal length range, but it does the job in the middle.

I am contemplating buying another lens at some point, perhaps a fixed focal length of 35mm or 50mm, so this lens also affords an opportunity to test out how much I would use either lens.

I also took my polarising filter with me as the sun was shining and the sky was blue.

So, why did I take this shot (and the many others that look remarkably similar)?  Firstly, and most obviously, I liked the shape of the branches – the effect differed depending on position, and, with the lens set at one of two focal lengths, I found myself moving around the subject quite a bit.  I also liked the contrast of the semi-bleached branches against the blue of the sky.  But they were not just dead wood, they had lichens growing on them as well.  So there were two stories to the tree, it is both architectural and a home to other flora and fauna.

A third reason for photographing trees is that this is one of our set subjects this year, for projected images, and so I am looking for inspiration and opportunities for the competition.

I cropped in from a larger picture, preferring to focus on the twists of the dead branches rather than show the whole of the tree in context.

For those interested this was taken at ISO100, 1/30secs, 35mm, f/9.