FreeFoto.com Out and about with Ian Britton, Principal Photographer for FreeFoto.com

So this is a good excuse to discuss how I took this picture.

The first thing I do when I enter any building is check what the rules are regarding photography.

The Metropolitan Cathedral of Christ the King in Liverpool allows photography when services are not taking place. Being a place of worship I also try to be as discrete and respectful as possible.

The next challenge is the lack of light and having to work without a tripod.

So I found a suitable place to position my camera and then used my car keys under the lens to give it a little elevation. I then used the cameras inbuilt timer to trigger a 2 second exposure.

I took a number of images till I had one I was happy with.

Time 13:30pm 13/05/05 Shutter 2 seconds Aperture F16 Focal Length 28mm Camera Kodak DCS Pro slr/n

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Over 7 years I have taken more than 200 pictures of this Sycamore tree but this is still my favourite.

But how did I set about photographing it?

Well each picture is a journey leading upto the moment you press the shutter.

I had seen this Sycamore tree about 9 months earlier and in those days I would drive past it twice a day.

The things that appealed about the tree included…

Position: It was on a little ridge and was viewed from the North so it was always either side or back light.

Shape: The wind in this part of Northumberland comes mainly from the west and this has helped to shape the tree.

Size: The tree is very compact.

As I getting ready for work this particular winters morning I noticed what was happening with the light, so I jumped in the car and drove the 5 minutes to the tree.

I framed the shot and took just one exposure on 35mm slide film.

The picture has not been enhanced, that is exactly how it looked at the time and how it looks on the slide.

As is always the case the secret of this picture is its all about the light.

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