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Pixie Cups
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Pixie Cups



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Water drops suspended as if by magic in a lichen bed.

Water drops suspended as if by magic in a lichen bed.
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upload_dateApr, 2014

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1142

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Awards

Action Award
Top Shot Award 21
Legendary Award
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Contest Finalist in A World Of Macro Photo Contest
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Peer Award
PhotosByJEM davidjprosser daydreamsbymary0710 diegoscaglione ileanaandreagmezgavinoser NancyFlemingPhotography herbafittheoherbots@gmail.com +75
Superb Composition
curtisdonar hacksaw55 aarondekeyzer vickyferry mohibzain cristianparadiso David138 +31
Absolute Masterpiece
oliviabsmalley anthonyfrueh autumnraye224 marisamenard jamesparker_3821 AScharenberg bekimkukaj +26
Outstanding Creativity
thodoristhomaidis sjichi cameronpeek alexandervarga Alyscia14 nikolaoschase brianlester +26
Top Choice
gerryadams nathantaylor_9061 diegoarmandobuitragoossa Aidenrobben jhonroldandadizon Melissa07 julielayzell +16
Magnificent Capture
craigkeane NikHallBDS Chris_Gursky_Photography kimmedlong Albert-Serra-Photography edwardquinlanfleet Red_Stormcrow
All Star
noneoftheabove ichrimo rusantra wolfgirlhowling SnowbunnyPhotography
Superior Skill
KS_Ramirez A_MindfulMillennial JMaxwell RoseMarieCarter
Genius
Juliamclean

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5 Comments |
sweetpea72
 
sweetpea72 April 16, 2014
Love this!! :)
SnowbunnyPhotography Platinum
 
SnowbunnyPhotography November 20, 2014
I love this. Very creative. :-) Voted! Good luck. :-)
RoseMarieCarter
 
RoseMarieCarter December 14, 2014
This is gorgeous! Makes me want to go buy a macro lens!
ThruHim
 
ThruHim December 14, 2014
Spectacular!
fila4
 
fila4 December 14, 2014
My very most favorite! Excellent!

Submitted to Photo Contests

Tags

#Arkansas #fungus #mushrooms
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Behind The Lens

Location

I live on ten acres in the wooded hills of NW Arkansas. I take all of my photos of lichens and fungi while wandering around on our land observing the tiny world.

Time

I took this photo moments after a spring storm had rolled through. The clouds broke, and the golden hour came shining through.

Lighting

I like to experiment with unconventional ways to get light on my tiny subjects. I use 2 flash lights and a hand mirror to create ethereal and moody lighting for my woodland subjects.

Equipment

I shot this with a Canon Rebel T3i with a 100mm f2.8 macro lens. I stabilized my camera on a small bean bag to facilitate the relatively slow shutter speed.

Inspiration

I love moss beds. I love lichens. I especially love pixie cups. I can spend hours exploring 12 square inches. I was looking for an opportunity to photograph these tiny lichens under perfect light. When the day of spring rain moved out, I knew it was my moment.

Editing

I process with Lightroom and for this shot it amounted to a panoramic crop and slightly decreasing my highlights to bring out the sunbursts glinting off the water droplets. I also used the radial filter to isolate the two main droplets and increase clarity within each.

In my camera bag

Lens hood, bean bag, lens cleaning supplies, flash lights, hand mirror and a 50mm lens and a wide angle lens.

Feedback

I am always reluctant to give advice to other artists. I break a lot of rules and take my own path to macro photography. I will say that for me, approaching my subjects as minature landscapes instead of singular objects was an epiphany. I like tiny apertures and slower shutter speeds. This approach necessitates a tripod or a beanbag to avoid any sort of camera shake. I also use the 2 second timer or a remote shutter release for the same reason. Through experimentation I have found that the depth of field issues inherent with macro photography can be worked out by paying careful attention to composition. I try to set up my shots so that the "wow" part of my subject is in the foreground, and the leading edge of it is where my focus point should be.

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