On a hike at a local natural area, we came across logs poking up from a frozen, snow-covered pond. The logs were bleached white, reminding me of driftwood, or perhaps the bones of some exotic creature. The reality is that they are the bones of a dead tree, but the metaphor still holds. I shot a small series of similar photographs, and this one became my favorite image of the week.
Bones of the Lake
Fujifilm X-T2, Fujinon XF 55-200 F/3.5-4.8 R LM OIS at 172mm, f/8 at 1/350, ISO 200
Other images in the series:
Digital Darkroom. I knew from the outset that I wanted to emphasize the shape and texture of the logs, and deemphasize everything else. I accomplished that by lowering contrast (-48) and clarity (-37). This softened the look of the whole photo. Then I went back and painted the logs, adding clarity above what I had taken away (+60). I finished by raising the exposure of the image by almost a full stop to make sure the snowy whites were as white as snow should be.
WIRR stands for Weekly Image Rich Ruh. This regular feature on Das Has von Ruh will show and describe my favorite photo created during this weekly period. My weeks start on Mondays, as does the WIRR. I’m hoping to include commentary on the story, the setting, the specs, or the sentiments, depending on the circumstances.
