As promised I took the Edge 35 out for a walk today. I initially put it on the M3 but it was so heavy it almost overwhelmed the little camera so I switched it out to the R which felt more balanced. Before I left the house I checked the specs on the Edge 35 to to make sure I knew what I was working with. Minimum focusing distance 7″ check, f3.5 to f22 check.
I spotted this old oak tree along the Greenway and realized it was on the right side of the fence. I went over to see what leaves and acorns I might find. Seemed like most of the acorns were on the ground already. This tree has to be at least 200 years old. It is about six feet around the trunk at the base. So, I went over to give it a pat and thank it for being there. Well, when I looked up and saw the sun shining through the canopy I remembered a little trick that most photographers who have been doing it for any time will know. That is when you set the aperture at f22 and point it at a light source, including the sun, you will get a perfect starburst. Yep, it works.
So the trunk and limbs of the tree came out completely in shadow so I had to take it through Camera Raw twice to open the shadows up enough to see the detail in the bark. It maybe could have used one more trip. I also added some luminence to the greens and yellows to make the leaves stand out a little more and reduced the luminence on the blues to darken the sky.