The subtlety of forest compositions

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  • Опубликовано: 5 фев 2025
  • Forests can be challenging places to shoot in, many possible compositions are ruined by an awkward branch or patch of bright sky.
    In this video I spend time finding subjects that work, despite the problems that exist if I move the camera just a few inches in either direction.
    Equipment Used
    Bronica SQA-i
    Velbon 655 tripod with Manfrotto MG460 head
    Preview App
    Mark II Artists Viewfinder (iOS only on the App Store)
    Vlogging Equipment
    GoPro Hero 10 and Rode Smart Lav
    Music (Epidemic Sound)
    Dreams of a new life
    Twinkle of lights
    Etsy Shop
    steveonionspho...
    Contact Details
    Email: youtube@steveonions.co.uk Twitter: Steve_ONions / steve_onions Instagram: steveonions1 / steveonions1
    RUclips: / @steveonions

Комментарии • 89

  • @impressionsoflight9263
    @impressionsoflight9263 Год назад

    Yet another example of “You don’t take a picture, you make a picture”, as demonstrated by the master. 👍🏻

  • @oldfilmguy9413
    @oldfilmguy9413 Год назад

    Isn’t it funny how nothing was jumping out at you, and then you got your last two shots which were simply gorgeous! Absolutely beautiful!

    • @SteveONions
      @SteveONions  Год назад

      I think I got my eye in, after that it was a lot easier.

  • @johnmarriott9166
    @johnmarriott9166 Год назад +5

    A masterclass in thought, reason and application. Entertaining and educational at the same time. Very well done Steve 👍

  • @RichardReeve_K1W1
    @RichardReeve_K1W1 Год назад +2

    Love the fact you are shooting quiet and subtle images whilst wearing a jacket that is so bright I nearly needed sunglasses to watch the video. 😀👍

  • @TITAOSTEIN
    @TITAOSTEIN Год назад

    Wonderful! Thank you!

  • @rgarlinyc
    @rgarlinyc Год назад +5

    Steve... your photography never ceases to astound and enchant. That phalanx of motionless Silver Birches in black and white! And then the twisted Birch trunk taken with your Bronica. Absolutely, mesmerizingly beautiful...👏🏻👏🏻

  • @toine1915
    @toine1915 Год назад

    Hi Steve.
    Thanks again for this instructive video, friend.
    These are the videos I'm looking for.
    So you see that even if you have been photographing for more than 35 years, you continue to learn and discover.
    Beautiful photos you have taken.
    Thank you, Steve.
    Antoine.

    • @SteveONions
      @SteveONions  Год назад +1

      Thanks Antoine, I’m glad you enjoy them.

  • @sanclewphotographic
    @sanclewphotographic Год назад

    What a beautiful image the last photograph of the Silver Birch great composition just one of your best.

  • @carbonejack
    @carbonejack Год назад

    Love the shot of the birch trees across the lake. Birch tree trunk shot is nice as well...nice tones. Really enjoy your videos.

  • @jamesdecross1035
    @jamesdecross1035 Год назад

    Nice one - love those birch trees at 7:08.

  • @andrewtonkin7643
    @andrewtonkin7643 Год назад

    Thanks for the latest great video Steve. Got me out the door this morning with the medium format. Not quite what I was expecting but another "Eliot Porter" type subject and lighting 🙂

    • @SteveONions
      @SteveONions  Год назад

      Great to hear Andrew, hope you got something for your efforts.

  • @paulcrawley7321
    @paulcrawley7321 Год назад

    Great images Steve and a favourite area of mine that I know so well and I'm glad to say I've returned to with my family.

    • @SteveONions
      @SteveONions  Год назад +1

      Thanks Paul. It’s a bit more challenging to shoot there now, they’ve removed too many of my favourite trees 🙁

  • @AliasJimWirth
    @AliasJimWirth Год назад

    Too much going on that it took a few days to view this episode, but so glad I finally was able to watch it. Nice video, Steve.

    • @SteveONions
      @SteveONions  Год назад

      Thanks James, glad you enjoyed it.

  • @laurencesmith1490
    @laurencesmith1490 Год назад

    This is great, Steve. Our local rain forest valleys are a chaotic mass of busy compositions, and I think your suggestions are valuable.

  • @MpenziYako
    @MpenziYako Год назад

    Most inspiring. Makes you realize that there are plenty of great subjects to find in what most people would think was a rather boring forested place. Fantastic and thanks Mark

    • @SteveONions
      @SteveONions  Год назад

      Thanks Mark, glad you enjoyed it.

  • @RichB-js8ct
    @RichB-js8ct Год назад

    Love that last image - very nice!

  • @eltinjones4542
    @eltinjones4542 Год назад

    Great detail Steve 📷👍

  • @jasongold6751
    @jasongold6751 Год назад

    Steve seeing and taking are so far apart, when one works with film. In day of film only, one still did a few! Film was difficult. A few good one's is better than wasting a roll. Once more giving great insight, to a day and contents. Bravo.

  • @kenblair2538
    @kenblair2538 Год назад

    Great images and some great ideas, thanks, Steve. KB

  • @danem2215
    @danem2215 Год назад

    The final image is definitely the star of the show. Great choice in composition.

  • @joseluisavilagonzalez9626
    @joseluisavilagonzalez9626 Год назад

    Great photography, great photographer!!

  • @SimonCheng-pw1ol
    @SimonCheng-pw1ol Год назад

    👍👍👍👍👍👍

  • @ramlisad
    @ramlisad Год назад

    Superb presentation. I like your thought process.

  • @EvilDaikon
    @EvilDaikon Год назад +2

    Thanks for posting another great video - I hope this inspires me to linger a little longer in spots I find interesting. All to often something will catch my interest - I put the camera to my eye and snap the photo - and move on. As if I was on some tight schedule. When I get home and look at my images, all to often I see opportunities for me to have explored a different angle, or altered my position slightly.

    • @SteveONions
      @SteveONions  Год назад

      Sometimes it doesn’t pay off to spend a lot of time working out compositions, there just aren’t any good ones there! The difficult part is knowing when this is the case versus the times persistence pays off.

  • @oudviola
    @oudviola Год назад

    Good timing Steve, today Montreal is covered in frozen rain so very interesting for black and white imaging icy tree branches in the park. I was mindful of your process with busy settings to crop and compose extra carefully. Used my all mechanical Yashica D, to avoid getting the Bronica's electronics wet, so was aware of the square format too. Thanks for sharing your hard-won experience with us!

    • @SteveONions
      @SteveONions  Год назад +1

      Thanks Mark, I hope you came away with good images from the Yashica.

  • @azfactor7875
    @azfactor7875 Год назад

    I would certainly encourage you to consider shooting a series. Doing so, as well you know, can provide a particular kind of focus-pardon the pun-to you work.

    • @SteveONions
      @SteveONions  Год назад +1

      Very true Bob, I’ve been working on my back catalogue for months with this in mind.

  • @franzscaramelli2651
    @franzscaramelli2651 Год назад

    Great video!

  • @erichstocker8358
    @erichstocker8358 Год назад +1

    A difficult environment to get good photos. Woodlands are so chaotic and it can be difficult to isolate scenes that make good photos. You did it very nicely. Very instructive for me as I have access to areas like this and struggle to get compositions. It is easier in old forests with strange shape trees and/or roots. But, this woodlands with new growth it requires more imagination to compose. I think you succeeded very well.

    • @SteveONions
      @SteveONions  Год назад

      Thanks Erich, traditional forests are definitely easier to work with, fewer interesting trees in plantations.

  • @lensman5762
    @lensman5762 Год назад

    I have always commented, in other channels, that medium and large format film photography, is a very tight discipline. It is slow and deliberate. I think you have aptly demonstrated my point by the your methodical, yet artistic approach to photograph the bendy Birch tree. Lovely photography, Steve.

  • @michaelharmon721
    @michaelharmon721 Год назад

    Steve interesting images, I enjoy the explanation you give about your shots. Keep up the great work.

    • @SteveONions
      @SteveONions  Год назад

      Thanks Michael, glad you enjoyed it.

  • @marike1100
    @marike1100 Год назад

    Dead, fallen or cut trees don’t normally appeal to me as subjects. Too sad, too hopeless. But with a well shot Ilford medium format image, almost any subject looks beautiful.

  • @izzyleicanut9190
    @izzyleicanut9190 Год назад

    Beautifully done, Steve. Woodlands and forests are very tricky for me, no matter how frequent I am there. My favourite are the birch trees shot. Classic and elegant. Definitely a keeper . Cheers

    • @SteveONions
      @SteveONions  Год назад +1

      It is a tricky place to work but this makes it more rewarding 🙂

  • @richardhale9664
    @richardhale9664 Год назад

    Loved the last two shots!

  • @sjacobson005
    @sjacobson005 Год назад

    Extremely fine grain with the Ilford XP2. I love Steve's persistence in his search for a good subject. Great work!

  • @thevalleywalker
    @thevalleywalker Год назад

    That was a a nice calming & pleasant wander through your woodland whilst tucking into my porridge & banana breakfast ☺ I particularly like the wet woodland shoots you do (Delamere?) as we have nothing like it down this way - it's a very different type of environment. Your shots are always an interesting mix that you wouldn't see in other people's woodland shots too. Loved the detail on the silver birch shot. We have some old gnarly oaks in a woodland not far from me & I would love to see what you would come away with from there. Right, time to dress and take a little bimble whilst there is some sunshine out there - it's been wet wet wet for too long. atb Al

    • @SteveONions
      @SteveONions  Год назад

      I prefer the older forests Alan, modern pines are uniformly boring so it’s a case of finding the other species that are far more photogenic.

    • @thevalleywalker
      @thevalleywalker Год назад

      @@SteveONions Well there are some stonking old woodlands in North Wales as you know but we have a few decent ones down this way - just waiting your camera and skills ☺

  • @steveschnetzler5471
    @steveschnetzler5471 Год назад

    Lovely and peaceful, thanks. Do you have some normal/standard ways to use up the last few frames of film when you get home (so they are not wasted)?

    • @SteveONions
      @SteveONions  Год назад

      I often shoot the last few frames at home, handheld with an estimated meter reading. This is a useful test of my ability to read lighting and comes in handy if my spotmeter fails.

  • @simonbarnes7124
    @simonbarnes7124 Год назад

    Well Steve, you've got a great photographic eye as always. Beautiful images as usual where most photographers would just miss. It's all well and good cropping square in PS, but actually shooting in square format helps with composition in the field I think.

    • @SteveONions
      @SteveONions  Год назад

      That’s true Simon, I always prefer to stick with the native format a camera has. I will crop other formats more frequently but nearly always leave my 6x6 images as squares.

  • @danbuchman7497
    @danbuchman7497 Год назад

    Beautiful images Steve, I particularly enjoy the 1st shot as it’s rather reminiscent of a grave for the tree (too dark of thought? Sorry.). The birches are very classic and well composed.
    A quick question, do you ever both print and scan the same negative? I’m wondering if you see a quality difference in the 2 images? I still feel there is a difference between film & digital tech when using an enlarger with much less control in the darkroom vs the micro control in software, even when working with a scanned negative. I guess it’s all the more amazing to look at old master photography using analog only. Cheers!

    • @SteveONions
      @SteveONions  Год назад

      Thanks Dan. I do scan and darkroom print the same negative from time to time. For really tricky negatives I prefer the digital approach, no point struggling and burning through dozens of sheets of paper.
      The look is quite different, digital is sharper and more contrasty by default with much more pronounced grain. Darkroom prints are more natural to my eye with a more gentle transition between tones.

  • @jonathanoldbuck3246
    @jonathanoldbuck3246 Год назад

    Quiet and subtle like yourself. Will the silver birch print be in your Etsy shop? It is soooooo seductive.

    • @SteveONions
      @SteveONions  Год назад

      Thanks Jonathan. I’m not sure about that image, it took a lot of processing in Lightroom to balance it up and that may not translate well in the darkroom.

  • @Prashant.Khapane
    @Prashant.Khapane Год назад

    Some really nice images indeed. Is that a special lens hood with possibility to slide filters in to, Steve?

    • @SteveONions
      @SteveONions  Год назад

      It’s the official Bronica hood for the 65/80 lenses (but also suits the longer ones with 67mm barrels). It is a bayonet and allows an 85mm square filter to drop straight in.

  • @thenutter2003
    @thenutter2003 Год назад

    really enjoy watching your videos and how you come up with the shot i watched your video on using up your film stocks how are you getting on with that for me i see some film for sale at a good price and i get it even thou i really don't need it keep up the great work.

    • @SteveONions
      @SteveONions  Год назад

      I have used a fair bit of the mono but actually sold off all my colour negative stuff before Christmas. I’ll confess to buying some XP2 super as I do like it a lot 🙂

  • @RichardMaguire110
    @RichardMaguire110 Год назад +5

    With regard to the tree you want out of shot. I have suggestion, carry a chainsaw as part of your phographic equipment.

    • @SteveONions
      @SteveONions  Год назад +1

      Followed by a video of the forest police carrying me away 😀

  • @danncorbit3623
    @danncorbit3623 Год назад

    Very nice sequence. Each image got bettet and better (to my eye, anyways). The sound levels seemed low to me today. I turned on closed caption so I could understand everything

    • @SteveONions
      @SteveONions  Год назад

      Thanks Dann. I think I’ve sorted out the sound now, new microphone problems.

  • @TheSteveGullick
    @TheSteveGullick Год назад

    Hi Steve, I do enjoy your videos and find them very informative. I use a Bron SQ, but would love to know your recommendation for a portable tripod, my manfrotto weighs a ton. Cheers

    • @SteveONions
      @SteveONions  Год назад +1

      Hi Steve. I use relatively light tripods for nearly all my photography. I’ve never had any shake problems with cameras that use lead shutters, unlike large focal plane designs. I usually carry a Velbon 655 with Manfrotto MG460 head, this combination being my standard for over 12 years now.

    • @TheSteveGullick
      @TheSteveGullick Год назад

      @@SteveONions thanks for this. I've just ordered the same. Hope I'm as successful with it as you are!

  • @jamesdecross1035
    @jamesdecross1035 Год назад

    An early one, Steve.