Visitors to our booth really enjoy the scenery for the birds. Creating a special “playground” for them is a lot of fun! Ever wonder what goes into a scene? This blog takes you through the creation of the Charlie Brown Christmas tree scene: selecting the tree, setting it up, and problem-solving lots of tiny details that make or break the photography. The ironic part about? This was actually a dry run for setting up a similar scene on a day when it’s snowing!
THE VINTAGE ITEM
The Charlie Brown Christmas tree is a perfect playground for the birds. It resonates with memories and emotions for a huge number of people. I mean, who hasn’t seen the Charlie Brown Christmas video or read the Peanuts comic strip? (My husband still watches A Charlie Brown Christmas at least once a year. The theme music is on his cell phone.) I briefly considered using a real evergreen branch to create my own natural version of the tree. It was easier to accomplish what I wanted with the 18” vintage Charlie Brown tree on the market.
The 18” height of the tree is a bit tall for songbirds. Chickadees, tufted titmice, and cardinals are only 5” – 9” long. The tree could easily dwarf them, making the birds become insignificant parts of the photo. Because of this, I decided to focus in on the top of the tree and red ornament drooping on the snow.
PHOTOGRAPHY DAY
It was 8 am. I woke up to a thin covering of snow on the ground. While I really wanted more snow than this, it was a good day to experiment with the Charlie Brown Christmas tree. Brian was still snuggled under the cozy covers. I, on the other hand, had already chugged a couple cups of coffee. I needed him to help me do experimental photography. I went to the bedroom and stood at arm’s length to gently shake him.
“Wha…wha…wha…wha…what?” He startled awake the way he usually does.
“Honey, the Charlie Brown Christmas tree is wobbly and keeps moving.”
The problem took a bit of time to sink-in to his sleepy brain. There were no complaints. No grumbling. (That’s always the way he is.) Brian got vertical and worked on the shaky tree problem, but to no avail. Troubleshooting came up with a number of solutions that just didn’t really work out.
I ended up using fishing line to attach the platform of the tree to two nails. This braced the tree and held it steady. The fishing line was a tiny, easy-to-remove detail. Depending how the photo was cropped, the fishing line might not even be seen in the photo.
THAT WAS JUST THE FIRST OF MANY SMALL PROBLEMS
The Christmas tree branches were bare.
The snow looked nice on the platform; but the branches of the Christmas tree were bare. This would not work. I tried scooping up the snow with my hands and dropping it on the limbs. The wet snow clumped onto the branches. (Not a good look either.) Hmmm…What about 10X sugar. Could it be sifted onto the branches. The vintage sifter was nowhere to be found. However, a strainer was handy and worked like a charm!
Birdseed was scattered all over the platform.
I use small amounts of black oil sunflower seeds, peanuts, and suet crumbs to draw the birds to special spots.
Unfortunately, there was leftover food scattered all over the platform when it got dark the night before. It was covered with a thin layer of snow; but the birds would find it. If I removed the food, it would be hard to get the wet snow to look right. That meant the birds would land wherever they wanted…all over the feeding platform. If a bird got to the spot I wanted, another would land in front of it and “photo bomb”. Sigh. Waiting is part of the AzarÉl Photography game. Lack of advance planning was going to make the waiting even longer.
The wind started to blow.
The wind was mischievous. The tree is attached to the supporting boards by a screw that doesn’t tighten well. The wind swiveled the Christmas tree. I swiveled it back. Another nail was pounded into the platform. The top of the tree was secured to the nail.
When the wind moved Charlie Brown’s tree, it messed up the focus on the camera. The scene looked like a foggy blur in front of the perfectly focused trees.
It started to snow. (Yay!) Now the camera had to be protected from dampness. I used a no-frills, large plastic bag to lightly cover the camera. Unfortunately, the bag was loosely tied. The wind turned the shopping bag into a sail. Since one of the tripod adjustments was loose, the camera literally swiveled on the tripod, again throwing the focus off. I’ve had this tripod for a few years, and still struggle with the adjustments. Enter Brian, who patiently explained (again) which knobs on the tripod move it vertically and horizontally. …and that a screw on a camera latch wasn’t secure. By the way, Santa is going to deliver a waterproof raincoat for my camera this Christmas!
I shook Brian awake around 8 am. It took until 9:45 am to take the first photo. There were little challenges through 11:30 am. Taking a photo isn’t all sitting and waiting. I really love the photo I got! It will be interesting to what happens when it snows on the tree.
There are many more lovely photographs at AzarElGreetings.com . We’ll probably have some lovely snowy days coming up. Victor Hugo put it so well: “Winter is on my head but eternal spring is in my heart.” “Prelude to Spring” reminds us of that.
Smiles!
Original Photography
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Original Photography
Giclée Canvas print, 16” x 24”
Original Photography, printed and hand stretched by AzarÉl Greetings.
Click here to see how our canvas prints are made.
| 3000 Left in Stock | ||
Original Photography
Giclée Canvas print, 16” x 24”
Original Photography, printed and hand stretched by AzarÉl Greetings.
Click here to see how our canvas prints are made.
| 3000 Left in Stock | ||
5" x 7" handmade greeting card, Original Photography
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Original Photography
Giclée Canvas print, 16” x 24”
Original Photography, printed and hand stretched by AzarÉl Greetings.
Click here to see how our canvas prints are made.
| 3000 Left in Stock | ||
Giclée Canvas print, 16” x 24”
Original Photography, printed and hand stretched by AzarÉl Greetings.
Click here to see how our canvas prints are made.
| 3000 Left in Stock | ||
Original Photography
Original Photography
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Giclée Canvas print, three panel triptych, 30" x 49 1/2" (w/ 3/4" gaps)
Original Photography, printed and hand stretched by AzarÉl Greetings.
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Giclée Canvas print, 16” x 20”
Original Photography, printed and hand stretched by AzarÉl Greetings.
Click here to see how our canvas prints are made.
| 1000 Left in Stock | ||
