Day 130 – Looking Up Into Early Spring

From this angle, the tree felt split in two, dark below and bright above. The trunk was heavy and weathered, while the upper branches were catching the last of the warm light. By pointing the camera straight up, the scene turned into something more graphic, with the branches radiating outward and the catkins glowing softly against a pale blue sky. I wanted the lower part of the trunk to stay in shadow so the eye would travel upward into the brighter canopy.

Shot with the NIKKOR Z 50mm f/1.8 S, stopped down to f/2.8. I have been reaching for f/2.8 more often lately. It keeps things just a touch sharper across the frame while leaving the out of focus areas a little rounder and softer. With spring light getting stronger by the day, f/1.8 has also started to feel like a bit much, and I am starting to think an ND filter might be a sensible next step.