Spring Flower
Jul, 2013Views
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Behind The Lens
Location
I captured this photo in my front yard in Newbury Park, California. Newbury Park is a suburb about an hour north of Los Angeles.Time
This particular image was of the first photos I had captured that was particularly moving and effective. I captured this photo in a slightly shaded region in the late afternoon. The afternoon light was a bit harsh in general but the shade helped soften it up and reduce its intensity.Lighting
Since I photographed the flower in a rather unique manner (shooting beneath the flower rather than above it) the harsh light was further reduced since it wasn't hitting the underside of the flower directly.Equipment
I used a Canon 7D with a 100mm f/2.8 macro lens to create this image. There wasn't any other equipment involved.Inspiration
I often view other people's photos for inspiration. All the photos of flowers that I viewed were of a similar perspective in that they focused on the flower from above. In order to create an image that was rather unique, I decided to lay on the ground and photograph the flower from below with the sky as the background. It actually took me about two to three different attempts on different days to capture this image.Editing
This image only received basic adjustments to exposure, highlights, shadows, whites, and blacks using Adobe Lightroom's basic panel. A medium amount of sharpening was also applied. Finally, some small blemishes were removed from the image as well.In my camera bag
It really depends what type of subject I am going to be photographing. Personally, I try to force myself to pack lightly and bring no more than two lenses on the majority of my shoots. As a result, I am forced to create images with the tools at my disposal and it forces me to think creatively and outside the box. That being said, my favorite lens is a Canon 16-35mm because I photograph landscapes most often and I constantly find myself loving this lens. My other go-to lens is the Canon 70-200mm lens because of its versatility. For macro or nature shots, I love the Canon 100mm because it's easy to use, sharp, and relatively cheap!Feedback
Generally speaking, I try to alter perspective in order to create a unique, compelling photograph. In order to create an image like this, make sure you have a shutter speed where you can hand-hold the camera because the majority of tripods will struggle to get low enough to be beneath the flower. Don't be afraid to pump up the ISO although shooting with plenty of light will make it so you don't need to increase the ISO substantially. Most of all, stay patient and tenacious in attaining a photo like this. It might take a couple of attempts to get the shot you really want.
