My bonsai photo setup.....

[ForrestW]

Great work-- This spring I am really in need to set up a large photo plan like that for both my trees and big pots that do not fit in my small photo booth. One nice thing about the DSLR is you can set your iso to 100 and let the camera shoot long exposures to avoid any noise/grain-- then enhance in post production. I am guessing you are already doing this but for other folks-- using the timer can also be key so your longer exposures do not have blur from your pressing down and releasing the shutter.

 

[Fidur]

Wow, really wonderful pictures and even if "simple" for you, great technique! I'm really terrible with pictures of my trees, but I promise I will study in this new year!!!

What Is the distance between the camera and the tree more or less?

That depends on your lens and the size of your tree. Usually less than a meter if you´re using wide lenses (<35mm), about a meter for normal lenses and about 2 or more for tele lenses.
Usually large f (depth of field) unless you want to blurr the backdrop.

 

[SouthernMaple]

Wow, really wonderful pictures and even if "simple" for you, great technique! I'm really terrible with pictures of my trees, but I promise I will study in this new year!!!

What Is the distance between the camera and the tree more or less?

it depends on the lens, in his photo, hes using a telephoto which requires you to stand back atleast 5 feet. Also it depends on your camera body, some dslrs have crop sensors which add to the distance so if you have a 35mm lens on a nikon dx camera (which has a 1.5x crop)then your true focal length(mm): 35x1.5=52.5mml; a telephoto lens thats 70-300mm, is actually 105-450mm

if you have a fullframe camera whatever lens is on there is your focal length.

the lower the focal length the closer you need to be towards your subject.

I usually stand around 4-5 feet from the subject with my telephoto lens set at 105-110mm, with my 52.5mm I stand closer around 3 feet away. I also don't have massive trees so I can get in a little closer.

As for aperture setting Joe Noga likes to shoot at f8, however he has a $60,000 camera and 3 softbox lights that act as an external flash. I like to shoot around f9-f11

 

[chicago1980]

it depends on the lens, in his photo, hes using a telephoto which requires you to stand back atleast 5 feet. Also it depends on your camera body, some dslrs have crop sensors which add to the distance so if you have a 35mm lens on a nikon dx camera (which has a 1.5x crop)then your true focal length(mm): 35x1.5=52.5mml; a telephoto lens thats 70-300mm, is actually 105-450mm

if you have a fullframe camera whatever lens is on there is your focal length.

the lower the focal length the closer you need to be towards your subject.

I usually stand around 4-5 feet from the subject with my telephoto lens set at 105-110mm, with my 52.5mm I stand closer around 3 feet away. I also don't have massive trees so I can get in a little closer.

As for aperture setting Joe Noga likes to shoot at f8, however he has a $60,000 camera and 3 softbox lights that act as an external flash. I like to shoot around f9-f11

Ohh woah, what cera is he using that is $60,000k? Woah

 

[SouthernMaple]

Ohh woah, what cera is he using that is $60,000k? Woah

Hasselblad camera, they don't make the one he has anymore

 

[JJ6465]

As simple as it gets. A cloth hanging in my laundry room, no ligths. A 80-400mm zoom lens... (I had to reread the manual after 8 years unused)

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Results will improve with time. It's my first attempt....

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Great pictures. Like the mud man in the second picture.