Where The Red Fern Grows
Sep, 2014Views
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Winner in Ferns In Forests Photo Challenge
Topaz Labs Software
Contest Finalist in Patterns In Nature Photo Contest
Contest Finalist in Textures Photo Contest
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Behind The Lens
Location
I went to the Arboretum in San Francisco in search of interesting plants to photograph, and came across this gem.Time
This was shot at around 3 in the afternoon. I walked by these ferns earlier in the day but the light just wasn't quite right. I came back about 4 hours later and shot the image then.Lighting
When I came back at 3 in the afternoon, the sky was beginning to get a bit overcast, which softened the quality of light. The soft light helped by eliminating harsh shadows and bright highlights.Equipment
I used my Nikon D2X with a Nikon 24-70mm f/2.8 lens. This was handheld at 1/13th of a second.Inspiration
I loved the texture of the ferns, themselves. It almost seems as if each leaf had stitching sewn into them. I love the patterns that ferns make, very textural! What attracted me most to this image was the red fern growing amongst the green ferns. Just the very juxtaposition of the contrasting color fascinated me.Editing
I brought out the detail using the Detail Extractor filter in Photoshop CS6. It also brought out the details that were hidden in the shadows. The colors were a bit muddy so I vamped the saturation to bring out the brightness of the colors.In my camera bag
I no longer have the D2X, but have replaced it with two Nikon D800's. I also carry with me a Nikon 24-70 lens (my "go to" lens for most of my shooting needs. I carry a Nikon 14-24mm lens and a Nikon 70-200mm lens. I will sometimes have a Nikon SB800, and will sometimes carry extension tubes and macro focusing rail.Feedback
When shooting flowers and plants, I usually carry with me a "clean the scene" kit. It bugs me to see a beautiful flower image that has dirt, dead leaves, spider webs, and other garbage that detract from the beauty of the scene. The kit will contain a blower (I use a lens blower/brush combination), several soft brushes, a variety of tweezers, toothpicks and skewers, anything that will help clean the scene. I will also take a spray bottle with a solution of 1 part water with 1 part glycerin. The glycerin will prevent the water from drying up while you shoot. The solution looks just like water droplets but takes much longer to dry out.
