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lady bug VB11
May, 2015Views
2248
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Awards
Action Award
Zenith Award
Legendary Award
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Outstanding Creativity
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Magnificent Capture
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charlenecampbell-wood
November 29, 2017
My first awarded photo image of this beautiful lady bug. I love it!
Same photographer See allBehind The Lens
Discover more photos See all
Behind The Lens
Location
I took this picture in front of my home in Musqueam, BC. A little girl came up to me and asked me to take a picture of her lady bug. Not being a professional photographer and having this new Fuji camera, it took me quite a while to figure out how to get a tiny lady bug to focus....eventually I finally set the camera on macro and voila! A photo I named 'Lady Bryn' exists because the little girl's name was Bryn.Time
This is one of my first images that I am most proud of. It was early afternoon when I took this picture while this little girl was holding onto this flower with the lady bug on it.Lighting
I had no special lighting. Just a beautiful, bright, sunny, summer day in Musqueam.Equipment
I used a Fuji FinePix S 700, no tripod, no special lens, no flash; just tried to stand very still and hoped Bryn wasn't going to keel over because it was such a warm day. I now have a Nikon D5100 that I use more often when doing landscape shots, sunrises, sunsets, animals, hummingbirds, eagles and many, many river shots. I am learning something new about taking photographs every time I go out.Inspiration
The inspiration for this photo was the little girl with her flower and ladybug holding them very carefully in her little hands. Her older relative brought her to see me because I was out around our new home taking photos, trying out my first digital camera. I, of course, wanted to do this for the little girl. I kept trying to get the lens to focus so that I'd get a clear picture of the lady bug. It was a very warm day, and I wanted the little girl to get her picture but I also didn't want her to faint from standing so still for so long in the heat. I finally started looking at the different settings and got to the symbol with the flower and here it is! I had successfully taken the photo using macro setting. I was excited to see how the photo would turn out. It is one of my most popular photos. It is definitely my most memorable one.Editing
At first I lightened the photo and that made the ladybug look quite pale and dull, so I undid that and auto contrasted and the colors appeared as vibrant as they did while I was trying to take the photo. I am learning more about post-processing so that I can enhance my images to look the way I see them in my head. Sometimes what you see through the viewfinder isn't what comes out of the printer. I am having fun with Picasa editing right now. I've learned so much about noise, rule of thirds, and other special effects like HD, soft portraits, color boosters. I am also learning about the built-in filters of my Nikon. I have a lot to learn about how to make water look so smooth and creamy when taking waterfall photos and rushing water photos. I'm still working on that.In my camera bag
I always try to carry both cameras, Fuji FinePix S 700, batteries and my Nikon D5100, flash (just in case) and charger. I carry a tripod, flash, and my 'how to' booklet for the Nikon. I am sure as I become more familiar with my cameras I will be carrying a lot more photography equipment.Feedback
I am still learning. My first lesson was using macro. That is my advice. If you like to take detailed photos of insects, flowers, birds, learn to use macro! I've had no professional education or training in photography. So as I continue to take photos, I continue to learn how to take better ones. Living in Musqueam (Vancouver, BC), I am surrounded by beauty. We have the Fraser River, several beaches, horse trails, parks, mountains, wildlife, all within our reach. I just have to walk out of my front or back door and I am running in to grab my camera. Learn about what your camera can do! Don't be afraid of trying something new! If you make a mistake, take another close look at it. If you like it keep it; if not, take another until you like what you see through your viewfinder. Perhaps someone else will see the beauty that you cannot.
