This tree is about a mile from our house. I love it for the shape and the mistletoe and decided to light paint it one evening, in March 2019. While doing that I realized the Big Dipper was rising behind it but by then it had gotten too high to make a good image. The next night was cloudy but a couple of night later I got a good chance. But while I was running around painting different branches I didn’t realize how much the Dipper had moved. It rises almost vertically at this azimuth. The next few nights were too cloudy and then the ambient moonlight wasn’t good so I didn’t get back to it. To get the light gradient in the sky it needs to be not too long after sunset and with some moonlight to give some sky color and light on the BG.
I’ll try this again in mid-February and mid-March, if I get clear skies. I’m anxious to see if the Canon R5 will outperform the 1DX2.
I’m also just flat-out a little anxious, because this is the territory of our local mountain lion. A very early-morning jogger encountered it about 100 yards from here a year ago.
Specific Feedback Requested
All comments welcome!
Technical Details
Is this a composite: Yes
Canon 1DX2, 24-70 af 24, 10 sec exposure (to allow some time for painting but without star trails), ISO 3200, f/5. Minimal LR adjustments, three different frames masked for the best light on the branches. The stars in the Dipper were emphasized a bit because when it’s really clear too many stars are equally bright and it’s hard to pick out constellations. That is especially true of the way stars are recorded on a sensor.
I can see why you like this tree. It’s beautiful…and, of course, the way you have created the image seems to be magic. Just the right amount of light. The colour in the sky (with the stars) is very appealing.
Oh boy, careful of that kitty. Bring some pots and pans and bang the hell out of them before you set up. Or some other loud noise. But pots and pans would be more fun.
I can see the attraction to this tree. Mistletoe huh? That doesn’t grow up this way so far as I know, but I love its symbiosis with oaks. At least I think it’s oaks. I think the subtle light is very good here. Dark where it should be and just enough light to see the tree and of course the stars are great. Nicely done. Is there a reason the new camera wouldn’t do better than the old one?
The Big Dipper just leaps off the screen when I view this image, what a neat shot !!
Diane, your processing of this is extremely well done, the luminosity is perfect, with just the right amount of shadow detail. The blue and green colors work great together too.
Regarding the mountain lion, I would only go back at night with somebody else, or with a dog.
Thanks @Jim_Gavin, @glennie, @Kris_Smith, @Ed_McGuirk and @linda_mellor! I’ve been fantasizing about getting a Rhodesian Ridgeback, but I think I can press my husband into standing guard. He’s already on the payroll and it would be easier and faster to have him run the shutter while I light painted from different positions. The MW got too high while I was running around trying different angles. I should have moved the camera closer to the tree and a tiny bit left but by the time I realized how far the Dipper had moved, the nice light gradient in the sky was fading into darkness.
It is a strange combination of awesome but a little spooky out there as the closest neighbors are several hundred yards away behind me. To the right of the tree is the undeveloped west half of the 400-acre Safari West property and to the left is the 4000 acre Pepperwood wildlife preserve.
I’m curious if the 44 MP of the R5 sensor gives me finer detail than the 20 MP of the 1DX2, and no additional hassle with mirror lockup. The 24-70 is an excellent lens and it should do well enough.
This is just fantastic, Diane. No nits at all. I love it. Stay safe from the mountain lion. I have an electronic whistle I carry for such occasions, as well as unleashed dogs on the beach. For some reason they go into attack mode when they see the tripod. The whistle stops them in their tracks.
To be perfectly honest , when I viewed your previous post, my first thought was how much I don’t like light painting. As a reader, it has never worked for me. But this one is a gem. It really has a magical, ghostly feel to it. The tones of the blues and the greens complement each other perfectly and I love how soft the background trees and the fence are. Everything does seem to be gently bathed in moonlight. As for the Dipper - in terms of my satisfaction looking at this image, it doesn’t matter one way or the other to me (although given its present attitude, it feels like a slight distraction and I’d just as soon it wasn’t there). Frankly, to have had the MW in the background would have been gilding the lily and, I think, detracted from this very fine image.
This works very well! That’s a great tree, and I love the soft landscape with the starry back drop.
I’ve only tried light painting once or twice, and found it to be challenging to avoid blotches with the light I was using. The tree looks variably lit to my eye, and I wonder if you return if more defused light source might help with that?
Thanks @David_Bostock, @Kerry_Gordon and @John_Williams! I rarely try light painting and it’s always frustrating to get something I like. I get the best results with having the light well off-angle which means, if I’m working alone, relying on an intervalometer to fire the shutter and lighting various parts of the subject long enough that it will be open with the right lighting on at least one shot. A diffuse (wide-angle) light usually gives light that is too even, so in this last attempt I used a small flashlight swept around in small areas to give more uneven lighting, and then combined several areas in post. With an assistant to run the shutter, and a longer SS, I could try for painting the desired areas in one exposure, but to limit star streaking I don’t want more than a 10 sec. exposure. If stars didn’t show through the branches I could do a shorter exposure for the stars and a longer one of equal exposure for the painting. I might try that anyway, as it’s not a big issue for this subject.
I checked on the tree yesterday and the mistletoe is disappointingly ratty – it looks like it’s dying, which is surprising as we’ve had a wet winter so far. Maybe the last 2 dry winters got to it.
Superb Diane. This is better than your first image. The foreground is better lit, I love the fence line on the left side and the main tree wrapping around the smaller distant tree on the right side and of course the Big Dipper just leaps off the image. I actually prefer just a few bright stars to that of milky way images and this one really is nice. Your light painting is perfect with no bright spots. Well done Diane!
I don’t know Diane, at first, this photo really caught my eye and attention. But then, after looking at it for a while I feel like something is amiss, but I can’t put my finger on it.
Thanks, @Youssef_Ismail – I don’t think it is the best alignment of the tree and Dipper, which moved too far while I was spending too much time painting. I hope to have another chance in a couple of weeks. If you think of what is bothering you, let me know! All ideas are always appreciated!
