Saw-sedge
Sometimes simple ideas work well. This Saw-sedge is growing on the edge of our dam. I wanted to capture the way the leaves fell. Depth of field enables a plea...
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Sometimes simple ideas work well. This Saw-sedge is growing on the edge of our dam. I wanted to capture the way the leaves fell. Depth of field enables a pleasing pattern to emerge.
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May, 2015Views
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People's Choice in Unique Lines Photo Challenge
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Behind The Lens
Location
This photograph was taken on our property in Central Victoria, Australia. We have 15 acres of native bushland. Moving here three years ago, everything was new to me. I first began to photograph plants to identify them. Before long, I became drawn into the varied forms of the leaves and flowers: how the plants changed throughout the seasons. Soon I was trying to capture the beauty of each plant.Time
On the second-last day of Autumn, I set out mid-afternoon to document the colourful fungi which were growing everywhere. We also had the first smattering of the winter flowering Australian Terrestrial Orchid leaves covering the ground. Most of these were tiny, so I spent quite a bit of time at ground level looking through bushes. This shot was taken some time between 2 pm and 3 pm.Lighting
I had tried to photograph the Saw-sedge leaves before, from a standing position, looking across a tangled series of tufting plants with long unruly leaves. It always looked like a mess of dark green. On this occasion I was squatting on the ground, looking for orchid leaves. I remember glancing up and realising that from this angle, the leaves looked a completely different colour - a beautiful clear light green. The light was soft. I could see through the arc of each leaf, and I liked the contrast of the new leaves and the dying leaves.Equipment
I use a Cannon EOS 550D with a Tamron lens. When I am photographing fungi and orchids I use a very small tripod to steady the camera, and try to get it as low to the ground as possible. I would have held the camera to take this shot.Inspiration
Over the last two years I have been experimenting with the concept of Tonal Landscapes, which use a limited colour palette with very strong shapes and lines. While the shot was taken on the spur of the moment, as a break from fungi and orchids, the lines of the leaves caught my eye. I thought there was a good chance it might turn out to be an interesting Tonal Landscape image.Editing
When I realised I was taking photographs as an art form rather than just to identify plants, I spent a lot of time trying to capture the lighting and the colours when I took the shot. I saw it as a failure of technique to do post processing. I have not done any post processing on this photograph. In relation to post-processing, I am just beginning to realise that I can achieve interesting effects by making slight adjustments, or dramatic ones. This is something I am still learning.In my camera bag
My camera bag is a tote bag with an image of bright yellow Guinea Flowers on each side. This is a photograph I took a couple of Springs ago. Inside the bag are two tripods - one with extendable legs and the other a tiny tripod for orchids and fungi. I also carry my Tamron Macro lens with me. Sometimes I carry my phone, which has a bird-call app on it. I find that if I have the Macro lens attached to the camera, the birds do dances in front of me. If I have the right lens on my camera, I don't even see a bird.Feedback
The Tonal Landscape images which work best, for me, are photographs with angles and movement. In this photograph, I like the way the leaves take my eye from the bottom right of the photograph to the top left. The two parallel leaves cutting vertically through all of the angled lines divide the image into two sections, but also draw attention for their brighter colour. The depth of field allows the eye to see angled lines disappearing into the distance. I experience this photograph as an abstract image.
