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cdhollingsworth

Magnolia In the spotlight

Aug, 2013

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323

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+14

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Top 30 rank week 2

Behind The Lens

Location

This photo was taken in Bardstown, Kentucky. I was still a relatively new DSLR shooter and was practicing depth of field.

Time

I've always heard that photographers shouldn't shoot mid-day in bright sun, but that's when I'm usually out when I'm on vacation rather than specific photography excursions. This was taken just before noon. I tried to be cognizant of the bright light on the white petals so that it wasn't blown out.

Lighting

In addition to care that I wasn't blowing out the whites, I still wanted to capture some detail on the branches and the darker background.

Equipment

This was shot on a Canon Rebel T3i with an EF-S18-55mm f3.5-5.6 lens at 49 mm, handheld. 1/200 sec., f/9, ISO 100, no flash.

Inspiration

Spring in the south is so beautiful and we were on a meandering, whatever-attracted-our-attention vacation. The beauty and wonderful aroma of the magnolias in bloom is something I don't see in Indiana. I wanted to capture the white whiteness of the petals with the hint of yellow peeking through, but I didn't want to loose the fact that it was nestled in this puzzle-work of branches that the sun kissed. I loved the almost perfect symmetry of the petals and the way that they weren't bent by laying on a branch.

Editing

I did minimal post-processing in Adobe Photoshop Classic by cloning a few spots of clutter out from the background to isolate the blossom. Sharpening was applied.

In my camera bag

In my bag I carry a Canon EOS Rebel T6i mounted with a Canon EF 100mm f/2.8 macro lens, and a Canon Rebel T 3i mounted with a Tamron 18-400mm F/3.5-6.3 Di II VC HLD lens. I seldom use flash, but have recently received a Canon Speedlight to learn to use. Each camera wears a UV filter at all times, and I use variable ND filter often. I travel with my 3-Legged Thing "Travis," for long exposures.

Feedback

My best advice is to not neglect to stop. Just stop. Look around; look back; look up; look down. See with your eyes then with your heart. When something tugs at the heart, listen to your heart until you know what attracted your attention, then you'll know it will attract your audience as well and can frame your photo. Take time. Take multiple slightly different versions -- it's amazing what little shifts in perspective can do to an image when you then view in out-of-camera. Don't be afraid to do post-processing to remove distractions. Always sharpen and remember to enable profile corrections for best results.

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cdhollingsworth

cdhollingsworth

Magnolia In the spotlight

Behind The Lens

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