Olive Tree Strascape

Gallery: LandscapePosted April 13, 2011582 views24 comments

Hi everybody, been away for a while, but back posting some of the last months work.
I´m presenting a recent image, from a nocturnal field session near Montejunto mountain Range - protected landscape area in Portugal - shot one week ago.

This is a 20 photos rendition manually stacked, each exposed for 5 minutes long at f/4 100ISO - Plus 1 photo manually blended in exposed at f/4 500ISO for 60 seconds, this one painted with headlamp light, to achieve the detail/overall light in the olive tree and FG grass. Working at 4550K color temperature, this is the color obtained under a nearby village lights and some moonlight.

Method: Composition worked at the end of the day, Autofocused during the twilight, and then about an hour waiting for the night to fall. Started timer programed exposures totalizing 2 hours. I went away, and 3 hours later, returning to the spot made the last 60sec. exposures light painted. Used Nikon digital, wide-angle lens, and the usual equipment.

As allways, Your opinion is very welcome. Thanks.
HC

Comments

24 comments

Comment posted by Steve Sieren on April 13, 2011 at 11:12 AM

Great image Helio, I like the color combination of orange and green!

Registered on January 2, 2008, 360 Posts, 5321 Comments

Comment posted by Arnab Banerjee on April 13, 2011 at 11:39 AM

The sky color is a bit intense - it takes away a lot from the trails. I like the comp a lot though

Registered on January 3, 2007, 313 Posts, 2270 Comments

Comment posted by Philip Hodgkins on April 13, 2011 at 12:16 PM

I do not have enough knowledge to critique this, but it looks good to me!

Registered on July 24, 2006, 2741 Posts, 12349 Comments

Comment posted by Bill Chambers on April 13, 2011 at 1:21 PM

I like the composition a lot but would prefer a more natural sky color, say dark blue.

Registered on April 10, 2005, 753 Posts, 21216 Comments

Comment posted by Patricia Brundage on April 13, 2011 at 1:23 PM

No technical critique from me, but the end result is wonderful.

Registered on March 23, 2006, 1111 Posts, 6531 Comments

Comment posted by Daniel Ewert on April 13, 2011 at 1:44 PM

This is very beautiful but I agree with Bill that a dark blue sky would fit the scene better.

Registered on June 2, 2009, 103 Posts, 1500 Comments

Comment posted by Gary McGhee on April 13, 2011 at 1:50 PM

Very nice indeed Helio, definately worth all your hard work.

Gary.

Registered on April 15, 2010, 142 Posts, 2416 Comments

Comment posted by Andreas Resch on April 13, 2011 at 2:04 PM

Great shot, Helio. The comp is excellent and you did a nice job with the processing. I for myself actually like the color of the sky cause one doesn't see that hue too often.

Registered on November 14, 2007, 322 Posts, 6101 Comments

Comment posted by Mark Metternich on April 13, 2011 at 2:26 PM

Really cool photo with bizarro colors! Love the color combo.

Two things: are you glad that when you came back your set up was still there. If I saw a camera set up way out in the field, all by its self, where I was shooting I may very well interpret it as a gift from God and take it and thank Him!

Next, I think the trunk of the tree is a little bright and would consider toning down the highlights there. Also, can you mellow the haloing out on the grass edge a little more? I think it would be perfect then!

Registered on June 19, 2009, 276 Posts, 6240 Comments

Comment posted by Jesse Estes on April 13, 2011 at 4:21 PM

Very cool image here Helio. I appreciate all the technical info you included as well. No knits here...

Registered on April 13, 2011, 20 Posts, 174 Comments

Comment posted by Aaron Feinberg on April 13, 2011 at 7:23 PM

Very very cool. The blending of the tree in to the other shots sounds very complicated. Kudos

aF

Registered on October 26, 2009, 399 Posts, 2789 Comments

Comment posted by Tom Dobrzanski on April 13, 2011 at 7:57 PM

Excellent photo Helio :) star trails capture and working involved demand respect :))
I'm with comments made about the sky. Though I think the colours here work very well, darkening the sky a bit would increse interest, attention to the trails. I would also burn bit the lower part of the tree as it has enough details. This however might not be what you wanted to show so don't treat it as a critique :)
Nevertheless, it is an excellent work :)

Registered on September 27, 2010, 17 Posts, 164 Comments

Comment posted by John Launstein on April 14, 2011 at 12:21 AM

Helio - this is beautiful. For starters, it's an obviously great job on the technicals and the pp. But the light painting is exquisite, especially the highlights on the upper foilage...in fact for me that may be the little extra thing you did to make a great image into an stunning one.

I do agree with the suggestion to tone down the trunk brightness some, and even the green at the bottom a bit...this would make the aforementioned highlights even more dramatic.

I also wondered about the sky colour, but you are the artist and created your vision wonderfully and in the end, this picture demanded my attention and made me click through to comment, so it's a little hard to get picky here! :)

Nicely seen, created and presented.

Registered on April 5, 2011, 223 Posts, 1193 Comments

Comment posted by Boris Pophristov on April 14, 2011 at 3:54 AM

Wow, this is great! Perfect composition and lovely colors. Just amazing!

Registered on February 1, 2011, 15 Posts, 73 Comments

Comment posted by Wayne Willison on April 14, 2011 at 8:27 AM

Wonderful colors, adn the image is full of motion from the trails to the leaning tree.

Registered on April 10, 2009, 292 Posts, 3967 Comments

Comment posted by Helio Cristovao on April 14, 2011 at 11:45 AM

Thank you all for valuable feedback. Indeed, I suppose this is a kind of picture that one can like it a lot, or not at all :)
Of course that the orange/red sky being the result of the village illumination, it´s hard to be avoided in this composition, though, that is really the primary motif that draw me shooting the scene. The exquisite color result was intentional, a matter of personal taste. Sure I understand, as a matter of tastes, it´s not the kind of composition for all the audience... :) Regarding the selective light adjustments mentioned, about trunk and grass, I guess essentially the trunk can accept some rework.

Many thanks,
HC

Registered on September 15, 2009, 83 Posts, 434 Comments

Comment posted by Tony Kuyper on April 14, 2011 at 2:50 PM

Fascinating. Almost surreal with that orange sky.

Registered on November 1, 2003, 364 Posts, 22328 Comments

Comment posted by Basil Greber on April 14, 2011 at 4:24 PM

Very unreal, very cool (or hot?). The biting green and red contrast works for me. I'm sure it'd work nicely with blue sky, too.

Registered on November 8, 2005, 219 Posts, 1340 Comments

Comment posted by Tom Nevesely on April 15, 2011 at 11:08 AM

Looks great! I really like the red-orange sky.

Registered on June 14, 2005, 147 Posts, 1550 Comments

Comment posted by Julia Flanagan on April 15, 2011 at 6:17 PM

Wow Helio - that is an impressive image. The clay colored sky doesn't bother me since, as I suspected, there was some nearby development changing the natural darkness of the sky and you have stated that clearly. You put a lot of work into this and envisioned it so well. The yellowish tips of the tree limbs go well with the sky. If I were to be picky, I would not have the trunk quite as bright. But that is a very minor issue.

Registered on November 13, 2003, 59 Posts, 986 Comments

Comment posted by Bruce King on April 16, 2011 at 1:10 AM

Very cool shot. I like the "tangerine sky" and thanks for describing your technique, very interesting. Excellent work.

Registered on January 14, 2010, 276 Posts, 2212 Comments

Comment posted by Rick Goldwasser on April 17, 2011 at 1:02 AM

Great subject for this type of image - I'm not liking the warm orange sky but I'm glad you explained why it looks like that. I guess that's just a matter of personal tastes - that's what makes it art!

Registered on May 10, 2009, 127 Posts, 970 Comments

Comment posted by Mohammad Hosseini on June 20, 2011 at 10:15 AM

It sound lots of work Helio, but definitely it pays off. Wonderful job and congrats.

Registered on May 16, 2011, 15 Posts, 301 Comments

Comment posted by Helio Cristovao on June 20, 2011 at 11:48 AM

Once again, thank you for your valuable thoughts. After all, I sticked with this very 1st version, directly to portfolio, this exact tones, no rework here... : )

Registered on September 15, 2009, 83 Posts, 434 Comments