Redwoods and Fog, a photo from California, West

Photographer's Note

I took this while on the short hike in the Lady Bird Johnson grove in Redwoods National Park. I just happened to look up at the right time and thought it was interesting the way the fog and the trees were interacting. After seeing the shot on the back of the D70 I was anxious to see it back home on my computer. These particular redwoods are about average, neither large nor that small either. These things are so tall that you can't really photograph them in their entirety when you are this close unless you've got an extreme wide-angle.

Somebody asked to see the original so that has been uploaded. In general I found it tricky photographing this place because it was so contrasty with the fog being fairly bright at the top. I underexposed initially by 1 EV, and that is what I did for this shot, however I realized after a while that I didn’t need to underexpose so much because there was no detail to be found in the fog anyway. For my later shots I was underexposing from 0.3 to 0.7 EV.

cessy, Tue, weswang, Leonie, PJE, huynt, Emile, papagolf21, quantabeh, ChrisJ, capthaddock, john_c, Galmeida, nwoehnl, katya11, aloyho, tityop, Rushabh, plimrn has marked this note useful

Critiques | Translate

cessy (13647) 2005-11-08 18:03

wow.. Steve
very stunning, one of the best forest+fog picture I have ever seen
great angle and excellent capture of the atmosphere
the green colors also very nice

Tue (25798) 2005-11-08 18:08

Hej Stephen,
The angle you used here makes those giants even bigger! :-D Excellent capture and I like the fog too! Well done.
Hilsner,
Lars

Yamada (2309) 2005-11-08 18:12

Wow, this is actually the first shot of big redwood trees (or any other high tree like the sequoia) that has turned out very well. I tried and failed miserably to capture their enourmous hight. You did very well. Great job.

ow808wo (0) 2005-11-08 18:33

Hi,
Nice photo.
Can u please describe what photoshop manipulations you did, and maybe post the original as a workshop?
Thanks mate,
Cedric

PJE (20756) 2005-11-08 22:40

Steve very nicely done here today. I see more detail than the other one and this photo sure brings out the grane appeal of these Redwoods. Both verticals look magnificient.
I wonder myself if the branches in trees are attracted to moisture? Interesting thought. Might have to do some checking on Google.

huynt (5079) 2005-11-08 23:23

Hi Stephen
Another shot in forest with light and fog very imporessive very nice. Well done and learn.Thanks

Emile (20348) 2005-11-08 23:36

Hola Stephen.
Very impressive the height of these redwoods trees. The picture shows a good contrasts between the reflection of the sunlight against the trunk and the trees covered by the fog. Captured from a very good angle. Sharpness and colors are great.
Very well done.
TFS.

Cormac (26545) 2005-11-09 0:49

Again, an amazing forest shot! You really captured the feeling of what it is like to be around these huge trees. The vertical framing helps a lot, and the bit of fog helps also, giving some depth and separation to the trees. Well done!

papagolf21 (76995) 2005-11-09 3:43

Bonjour Stephen,
Le fait d'avoir sous-exposé votre prise de vue originale est une bonne chose, je pense. En effet, vous avez pu éclaircir l'image par la suite et lui redonner une qualité artistique et un rendu que l'on éprouve quand nous sommes sur place. J'aime beaucoup cette réalisation pleine de poésie.
Merci pour ce très beau partage.
Amitiés.
Philippe

PixelTerror (0) 2005-11-09 5:23

Hi Steve,
Impressive trees for sure, shooting them with these foggy conditions provides a detail fading with the distance which I like very much.
Have a nice day,
Jean-Yves

Leonie (8809) 2005-11-09 5:45

Hi Stephen,
WOW, very impressive shot!! Great POV! THese trees seem really gigantiy..and the way you captured them especially with this fog make them seem to come out straight out of a fairy tale world! Really good!
Cheers, Léonie

jhm (123140) 2005-11-09 7:32

Hi Stephan,
You did to work good the original till this beautiful photograph, indeed the angle you used here makes those long trees even bigger, the fog give always a nice atmosphere.
Greetings,
John.

quantabeh (5205) 2005-11-09 8:40

hi Steve,
another superb shot with an excellent frame and perspective from this great forest. I must say the diffused light really helps with these forest shots. those trees are really something.
cheers. Behrang

capthaddock (28790) 2005-11-09 10:07

Hi Stephen - the trees look so clear and detailed below, seeing the top disappearing into the fog helps understand how tall they are, excellent angle.

weswang (18223) 2005-11-09 10:27

Hi Mr. Steve, What a shot. I like fog you have captured in this picture. An impressive way to show the height of the redwood trees by seeing the different clarity in the mist. An excellent capture of the sunlight to the tree trunk. It looks that you had a narrow time window to be able to get this combination of the sunlight and fog co-exist situation. A very well taken picture. Well done.

feather (51128) 2005-11-09 10:33

Excellent shot. The mist helps to avoid the over-exposure you sometimes get looking up into the sky. Excellent PP work too to bring out teh textures in the trunks.
I don't know anything about the 18-200 lens you mentioned yesterday. Doesn't the range compromise on the quality?
Kath

john_c (24662) 2005-11-09 10:59

Hi Stephen,
Wow! This is a powerful capture of these redwoods. There is just enough mist to provide great ambience and the clarity is superb. I love the way the colour of the leaves change in the upper portion of the frame, dependent upon the lighting and mist conditions. This is where, as you note, an extreme wide angle can come in handy. Great work, Steve.
John

Kenny10pin (19301) 2005-11-09 11:12

great height of the trees here, I like the mist and fog too, it creates atmosphere all around, well seen and taken

Galmeida (12559) 2005-11-09 11:21

Hi Stephen,
Fine capture with Wide view and also some acrobatic experience from your side. Excelent foggy moment nature and luminosity condition with this high trees so well captured in a vertical format. Excelent textures, particular details and the light contrast is wonderful. Very well seen and a excelent quality picture and composition.

Congratulations and thanks for sharing your fine work.
Best Regards
Fernando

nwoehnl (122) 2005-11-09 14:25

Yes, exposure lesson learned, Steve - minus 1 was indeed a bit much but of course the post-work achieves just about the right balance. Good upward angle on the imposing redwoods, and interesting add with the foggy layers. It does a nice job conveying the mood of walking underneath the giants.

alvaraalto (5473) 2005-11-09 17:59

Hi Stephen,
Great picture of this famous giants. The mist accentuate the enormous height of these trees. Redwood is a often used wood in Holland.
Groet Rob

katya11 (334) 2005-11-09 20:44

Stephen,
Good work with this shot! It gives such a great view of the grandeur of nature. The trees are so tall and we are so small. Creation is amazing and it is nice to see shots of it so plainly. I also like the fog gracing the top of this shot. It is a very nice addition. I took a picture similar to this one, maybe I'll post it someday.
Thanks for sharing,
Katie

ChrisJ (87654) 2005-11-10 3:34

Hi Stephen

A superb pov of these impressive redwood trees. The mist adds mood. Good work.

jrj (34841) 2005-11-10 4:36

Very good shot S. The pov works excellent and contributes to the dynamic presentation from this forest of huge trees. Nice work

aloyho (6705) 2005-11-10 6:14

Hi Stephen,
A really fantastic shot here especially with the strong mood of the forest. I enjoyed how the fog blurred certain areas while leaving some vivid and clear, an interesting visual layering. The soft light bathing the trunk of the two trees in the foreground brings out the colours and textures of the bark beautifully. A great shot indeed!!! Have a nice day.

jemaflor (69731) 2005-11-10 7:17

Hi Stephen,
Impressive trees, good angle to take your photo, well done.

tityop (6225) 2005-11-11 2:36

HI Stephen,
A splendid image.
These trees are impressive.
one has the impression that they are so large that they touch the clouds.
cheer for this superb image.
I hope that the translation is correct ;o))

Sincerely Thierry

AmiBe (6042) 2005-11-11 5:57

Hi Stepehen,
excellent use of the wide angle !
This forest is very impressive and a little bit threatening !
I like the misty atmosphere...
Well composed, well done

cam (9041) 2005-11-11 21:42

Hello Stephen
I have been once at Cathedral grove on Vancouver island and your photo reproduces the feeling of smallness(for me) under those giants that I felt at the time.
I appreciate your control of the light under these circumstances.
Charles

snuggleaphagus (4146) 2005-11-13 5:00

The beautiful redwoods in california are magical. i spent 4 summers living in the sequoia national forest and daily was met with sights such as this.
Your photo is breathtaking the colors are so true to life and the magesty so well captured. The bark is great ant the textutre is fantastic the tree tops are magnificent. I can almost smell the earth and the characteristic scent of the crushed needles and cones on the forest floor.

so very well done

mumek (20192) 2005-11-14 20:46

Good evening Stephen!
Very impressive shot from the forest.Super light, colors and the atmosphere. Thanks for posting and thanks for informative note
best regards
ziggy

danyy (0) 2005-11-21 3:12

Bonjour Stephen,
en tant que grand amateur d'arbres, j'apprécie vraiment cette photo.
Excellente perspective, les têtes se perdent dans une petite brume.
Regards.
Daniel.

plimrn (21344) 2006-12-11 2:04

Hi Steve,
This is one of the best Redwood photos I've seen ffom this POV. It's the excellent detail in the bark, the way you've framed several trees and showing the green through the fog.

I also appreciate your discussion of how you achieved it and the posting of the original in the WS.
Regards, Pat

goodfella (169) 2013-04-23 16:35