Here's another bonsai that looks a lot like a full sized tree. It's a European beech (Fagus sylvatica) that belongs to Walter Pall 

Before we launch into today's main topics, I am looking for a source for some European beeches (scroll all the way down for more)

This post started out to be a continuation of our discussion about bonsai that look like full sized trees, and has since morphed into a some comments about photographing bonsai

We've only got one tree this time, but it's a good one. The inimitable Walter Pall is the artist/owner. It's photographed with three backdrops, which encouraged our quick study of bonsai photography

There is of course much more to photographing bonsai than just varying backgrounds (each of which in this case has a real effect on how we see the tree). For example, there's also the lighting, and though we can't see the source, we can certainly see the effect when trees are well or poorly lit
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The background makes a difference in how we see the tree

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Another important factor for anyone shooting their own trees is, whether there's any distracting clutter (aka noise) in the shot. You don't have to be a professional photographer to clean up the clutter before you shoot. And if you do clean it up, people are much more apt to appreciate and enjoy your trees

Another equally important consideration is the point at which the photo is taken. This is where things like focal point, height and angle come into play. These things when taken into consideration can play directly into things like whether your bonsai looks like a tree or not, or simply how good it looks. Hint: experimenting with shooting up from points below the center of the tree can enhance the power and beauty of almost any tree 

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Speaking of European beech, I'm looking for some seedlings or saplings. I'd like to see if we can get a a couple full sized ones going here in northern Vermont (zone 4a and climbing) and would also like to grow some on for future bonsai. If you know of any, please let me know and thank you in advance <wayne@stonelantern.com> 

Here's a link to more great trees by Walter Pall