I have a couple of Agapanthus plants at my back yard, so I do not need to go far away to be able to take a photo of these flowers. The whole process since they ...
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I have a couple of Agapanthus plants at my back yard, so I do not need to go far away to be able to take a photo of these flowers. The whole process since they start to blossom until the flowers are completely flowered is very fast and the flowers are dead in a very few days.
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Behind The Lens
Location
This photo was taken in my backyard. One afternoon when the sun was bright and there were not any cloud in the sky.Time
It was around 5 p.m. I had been working the whole day at the computer and then decided to take a walk. I felt that I needed to take a photo, whatever, but I really needed it. The light was good, even without clouds, this area of my backyard is a little under shades.Lighting
As said the light in this area was good, neither excessive nor timed by the other plants or fence or whatever. In any case I was going to take the photo of the blooming flower only. I did not want to include any background to this photo just the flower. I chose one of the blossoms that started to open, set up the exposure in Aperture Priority, verified that the F number was low enough to give me a shallow depth of field, took two or three photos changing the framing and the distance for the subject to ensure that the photo was completely in focus.Equipment
To take this photo I used my Canon 7D with the 28-135 mm 1:3.5-5.6 EF IS zoom lens. Neither flash nor tripod were used. I still feel that I have a good pulse and that even using 1/60 s speed I would be able to take the photo without the tripod. Actually if somebody else was going to take the photo I would have recommended the use of tripod, but I decided to take the risk. Probably I am stubborn or just lazy to go and open the tripod.Inspiration
I love these flowers. Even they are not really very colorful, have not any smell, but I consider them beautiful. They last only very few days from the moment the blossoms apear until they become dry and die. I have taken hundreds of photos of the Agapanthus in my backyard and wherever I saw them, in special if it is at the stage of flowering. I like to take flowers but I like the background to be blurred or to make it disappeared completely in post-processing. In these case with the exposure chosen it was not necessary to do anything with the background.Editing
Yes, I did post-processing. First I did Camera RAW 12.2.1 of Canon and then I used ADOBE Photoshop. I tried not to over edit the photo and after I had made the adjustments, I inserted the logo and converted it into a sepia photo, this last something I have been trying lately because I like the antique or old effect of sepia photos.In my camera bag
I have a Canon 7D that is soon be 10 years old. I have the lens that was used for this photo the 28-135 mm 1:3.5-5.6 EF IS lens, I also have in my bag a 18-55 mm 1:3.5-5.6 IS II lens and a 55-250 mm 1:4-5.6 IS EF-S., Canon Remote Control, extra batteries, CF cards, extension tubes and an adapter for the 28-135 mm lens to invert it and use it as a macro lens that I am still trying to dominate. I have several tripods, one monopod and many filters.Feedback
Taking photos of flowers is not a very challenging thing. Nevertheless there are some techniques that mast be known and dominated, through practice and experimentation. As I always recommend it is important to practice, take pictures, post-process them and try different things until you are satisfied. At least this is what I do. The taking of the photo is really enjoyable, but the post-processing is also a very satisfying exercise. In the past I did not paid much attention to the post-processing, but now I am discovering new, different techniques every day and I keep learning. For me this is the secret behind excellent photos.