“Life is not so much about beginnings and endings as it is about going on and on and on. It is about muddling through the middle.” ~ Anna Quindlen
Are you in a place of a new beginning, muddling through the middle, or at the end of something good, something bad, or something you’ve already muddled through?
Please check out my Thursday post on Monochromia. I posted a photograph of another Star Magnolia, but from a completely different perspective.
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.
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.
“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.
“Dazzled by your Charm”
“Study of a Tulip I”
I am excited to announce that both photographs above were selected for the Philadelphia Sketch Club Annual Juried Flower Exhibit. If you live in the Philadelphia area, I encourage to stop by the exhibit – so many beautiful paintings, photographs, sketches and more.
Please note, today is Thursday, which means I posted on Monochromia today. If you enjoy street photography and faces, be sure and check out my post.
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.
A Perfect Love ~ A Poem
“A perfect love
Comprises of
Intuitive emotions,
Passion,
Warm sensuality,
Playful joy,
Friendship,
Unity,
Inner peace,
All through faith
In another.”
~ Copyright Robyn Graham ~
“We waste time looking for the perfect lover, instead of creating the perfect love.”
~Tom Robbins
Happy Valentine’s Day
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.
“Write it on your heart
that every day is the best day in the year…
This new day is too dear,
with its hopes and invitations,
to waste a moment on the yesterdays.”
~Ralph Waldo Emerson
“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
Robyn Graham Photography 