Tag: trees

Monday’s Spectrum Exploration

My first foray with my Canon EOS 5D MkIII camera after its conversion with a 720nm infrared filter.

It’s been a while since the last post on this topic, so I’m making a gentle re-entry… This time I had my Canon EOS 5D MkIII converted to use a 720nm infrared filter, expanding the range of options that I have in my spectrum exploration. Trees have been pretty bare thus far, so I only took my first shots with this camera during the past weekend. I kept it pretty simple, as I just took a snap of some of the trees in our yard.

Here’s a view with this approach…

Springtime Returns

When I started processing this image, I came to the realization that I didn’t have a set of presets for the Canon EOS 5D MkIII. A quick check on Tonee Gee’s CLiR website confirmed that the presets are available with the current course. No panic, as the course comes with free updates! Tonee directed me to Kolari , as they provide the updates. A message to Kolari confirmed that they were in the process of updating to the most recent version.

Of course, being impatient I sent a note on Saturday asking when the new version might be available. Within 60 seconds I received a response that the new course is available for download! I rejoiced and started the (rather large) download.

That enabled me to use the really straightforward process of using a preset with Adobe Camera Raw, and the above image is the first one! I went for the black & white, as I do really like the look that it produced.

Time for more exploration during next weekend (hoping for nicer weather).

In closing, a great big thank you to Tonee Gee and Kolari for being incredibly responsive to my emails. Also, a second thank you to Kolari for the amazing job they did converting my Canon EOS 5D MkIII. They took the extra step of taking the camera through a full set of tests before doing the conversion and found an issue with the sensor. Kolari reached out to me with a detailed image and explanation of what they found and their suggestion to replace the sensor. As, they took care of the replacement, I can say that I’m really pleased with the results!

Neon Daybreak

As the Neon Day Breaks

One of the fun parts of going through my collection of Yoga Tree images is seeing what ideas are created now, as opposed to how I saw this more than 8 years ago. I’ve made in-roads into organizing this collection of nearly 500 images and found this one inspiring…

Neon Daybreak

As I have more tools in my arsenal than I did back when I captured this image, I happened upon a Luminar AI template that provided a great starting point: Neon Skyline, which is part of the Artistic Collection. Building on this, I forged my own template that worked better for this image and coined it Neon Daybreak.

This image evoked both a sense of hope and a feeling of futurism, which I think is part of what all of us might experience; I can imagine the next generation of flying machines that might one day cross this sky… will they be support vehicles or terminators?

I would love to hear what thoughts come to your mind when you view this image.

Tuesday Photo Challenge – Round Up 196

Reaching toward the sky on Skye…

Welcome to the 196th round up of the Tuesday Photo Challenge!

My apologies for the late posting of this round up, as I was still fighting the tail end of a bad stomach bug and found myself exhausted by the end of the afternoon on just about every day.

The volume and quality of your posts was breathtaking, as your creative eyes captured many different shapes of trees, each with their own character. I really enjoyed reading through your posts and learned about some trees that I didn’t know and was entertained by many a unique shot!

Thank you for all the effort you put into your posts!! Please share your thoughts with one another!

Here’s another tree…

This Monkey Puzzle Tree is still one of the most amazing trees that I have encountered in my travels. Found in the gardens of the clan MacLeod estate on Skye. The sheer scale of this tree is awe inspiring.

Please enjoy the following blog posts:

  1. I love Nicole’s optimism that showcases in her post in Un Photo,Une Poeme, as she gives me the thought of Spring!
  2. Bren features an amazingly idyllic location in her post in Bren & Ashley Ryan Photography; I expect the elves to appear any moment!
  3. There’s yet another great photo in Land of Images, as the reflections are amazing!
  4. The wonderful sculpture that is highlighted in My Camera and I… makes me wonder: is it art, or Nature? Or both?
  5. The photo in Paperkutzs shows us what is not exactly a tree, but the flowers make me forgive it all the time!
  6. Kammie put together a great set of tree images in her post in Nut House Central; which one is your favorite?
  7. Xenia has a great set of posts this week, first with her post in whippetwisdom, which speaks of the wind and ice! In Tranature, we get to see a small forest, as lichen surrounds us… And last, but not least, we cross the forest bridge in Tranature, surrounded by trees!
  8. Emily captures an amazing tree in her fantastic post in Zombie Flamingoes; that is some set of branches!
  9. The wonderful post in Geriatri’X’ Fotogallery asks the question whether it is a tree or an ent… or is it a house?
  10. Diane has a wonderful take on trees and the memories they bring for her in her post in pensivity101; talking to trees is really important and the tree in the photo is simply stunning!
  11. Jackie’s post in Junkboat Travels tells an amazing tree story, as their drive up the mountain road on Hawaii is interrupted by a tree… you’ve got to read this incredible story!!
  12. In another magnificent post in Don’t Hold Your Breath, we get to see some of the trees of the Himalayas. That really makes me want to go visit the area!
  13. Na’ama’s amazing poem in Na’ama Yehuda tells the story of a tree, whose roots are tired.. Wonderful!
  14. Elizabatz’s post in Albatz Travel Adventures has an incredible array of trees from all over; stunning shots!
  15. Cee shares a wonderful set of trees in her post in Cee’s Photo Challenges; her photos are awesome!
  16. Maria takes us for a walk in her post in Kamerapromenader: a walk among the beeches that is a true pleasure!
  17. A great post in the Jesh Studio brings us some of the sense of Winter that we all love for its beauty, and trees!
  18. I agree that the trees shown in Beautiful Photographs are rather special and provide a lot of interest!
  19. Nandini really gets the trees in the great haikus in her post in queennandini, and the photos are amazing!
  20. Sarah’s not only captures the trees in her post in By Sarah, but also brings us the wind!
  21. Indira finds us a great fruit bat in her post in Sharing Thoughts, which makes for a great silhouette!
  22. Julie takes us to one of those mysterious locations that is on my bucket list in her post in Julie Does Stuff, as we get to see some of the trees at Angkor Wat.
  23. Viveka brings us the story behind the Snapphane Oak in a great post in her blog, myguiltypleasures; the circumference is stunning!
  24. Irene captured a lovely reflection in her post in Heaven’s Sunshine, where the trees stand tall next to the pond! In another wonderful post in Heaven’s Sunshine, we get a view of the winter marsh! And last in Heaven’s Sunshine, and definitely not least, the sunrise breaks through the trees…
  25. Brian takes us to the tip of the tree in an interesting photo post in Bushboy’s World; now to see the rest.
  26. The esplanade of the Chateau Amboise is stunning, as we can enjoy in the post in theOnlyD800intheHameau; great tree structure!
  27. In a lovely post in MyTravelCSP, we get to enjoy a wonderful variety of trees from all over!
  28. David takes us to some absolutely stunning shots, as he captures trees in various moods in his post in David M’s Photoblog! Gorgeous post!
  29. Lisa tells the story of a very specific tree in a wonderful post in A Day in the Life, as it is the tree that her grandfather planted when she was born.
  30. Sandy brings us what I consider the best time for trees in her post in Out of my Write Mind; the colors are simply stunning!
  31. The photos that we get to enjoy in Chateaux des Fleurs are gorgeous! I particularly enjoy the mysterious path that is formed in the second image…
  32. Eric must have endured a bit of cold for the great shot that he shares with us in From the Lens; Winter is one of my favorite seasons as well!
  33. In a lovely post in Wanderlust and Wonderment, we get to enjoy some of the amazing variety that trees bring to us! The Walking Tree is incredible!
  34. Susan documents an unbelievable tree her post in Musin’ with Susan; that Banyan tree is just a single organism! For more great photos, go check out the week in review in Musin’ with Susan!
  35. A great post in radhikas reflection brings us a some really interesting tree views. The tree that forms a big ‘O’ is asking for a small swing…
  36. Deb presents us with an absolutely gorgeous photo in her post in Twenty Four; a very inviting view of a location that all of us could enjoy!
  37. Tatiana shares a truly stunning Winter image in her post in GiftSmart; beautifully executed photo!
  38. Yinglan always has great photos and her post in This is Another Story proves that point!
  39. There very much is art in the sky in a wonderful post in One letter UP ~ diary 2.0; the colors and the tree make for a compelling image, and yes, that tree could tell stories!
  40. Ken takes us to the big tree in his post in Pictures without Film, where we get to enjoy a rather unique shape in this tree!
  41. Chris takes us to Bretagne in his post in What’s (in) the Picture; the mood in this image is just outstanding as I can really feel myself there.
  42. Hammad shares the fight of the green giants in a wonderful post in the Blog of Hammad Rais; those giants are fighting for humanity!
  43. I really enjoy the capture of shape and framing in the photos in Photo Robert’s Blog; Robert really has an eye for catching just the right view!
  44. Woolly leads us down lanes flanked by trees in a couple of gorgeous photos in WoollyMuses; stunning views!
  45. Amy’s wonderful post in Photography Journal Blog shows us how sometimes a little adjustment can do wonders for an image!
  46. Ramya captures a tree overcoming an interesting predicament in her post in And Miles to go before I sleep… It’s just amazing how Nature adapts!
  47. Joanne captures a gorgeous sky and the bare trees against that sky in her post in Joanne’s Crafts and Adventures; absolutely lovely!
  48. In a great post in Alive and Trekking, we get a stunning view of foliage that asks us to go explore further!
  49. Debbie showcases what happens when you look to see what is presented at your feet in her post in Travel with Intent! The reflection of the tree in the puddle is just gorgeous!

Please let all of these great bloggers know your thoughts about their posts!

Tuesday Photo Challenge – Trees

Welcome to week 196 of the Tuesday Photo Challenge!

Among all the themes that I haven’t done yet, I was surprised to find Trees (or Tree) among them! As I captured several interesting trees along the way, I thought there may be some possibilities here. Your challenge is to share some of your favorite trees with one another, and I’m sure there will be something of interest!

For me, trees are both symbols of permanence and also persistence against the elements. They stand the test of time and can be admired and even revered. I’m looking forward to the trees in your lives!

Here’s a magnificent banyan tree…

Banyan on the streets of Mumbai

Trees are making a come-back in Mumbai, which is great to see. I particularly love these banyan trees, some of which are so large that the road has lanes going around them.

The full rules of this challenge are in TPC Guidelines, but here’s the tl;dr:

  • Write a post with an image for this week’s topic
  • Please tag your post with fpj-photo-challenge (if you’re not sure about how tags work, please check out this WordPress article about tagging posts)
  • Create a pingback link to this post, so that I can create a post showing all of the submissions over the week (note: pingbacks may not appear immediately, as my site is set up to require approval for linking to it; helps against previous bad experiences with spamming)
  • Have fun creating something new (or sharing something old)!!

Looking forward to see what kind of shade your trees cast!

Rising in the Fields

Yoga Tree gives birth

The WordPress Weekly Photo Challenge has the very hopeful theme of Rise/Set, which asks to share some of our favorite sunrises or sunsets.

There are a couple of these that come to mine, so I may do more than a single post in response to this challenge.  Of course, those of you who have followed my blog for a while know what is coming next: the Yoga Tree!  I have captured her beauty around the time of many sunrises, as she stood proud in the fields.

This one may be a good place to start…

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Birth of the Sun

All we need is a bit of Miles Davis’ Birth of the Cool album playing in the background, and we can be one with the Universe!

Have a wonderful day!

Tuesday Photo Challenge – Forces

Overcome all aspects

Welcome to Week 99 of the Tuesday Photo Challenge.  Your contributions to last week’s topic of Hill created an avalanche of creative output!

After climbing the hill with you over the past week, I thought it might be time for a theme that is a bit more abstract, and, thus, open for a wider range of interpretation.  So I came up with the idea of portraying Forces in our photography this week.  Forces are all around us, as we experience them everyday; they are also tremendously varied, as the pull of gravitational force is quite different from the tug at our heart strings by the force of love!

Use your creative feelings to express what forces have an impact on your life!

Here are some different forces at work…

Frozen-Wachusett-Tree-lw4o8182
Juxtaposed Life Forces

The tree’s struggle to overcome the tremendous forces put upon it by the creeping ice, the cold and barren nature of its environment, demonstrates the power of the life force that is indomitable within it.

The full rules of this challenge are in TPC Guidelines, but here’s the tl;dr:

  • Write a post with an image for this week’s topic
  • Please tag your post with fpj-photo-challenge (if you’re not sure about how tags work, please check out this WordPress article about tagging posts)
  • Create a pingback link to this post, so that I can create a post showing all of the submissions over the week (note: pingbacks may not appear immediately, as my site is set up to require approval for linking to it; helps against previous bad experiences with spamming)
  • Have fun creating something new (or sharing something old)!!

I’m looking forward to finding out what shapes you come across!

The Wisdom of the Trees

Ancient lore spoken here…

In ancient times, Trees were often referred to as ‘Standing People’, as the majestic ones stand in the forests across many lifetimes; they hold the connection between Mother Earth and the stars in the firmament above.

Even more than that, the Trees observe quietly without flitting about, like the humans that scurry through their forests, always absorbing knowledge and storing it for the ages.  One fine day, we will learn to tap into the Wisdom of the Trees…

wisdom-of-the-trees
Wisdom of the Trees

Here we see the Trees, radiating with knowledge acquired across time; stand still and listen intently to hear their stories…

Inspired by WordPress Daily Post’s Discover Challenge of Conventional Wisdom.

Wednesday Wonderment – pt 17

Pining for the fjords

Although I have extolled the wonders of leaves in a previous post, so I beg your indulgence to take a look at a different expression of the leaf: pine needles.  Pine needles have always amazed me in their unbelievable efficiency; for their size and density, they generate the significant amounts of energy needed by some of the largest trees in the world.

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Pine Needles

Pines have four types of leaf:

  • Seed leaves (cotyledons) on seedlings, born in a whorl of 4–24.
  • Juvenile leaves, which follow immediately on seedlings and young plants, 2–6 cm long, single, green or often blue-green, and arranged spirally on the shoot. These are produced for six months to five years, rarely longer.
  • Scale leaves, similar to bud scales, small, brown and non-photosynthetic, and arranged spirally like the juvenile leaves.
  • Needles, the adult leaves, which are green (photosynthetic), bundled in clusters (fascicles) of 1–6, commonly 2–5, needles together, each fascicle produced from a small bud on a dwarf shoot in the axil of a scale leaf. These bud scales often remain on the fascicle as a basal sheath. The needles persist for 1.5–40 years, depending on species. If a shoot is damaged (e.g. eaten by an animal), the needle fascicles just below the damage will generate a bud which can then replace the lost leaves.

Their simplicity and hardiness are truly amazing!

Technical Details

This image was taken during a recent walk through Oxbow National Wildlife Refuge with a Canon EOS 5D Mk III with an EF 100mm f/2.8 lens.  Exposure settings were 1/200 second at f/11 and 400 ISO.

Wednesday Wonderment – pt 14

Never ceasing, we hope!

This Wednesday, it’s once again time to take a look at the wonders of the world around us. Today’s inspiration is drawn from the current Northern Hemisphere season of Spring: the time of re-birth and regeneration of the massive scale that only Nature can conjure up!

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Regeneration after generation

In early Spring, this tree was just about ready to get its juices flowing again to start the truly amazing process of accelerating its growth processes slowly, but surely.  In another couple of weeks, leaves would start showing, first as little buds, then quickly advertising their green presence to the world and hogging all the sunlight for themselves to provide what we call, appreciatively, shade.

It doesn’t cease to amaze me that trees can play this balancing game in the harsh climate of New England and further north, where they retreat from the onslaught of weather to conserve their energies for the next cycle.

Hug a tree today, and thank it for the breath that it provides!

Technical Details

I captured this image with a Canon EOS 5D Mk II using an EF 24-105mm f/4L lens.  Exposure settings were 1/25 second at f/18 and 160 ISO (leaning against a tree can make even 1/25 second shutter speed very steady).

I did perform a bit of post processing in Photoshop for basic sharpening and minor adjustments.  Additionally, I used Topaz Labs Texture Effects with a mild application of the Bluesy Trees effect to get that feel of images processed in an earlier age.