One Flew The Nest
Dandelion seedling
Dandelion seedling
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Aug, 2014Views
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Behind The Lens
Location
I took this picture on my glass dining room table. It was a beautiful day and I saw the dandelion seedlings floating about outside in the wind then the idea came to me that this might make a wonderful shot so I decided to catch one of the seedlings and took it indoors, as it was windy I knew I couldn't take a shot outside.Time
I took the picture on a spring afternoon, around 3:00 PM.Lighting
In the background there is beer bottles of various colours, and not having any professional lighting equipment, I used 2 spot lamps and a torch for the lighting, this seemed to soften the subject to my surprise.Equipment
I shot this with my Nikon D3100, I used a 18-55mm lens with a x10 macro magnifier attachment on the end, I also used a tripod to keep the camera steady. I decided not to use my flash because the lighting I used softened the subject.Inspiration
I've seen these pictures of dandelions and their seedlings in the past and I thought they looked brilliant, so I just had to give it ago, I'm glad I did. I am very happy with the result as I did take quite a few shots experimenting with this seedling.Editing
I wanted something with a rippled reflection, like one you would see on the surface of water. So I opened the picture in Photoshop and used the flood filter and played about until I found a reflection I liked. I also tweaked the lighting a little in Photoshop to get the look I wanted.In my camera bag
My camera bag has grown a lot over the last year, I've bought an additional camera and many lenses, originally I only had a Nikon D3100, which is a very good camera for anyone who is starting off in photography, I love this camera as it works wonders even today. I also use the standard lens that comes with the D3100, the 18-55mm lens, this lens is amazing as I use it along with one of my macro magnifiers for many of my macro shots. I also own a Nikon D3200, a lot more lenses, and filters, I bought these a little later than the D3100. The D3200 is my main camera of choice at the moment, however the D3100 has taken some of my best shots, including this one. I own a few shutter remotes/triggers, these come in very handy when I am alone and want to do some shots with me in the frame. The lenses that I own include, 50mm 1.8f prime, 55-200mm, and a 70-300mm.Feedback
I'm self taught and still learning, its all about trial and error, and of course the lighting. I had to take many shots of this seedling, because when I would bend down to look through the viewfinder, a slight breath would send the seedling flying so I had to start all over again then hold my breath for every shot I took, which I took many of. As for the rippled reflection, I used the Flaming Pear Flood plugin in Photoshop, this is very useful for any water like reflections and ripples.
