“Bashful”

Last week when I was coming home from a run I noticed that my beloved peonies had all but wilted and the petals been discarded. At the time, there were only a few remaining flowers. Spring has been so rushed and harried with work and activities for the kids that I had almost missed the joy of photographing the peonies.  That afternoon, instead of ironing and doing the banking, I cut the last of the living peonies and did some still life work. This was a time to be inspired, to create, take a deep breath and recharge my soul.

I didn’t have time to go to the studio, which means I didn’t have any back drops to use.  I knew that for some of the shots I wanted a white back drop.  I could have used a white table-cloth, or a sheet and hung them from a door, but, I didn’t feel like going to the trouble and I knew I could create the white back drop myself using light.

Using my Nikon D800 and my Nikkor 105mm 2.8 lens I set out to create.  I grabbed some props, antique prescription bottles, an antique miniature milk bottle, a white cheese cloth, a black stool, some ribbon, and some sheets of music.  I don’t know how long I moved around in front of my front door playing and creating.  I lost all sense of time and felt so relaxed.

To create the white back drop effect I used only natural light.  I metered my exposure on the flower so that it would be properly exposed and the backlight would be blown out.  To avoid flare, I angled my lens down just enough to allow some haze, but to eliminate flare.  I wanted this shot to be flawless and dreamy therefore colorful flare spots were not welcome.  My settings are below for your reference:

ss 1/100 f 5.0 ISO 400

I could have worked with the above scenario for hours.   But, alas, the kids needed to be picked up from school and driven to activities, and, honestly, my equipment is so heavy that after a considerable amount of time, my neck and arms begin to tire.  Don’t get me wrong, I absolutely love my equipment and the Nikon cameras and Nikkor lenses that I have give me great flexibility when working in the various areas of photography that I focus on.  I do love them, but I have recently been evaluating mirrorless cameras, especially for travel and street work.   Lighter weight cameras and lenses would be fabulous when having to hold or carry them for any length of time.   In addition, I just recently came across a new camera that I found interesting.  Light, is a compact camera that appears to have many features.  I don’t know that it has the flexibility I need, but I think it is worth checking into for travel and street work.  I thought I would share the link with you in the event you might have interest in a compact camera that appears to have a lot of great features.

To compare this photograph in black and white, please visit my Thursday post on Monochromia.

To view more of the photographs from this still life session, check back on the blog soon or follow me on Instagram.  I post to Instagram much more frequently there.

Nature’s Tears…

…Glistening in the sunlight.

ss 1/800 f 7.1 ISO 200

Nikon D810, Nikkor 105mm 2.8

This photo was taken Monday morning after the rain clouds cleared.  The sun was warm and gorgeous, can you feel it?  To see a more high-key photograph of this subject, a yellow daisy, visit Monochromia.  Which do you like better?

The Poppy

The Bud

The Bloom

The Garden

Another Bud

The Center of the Flower

Dancing in the Evening Breeze

Settings: ss 1/125 f 4.5 ISO 800

Nikon D810, Nikkor 105mm 2.8

Natural, diffused, soft light.

Last week on Monochromia I posted a photograph of a pond with geese swimming in the rain.  You can view the post HERE.  The photographs of the poppy flowers and buds above were taken the same evening after the rain shower passed.

I have always been mesmerized by the Poppy.  The detail of its creation; the incredible bud from which the flower blooms, the intricate detail of the center of the bloom, the delicate, flowing petals, and the passionate color.  Unique and beautiful.

Today is Thursday so you get two posts for one, so to speak!  Be sure to visit Monochromia for my Thursday black and white photography post.

Be of Good Cheer

“After every storm the sun will smile; for every problem there is a solution, and the soul’s indefeasible duty is to be of good cheer.” ~William R. Alger

SS 1/60   F 4.5   ISO 200

In The History and Language of Flowers the Daisy means, cheer.  We are experiencing a lot of gray days this Spring,  it is raining incessantly.  The quote above reminded me that no matter the gray skies, my heart and soul should be full of cheer.

Goodness of Heart

Dead, decaying flowers.  Really?  What is the allure?  I cannot explain it, but I love to photograph dead or decaying flowers.  I find them intriguing.  So much detail comes through the petals.  The colors mold into unknown shades.  Decaying, or dead flowers speak to me saying, “Even in death, there is life and more to come.”

The flower in the photograph below is a white tulip.  I saved the tulips a bit too long as mold was beginning to grow on the stems.  Time was not permitting me to tend to them until yesterday.  I finally thought “enough is enough” and decided not to let the opportunity to photograph the bouquet pass by.  I noticed this particular flower was hanging in the shape of a heart.  It is almost as though it is traveling through the air.

You’ll notice that there are three images for you to view.  I thought the original was a bit drab despite the detail.  I used backlighting and could have exposed it more, but when I did it seemed blown out and some of the details were lost.

The second version is edited in Photoshop using a curves level and then adding a texture layer.  Have you used Adobe Paper Texture Pro?  I love it.  There are so many options and once you have applied a texture layer you can adjust the opacity in the layers panel.

Loving black and white photography the way I do, I of course had to include a third version in black and white.  I left the texture layer on when converting to black and white.

Which version of the tulip speaks to you the most?  What does it say?

Original “Goodness of Heart”

ss 1/60 f 4.5 ISO 400

Nikon D810, Nikkor 105mm f2.8

Curve adjustment and Adobe Paper Texture Pro Layer – Brushed Rose

Version II converted to Black and White

Never Stop Fighting…Every Day

Last week I posted a photograph of a wilted flower on Monochromia.  Sue was curious what the photograph looked like in color.  Last week I was preparing for my daughter’s first communion and the celebration and had family in from out of town thus preventing me from getting extra time to create a second post.   With that being said, I thought I would post the lily in color in addition to posting a color version of the image I posted on Monochromia today.  Which do you like best?  Do you find the black and white versions more appealing, or the color versions?  When you visit Monochromia, you will also find fabulous quotes that accompany the images.  I would love to hear your thoughts as to which version of each image is best accompanied by each quote.

Never Stop Fighting

SS 1/60 F 3.5 ISO 400

Every Day…

SS 1/250 F 5.6 ISO 400

Study of a Tulip II

ss 1/60 f 4.5 ISO 800

Natural light, back-lit with light from door.

Nikon D800, Nikkor 105mm, 2.8

To view this image in black and white, please visit Monochromia for my Thursday post.

 

Dazzled by the Light I

SS1/60 f 4.5 ISO 1000

“Find beauty not only in the thing itself but in the pattern of the shadows, the light and dark which that thing provides.” ~ Junichiro Tanizaki
To see this image in black and white please visit Monochromia for my Thursday post.

The process for creating this photograph and most of my other flower photographs is a bit more complicated than using a white or black backdrop.  I have surprised people when telling them that no, it is not a white or black back drop, it is how I used the light that created the effect in my photograph.

To create a white back ground using only natural light, I am using back lighting or side lighting.  I meter on the subject, the flower, for proper exposure.  This creates a white or blown out effect in the back ground or side area.   If I metered on the light, my subject would be under exposed.  The angle of my camera determines the amount of haze or flare in my image.  If my lens is angled up toward the light more light is going to enter the lens and haze or flare will occur.  To avoid this effect, I simply angle my lens down so that light isn’t directly entering it.  This is a very simplified description of angle of incidence.

To create a black back ground using only natural light, I use front lighting.  The light is hitting my subject so that it is well lit.   When I meter on the subject for proper exposure, this makes everything behind the subject dark and creates a dark or black back ground.   In this scenario, if I let the camera determine exposure, or if I metered on the area behind my subject, my subject would be over exposed.

I hope you found this information of use, or at least interesting, for your photography journey.  Please let m know if you have any questions.

Honor

“Infuse your life with action. Don’t wait for it to happen. Make it happen. Make your own future. Make your own hope. Make your own love. And whatever your beliefs, honor your creator, not by passively waiting for grace to come down from upon high, but by doing what you can to make grace happen… yourself, right now, right down here on Earth.” ~ Bradley Whitford

Perseverance

“Courage and perseverance have a magical talisman, before which difficulties disappear and obstacles vanish into air.” ~ John Quincy Adams