Description — This grove of aspen trees is located near Santa Fe, New Mexico. It was photographed in October 2013, in late afternoon.
Camera Nerd Info — Linhof Super Technika V 4×5 view camera, Nikkor-M 300mm f/9 lens, Fuji Provia 100F film, exposure 1/8s @ f/22, front rise.
Commentary — Bright enough for you? This location is on Hyde Park Road northeast of Santa Fe, but beyond and uphill from the park. I was there with Maryland’s Large Format and Alternative Processes photo group, of which I used to be a member. We had our view cameras set up in a roadside parking lot to photograph the aspens. We drew attention.
F/22 is a good mid-range aperture for a typical 4×5 view camera lens, and it is my default in average light when I don’t have depth-of-field concerns. But I really should have shot this scene at f/11 and 1/30s instead. The reason is that aspens have their own way of annoying a photographer: the yellow leaves swivel on their stems in the breeze, and there is always a breeze. Although it’s not obvious from the website photo, a large print shows the leaves to be a little soft while the adjacent branches and tree trunks are sharp. The 1/8s exposure was not quite enough to stop their motion. But at the time I didn’t care– I was just having fun with my friends.
ML