Central Plateau - 'Gnarled'
Out on Tasmania’s Central Plateau, the plan was simple enough.
Isolate this old tree and let the sky do something subtle behind it.
I ended up taking two exposures. One for the foreground to keep the detail in the tree, and another longer exposure for the sky to introduce some movement in the clouds. The idea was to simplify things a bit. That area can get visually messy, so blurring the sky felt like a good way to keep the attention where it belongs.
Of course, that was just the easy part.
Most of the real work happened later in Photoshop. I spent a few hours building and refining masks so I could treat the main tree, the background trees, and the sky all separately. Nothing particularly glamorous about it. Just careful selections, zooming in far too much, and questioning life choices somewhere along the way.
When I finally got to a point where it all held together, I realised I wasn’t convinced by the sky.
So I pushed it further.
More blur. Then I rotated the sky exposure slightly so the movement lined up better with the shape of the tree. It felt right. The problem was… every mask I’d just built no longer lined up.
So I started again.
That’s usually how it goes. Processing ends up being a bit like evolution. Try something, think it works, then realise it doesn’t quite. Then you adjust. Sometimes it’s a small tweak, other times it means tearing it all down and rebuilding from scratch.
In the end, I think the extra effort helped simplify the scene the way I originally intended. The tree carries the image, and the sky just supports it without getting in the way.
Fine Art Print
This image is available as a fine art print
Printed on premium archival papers — lustre, matte, metallic or cotton rag.
📷 Photography Notes
Foreground Exposure: Faster shutter to retain detail in the tree
Sky Exposure: Longer shutter to introduce cloud movement
Focal Length: Mid to long range (to isolate subject)
Aperture: f/11–f/16 for overall sharpness
Tips & Techniques
- Think in layers
- When a scene feels cluttered, consider how you can separate foreground, midground, and background - both in camera and in post-processing.
- Shoot for flexibility
- Multiple exposures give you far more control later, especially when different parts of the scene need different treatments.
- Use motion intentionally
- Blurring elements like sky or water can simplify a composition and help direct attention.
- Be prepared to redo your work
- Adjustments in post often have knock-on effects. It’s normal to rebuild masks or rework sections multiple times.
- Align movement with composition
- Subtle adjustments, like rotating a sky layer, can help reinforce the natural flow of an image
Simplifying an image isn’t always about removing elements in the field.
Sometimes it’s about shaping how those elements interact - through exposure choices, motion, and careful post-processing.
And importantly, good processing isn’t linear. It’s iterative.
You try something. You refine it. You change your mind. You start again.
That process isn’t a setback, it’s often where the image actually comes together.
If you’d like to learn how to approach both composition and post-processing like this, I run small group photography workshops across Tasmania.
These sessions cover everything from reading a scene in the field through to refining your images in Lightroom and Photoshop, with a focus on creating work that feels intentional and personal.
You can find upcoming workshops and one-on-one lessons on the website.