Cloudy weather and rain - part 2

I took the photographs for this exercise last Sunday, when the Guildford Photographic Society had a photographic outing to RHS gardens at Wisley. The weather in the morning was slightly misty with a blanket white overcast sky.

Gnarled tree trunk

Nikon 18-200mm at 42mm: Iso 200 f8 for 1/4 second (with tripod)

Looking out for gnarled tree roots, I noticed the trunk of this tree which was probably some sort of yew. I liked the twisted shapes and the warm orange colour of the bark. I chose this viewpoint as I liked the way the light from the right hand side reveals the form and texture of the bark. I tried various compositions in vertical and horizontal frames, from which I chose this version because I felt that there is a pleasing asymmetry of dark holes.

I can imagine that a tree trunk like this would have inspired the Spanish architect Gaudi in his designs of naturalistic arches and pillars.

Yew tree leaves

Nikon 18-200mm at 130mm: Iso 200 f8 for 1/30th (with tripod)

A few areas of leaves on this same tree were changing colour, even though these were typical spiky coniferous leaves. Viewed from underneath the tree, the leaves were backlit revealing the pattern of green, yellow and orange bands across the small spines. I found a position where the background was a reasonably uniform dark green of an adjacent conifer. I chose this composition as I liked the orderly pattern of leaves in the top half of the frame contrasting with the criss-cross pattern of the leaves in the lower half.

Acer leaves

Nikon 18-200mm at 80mm: Iso 200 f5.6 at 1/25th second

I was fortunate to find this Acer plant with these glorious red coloured leaves. Relatively few of the trees and shrubs had started to show their Autumnal colours in the gardens. The tree was only about ten feet tall, but I could not at first find a viewpoint with a distraction-free background. It was almost by chance that I noticed this group of leaves slightly more in the light than those in the background. The slight difference in tone and the narrow depth of field combine to make the foreground leaves stand out with almost 3D clarity.

Reviewing the photographs when at home, I was surprised at the visual attraction of this composition of a red subject with a red background.

This style of photograph is reminiscent of the American nature photographer John Shaw. His articles in Outdoor Photography frequently stressed the benefits of overcast weather to enhance natural colours.

Conclusion

The guidance and incentive of taking photographs for this exercise contributed to my enjoyment of this visit to Wisley Gardens.