Mourning
Aug, 2012Views
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Behind The Lens
Location
This photo was taken in the comfort of my own home. (Escondido, CA)Time
We had recently purchased the camera and were eager to get out and try it out. Unfortunately this day was very cold and rainy, so taking my new equipment outside was the last thing I wanted to do. Instead, I noticed that the flowers I had brought home for my wife looked really nice all by themselves without the need of a landscape. I set them up on my computer desk and began using the flash and focus to bring out the details in each focused pedal.Lighting
I felt that in order to convey the feeling this flower was giving off, it's most dramatic curves needed to be highlighted. Since these curved were mainly found in the pedals I focused in on the nearest petals to me, bringing out the most detail in them even if it meant blurring out the ones in the back. I felt that if the pedals in the front were highly focused and illuminated, they would help convey the feeling on behalf of the rest of the flower.Equipment
I shot this with a Canon EOS REBEL T3i , using flash and these settings:f/1.8, 100 ISO, 1/60th ExposureInspiration
The purpose of this shot was to capture an oxymoron in the form of sad emotion given off by a beautiful flower. Usually sunflowers are associated with summer, happy, and the sun. However, the lack of sun and enclosed environment teamed with the "sad" look of this sunflower gave me the perfect oxymoron to work with. This beautiful sunflower is in mourning.Editing
I was happy with this shot as it came directly from the camera, no post processing necessary for this one.In my camera bag
For any serious photography I make sure to bring along my Canon EOS REBEL T3i, one extra charged battery pack (just in case), a lens cover to avoid bumps/scrapes and finally some wipes to clear the lens of any debris. So basically.....the bare necessities.Feedback
My biggest advice to capture something similar is to go through the different focus possibilities for any given shot. Meaning, when you have the shot you think you want in your viewfinder, go ahead and give the focus a spin. Sometimes you will be pleasently surprised to find that what was out of focus, would actually work better in focus and vice versa.
