azkatrose

Cereus3

I took this photo of a Night Blooming Cereus, aka "The Queen of the Night", at Tohono Chul Park, a little desert oasis north of Tucson. These cacti look like d...
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I took this photo of a Night Blooming Cereus, aka "The Queen of the Night", at Tohono Chul Park, a little desert oasis north of Tucson. These cacti look like dead gray spiny sticks most of the year, but most of them, in early summer, and only for one night, bloom and display beautifully, plus have a lovely smell. Took this one July 2014.
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NIKON D3100

settings

Aperture f/5.3 ISO 1600 Shutter 10/300 Focal Length 1600/10

upload_date

Jul, 2015

Views

212

Likes

+17

Awards

Staff Winter Selection 2015

Superb Composition

+11

Absolute Masterpiece

+11

Top Choice

Outstanding Creativity

Peer Award

Top Ranks

Top 30 rank week 1

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Top 30 rank week 2

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Top 30 rank week 1

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Thank you!

It's beautiful! I love the shadows on the petals.

Thank you! And thanks for looking at it here on viewbug!

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Behind The Lens

Location

A small local desert nature preserve/park that started as a ranch - Tohono Chul Park, northwest of Tucson It contains a HUGE variety of Sonoran desert plants in various zones, including the largest private collection of Peniocereus Greggi - Night Blooming Cereus, aka Queen of the Night cactus, which normally only blooms one night a year, and only for a few hours. For reasons not completely understood - one theory is a chemical communication as they approach "opening night" because they have a strong & wonderful perfume - the majority of them bloom the same night. They also "stall" regularly, so there is no predicting bloom night until the day of bloom. The park announces it that day, & remains open late that one night, and for a small fee visitors can photograph the various flowers.

Time

I took this one around 9pm. My husband held a flashlight directly overhead and I took several from different angles, but this was my favorite because the flower itself, including the lacy parts of the center, stand out so well.

Lighting

I wanted to try lighting directly above it, as well as below, behind, and to the side. My husband held a flashlight directly overhead and I took several from different angles, and most were interesting, but this was my favorite because the flower itself stands out so well, the center part shows lacy shadows, and you can't see the attached stem at all. Seems almost like the flower is floating in the dark.

Equipment

Since I was walking in a dark desert area at night, I wanted to keep it simple & light weight so I could keep my eyes on the path/trail. (There are snakes & other creatures in the park at night.) I used my Nikon 3100, handheld, bumped up the ISO a little, and did not use a flash - I did not want any of the background to show in the photo.

Inspiration

I was fascinated with the idea of a beautiful perfumed desert flower that only blooms at night, and only one night a year. That year I researched some suggestions for night shots of flowers, and finally went to the yearly event prepared to try to capture images of some of them. Several of the photos came out nicely, and I've returned almost every summer (altho the event has become very crowded). THIS is still my favorite photo of those flowers.

Editing

I don't use much post-processing, and don't have any special software other than a couple of programs that came with my Windows computers. (I know I should invest in some software & learn more, but I mostly prefer a natural look - "This is what it looked like.") The main post-processing I do on any, including this one, is a bit of cropping, and sometimes lighten shadows or darken too-bright areas, or enhance the colors just a little.

In my camera bag

Now I mostly use a Nikon 3400, and carry the 18-55mm and the 70-300mm lenses. I also carry an extra battery (lesson learned...), extra lens cover (I have a bad tendency to drop/lose them), a microfiber cloth, a small foldup tripod, the wireless remote, a holder for the polarization filter, and an extra SD card.

Feedback

As with so many photography opportunities, research and then practice if you can, to be confident you are prepared. Don't be afraid to experiment a little with settings & equipment for the fun of exploration but also to continue learning. On the other hand, don't expect perfection in every photo you take - most of us take more "throw away" photos than great ones, and that used to discourage me until another photographer shared that bit of knowledge with me.

See more amazing photos, follow azkatrose

azkatrose

azkatrose

Cereus3

I took this photo of a Night Blooming Cereus, aka "The Queen of the Night", at Tohono Chul Park, a little desert oasis north of Tucson. These cacti look like d... Read more

Behind The Lens

See more amazing photos, follow azkatrose

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I took this photo of a Night Blooming Cereus, aka "The Queen of the Night", at Tohono Chul Park, a little desert oasis north of Tucson. These cacti look like d...
Read more

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