Mangrove Trees at Anne Kolb Nature Center

Jun 13, 2011 | Florida Beaches & Coasts

I took a little break this weekend from working on the studio and went down to Hollywood with a friend to shoot some Burrowing Owls. Unfortunately we got there too early and the park was still closed so we ended up at Anne Kolb Nature Center for an hour.

The mangrove trees at Anne Kolb seem to be the main attraction. Not good for me because I have a hard time shooting mangroves and making them look good.

As beautiful as these trees are, photographing their roots and branches has always been a challenge for me. The main reason being, the composition simply becomes too busy.

Photos like this look so much better in black and white. But I see black and white images of mangroves all the time. So the challenge for me has always been to produce color images of these magnificent trees and still maintain the same impact a black and white photo offers.

Note this photo is a vertorama… or in other words a panoramic image shot from bottom to top. Basically it’s two compositions stitched together in Photoshop. I did this because my wide angle wasn’t wide enough to capture the water and the sky in one shot. Being that it’s an HDR image, the total exposure shot for this one photo was six. For a more in-depth explanation of Panoramic HDR photography you can read my article here.

Learn Captain Kimo’s HDR techniques with his e-book…
“Secrets to Mastering HDR Photography”

Software I use for processing my photos:
Photomatix – Used for creating high dynamic range.
Topaz Adjust – Photoshop plugin used to enhance details.
Topaz DeNoise – Photoshop plugin used to eliminate noise.
Topaz CleanPhotoshop plugin used to smooth pixels.
Topaz SimplifyPhotoshop plugin used for artistic affect.

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Photography Style: High Dynamic Range
Digital Camera Used: Canon 5D Mark2
Lens Used: Canon 17-35mm f/2.8L USM
Photo Location: Anne Kolb Nature Center, Hollywood, Floirda