CanonDLee

Cypripedium parviflorum

Yellow Lady Slipper in the Wild

Yellow Lady Slipper in the Wild
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Canon EOS 7D Mark II

settings

Aperture f/8 ISO 160 Shutter 1/80 Focal Length 200/1

upload_date

Jun, 2018

Views

733

Likes

+112

Awards

People's Choice in Unique Flowers Photo Challenge

Peer Award

+36

Top Choice

Absolute Masterpiece

Superb Composition

Magnificent Capture

All Star

Outstanding Creativity

Superior Skill

Emotions

Impressed

Top Ranks

Top 10 rank

Top 10 rank week 1

Behind The Lens

Location

On a slowly eroding embankment near the house I grew up in Minnesota. It is on the far side of the ditch down an unassuming little back country gravel road with state land on one side and private property on the other.

Time

Mid afternoon is when I got back there to capture this shot. During my first outing I did not capture what I wanted as I only brought my 100mm f/2.8 IS macro lens down the road with me.

Lighting

These little buggers like to hide among the ferns and quick growing ditch plants under the tree branches that tower over the road. This diffused lighting helped me balance the exposure a bit in otherwise unremarkable mid day light.

Equipment

I had my Canon 7DmkII with my 70-200mm f/4 on my tripod. The earth behind the flower was covered with smaller plants and a couple larger ones which were visually distracting, but perfect to prop up my cheap 4 in 1 light diffuser/reflector in its black baggy. That bag was dark enough and just big enough to clean up the background and make it stand out, while not damaging the habitat around the flower.

Inspiration

I had gone past this spot thousands of times over the years, that day I decided that they will finally be photographed.

Editing

Taming the highlights to get a more balanced exposure while still drawing attention to the form of the leaves was the primary goal. Adding contrast, clarity, and sharpening to the flower itself helped it pop and stand at attention.

In my camera bag

My back says too much. For lenses I almost always have my wide, standard, telephoto, and macro. My most used accessories that rarely stay behind are spare cards, blower, cleaning wipes for my glasses and lenses, Lee filter holder and a few neural density filters, and a spare battery. A small fist aid kit has come in helpful several times on trails.

Feedback

On routes you have been down a million times, just keep an eye open. Every single one will have something that makes them unique and are easy to overlook in day to day life.

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CanonDLee

CanonDLee

Cypripedium parviflorum

Yellow Lady Slipper in the Wild

Behind The Lens

See more amazing photos, follow CanonDLee

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