ynot
Greener Thumb
Posts: 1219
Joined: Tue Sep 19, 2006 8:49 am
Location: USDA Z:5a Sunset Z. 41 IL

Picture This! Taking Better Bonsai Pictures.

Please read this first:

Now, OTOMH if you are shooting sporting events, planes, auto racing and such then the 18-135 will come up short to other choices. It won't have the reach of an 80-200 F2.8 to get you up close. You will also lose 2 stops of light. This means that under the exact same conditions I can shoot the same moving object at 4 times as fast a shutter speed as the 18-135. IOW I can shoot at 1/1000 under the same light that you shoot at 1/250. The shallower depth of field from 2 stops more aperture will also give my photos more pop. As a trade off the "BETTER"lens will cost more and by nature weigh more, largely because the front element has to be much larger.

If you understood that, You are done here.8) Those that are shaking their heads, Forget about that paragraph and read on.

{If your picture is for the main bonsai forum for species ID, Styling options, Or health issues please also take special note of the
tips at the end of this post.}

Bonsai pictures are like waiters, You only notice the bad ones

If you have a bonsai you would like to show off or have critiqued in the gallery taking a few simple measures will greatly improve peoples ability to accurately assess your tree.

Before you even get your camera out, Do take a few moments to completely remove the moss, Decorative rocks, Pagodas and other assorted paraphernalia that are simply distractions and are not beneficial to your tree in any way whatsoever. Excessive moss can limit your soils aeration in fact, Remove them now.


One thing to note about bonsai is that unlike a tree in nature, A bonsai has a 'front' to it.

Simply meaning a specific direction from which it should be viewed. It has been styled with the intent of it being viewed from this perspective. Keep in mind that if you are considering changing the front of the tree by rotating it in it's pot at the next repotting, You can always test what it looks like by simply turning the pot until your 'chosen front' faces forward. Point and shoot, You now have a picture of your new front to compare/contrast with the current one.

Now that you have decided on the front of your tree it is time to consider other important elements of the composition.


1. Shoot from the front and level or just above the top of the pot.

This is important as a severe vertical angle skews the perspective and makes it difficult to judge the relative positions of the branches and trunk.

2. Fill the frame with the tree.

Use all of the available frame for your shot. If it is for the gallery, Please be sure to include the entire pot in the picture. Bonsai by definition includes The pot, It is after all half of the word 'bon-sai'. The pot is obviously not required for health issue/species ID pictures.

3. Please, Lots of light people!

It goes without saying that no one can see in the dark, Best if indirect and from behind the photographer.

4. Use a solid colored background in a neutral shade.

{Tan is ok, dark blue/black is better as it hides shadows, White is not optimal as its high contrast makes for DARK shadows, Red or yellow are often too much of a contrast to the green foliage and can be distracting} Obviously use a bit of sense too, Consider the colors of the trunk, Foliage, and pot compared to your background color. If they are too similar your tree may just fade into the background.

5. Shoot a lot, Review, and then post the best.

Do take several {minimum} shots of each picture you wish to post, Then pick the best one. It's not as though we are still developing film here so do shoot lots of photos.

6. Be In Focus.

It should go without saying that it cannot be a helpful picture if an important element in it is out of focus.

Pictures about health/Species ID:

If your tree is sick, Or you have questions about your Species, Soil composition, Or Foliage..etc.
You will obviously have to get creative to get the shot. Usually this means shooting from somewhere else other than the front.
This is fine as long as the other elements remain intact. Including a full photo of the tree as well never hurts though.
Remember, The better your picture is the more effective it is. The more information we have to work with the more accurate and effective we can be in helping you out.

Some other information that is most helpfull to include when seeking health advice would be:

Species/Variety of tree: If known.
Watering: Method & Timing. Though it seems deceptively simple, I assure you that watering mistakes cause the overwhelming majority of bonsai deaths.
Bonsai Soil: It's important and effective, Please read [url=https://www.helpfulgardener.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=3422/url]this[/url] for more information on proper bonsai soil.
Where you are keeping it: Indoors/Outdoors, Information about the temperature and lighting it is exposed to will be helpful as well.
Your geographic location: This helps us determine a bit about your climactic conditions.
Duration: How long have you had the tree? Or the issue/problem?
Recent Changes Is there anything out of the ordinary the tree has experienced lately? It could be a factor.
IE: Location change, Dry spell {forgot to water}, Unseasonably cold/hot weather, Physical trauma {Knocked out of pot by pet} etc.
Size of the tree and container: Not really required, But I am nosy :wink:. FYI The size of a bonsai is measured from the soil surface to the top of the tree. Pots are usually listed by the interior dimensions.

I hope these ideas will be helpful and encouraging wrt all of you putting some pictures of your trees up here.

But Wait:
Before you can do that you must first host your pictures somewhere online, There are several places you can do just that.
Most are cheap or free.:D

Gnome has been kind enough to post a brief tutorial on how to post pictures here: [url=https://www.helpfulgardener.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=3724]Click here for the tutorial.[/url]

Among the photo hosting sites you can use for this are: https://imageshack.us/ www.photobucket.com www.fastpictures.com https://www.webshots.com/ https://www.flickr.com/ https://www.pbase.com/

A fact you might not know, 'Bonsai' is pronounced 'Bone-Sigh'.
8)
[As always I will fix the typos as I notice them.]
Comments are welcome but pictures are better. :wink:
ynot
[img]https://img241.imageshack.us/img241/1939/u4jchinaec9.gif[/img]

(c) Copyright 2006, - Feel free to copy/post this elsewhere in its entirety, provided it retains this copyright notice. Do not make any edits or omissions to the contents.

[url=https://www.helpfulgardener.com/forum/viewtopic.php?p=18598#18598]Learning more about Bonsai Soil, Repotting, & Root Pruning is just a click away.[/url]
Last edited by ynot on Tue Apr 24, 2007 3:41 pm, edited 13 times in total.

mamfle
Full Member
Posts: 23
Joined: Mon Oct 23, 2006 4:02 am
Location: Cambridgeshire UK

Thanks Ynot your instructions have been a great help.

I have managed to get a good few quality pictures :D

ynot
Greener Thumb
Posts: 1219
Joined: Tue Sep 19, 2006 8:49 am
Location: USDA Z:5a Sunset Z. 41 IL

mamfle wrote:Thanks Ynot your instructions have been a great help.

I have managed to get a good few quality pictures :D
That's code for 'mamfle will be posting some pictures soon' ....right? [img]https://img221.imageshack.us/img221/9517/whippinvn9.gif[/img]:P [img]https://img228.imageshack.us/img228/6800/rasberrywaggleyn3.gif[/img] :wink:



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