Wet N Wild
morning rain drops on cactus leaves
morning rain drops on cactus leaves
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Jun, 2015Views
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Contest Finalist in 800 Water Droplets Photo Contest
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Behind The Lens
Location
This was an opportunity shot , as i was out and about just after a rain shower and came across a well drenched cactus garden in my neighbourhood. Opportunities for great shots are often right in front of us and yet we miss them, thinking about something else on a grand scaleTime
It was an early am walk so sunlight was still low and gave everything a perfect cover of emerging sunlight , and at same time kept much of the area in darkness , thus highlighting the plant in focusLighting
as mentioned , it was great time of the day , and probably one of my favourite times , and I generally look for neat photo opportunities whilst out walking . Its a soft , yet sharp light, enough to not need any flash or adjust ones settings at all,Equipment
at the time , i had my old trusted work horse with me , my Fuji HS50. I take this with me often , mainly as it has stood me well in most of my tougher outdoor work , especially surfing and sports shots, given its focal length , and although limited on F length through the range, it manages to capture great images for me. In this shot , it was just a hand held one , without any other support such as a tripod. Generally dont take one if just out for a morning wander and so relied on some good balance at the timeInspiration
inspiration to me , comes form looking at objects differently and looking for that special something , which is not always easy to describe , but rather how one's eye sees something at the time. I think the combination of the light , the moisture from the rain , provided that inspiration to take the shot , and took several at the time , all form slightly differing angles. There was a feeling of magical light,m, softness of the rain drops whilst the danger from the thorns on the side, providing a strong contrastEditing
no post production on this shot , as it pretty much came out exactly as i wanted it . Not a big fan of post production , an at all times allow the camera to do my work for me , relying on the basics , using light and colour of the subject to create what is neededIn my camera bag
my bag is quite varied due to the differing shots i take given that ranges from sport through to landscape and even fashion shows and portraits , so very varied . Putting 2 Sony pro video cams to one side, my main cameras are my Fuji X-T1 , armed with their 10-24mm lens, the 18-55mm and the 55-200mm lens. This gives me a good spread for much of what i do , then throw in the HS50 compact , as that has great range at 1000mm and yet still good at macro end. There is also my Fuji F660EXR and its underwater housing which i use for my water surfing shots and any other " water " activities. Having a couple of the new Gopro's , I also fashioned a fitting to sit on top of the Fuji underwater housing to add a Gopro , so i can cover all options whilst in the surf and generally never miss a shot because of the set up . So that pretty much makes up the kit , however 2 drones add to the final tally , providing the aerial reach as well.Feedback
I am often asked why i take the images i do , and always reply with the same response.... look for the different , look for the view someone else might not see, and try for the wow factor. With almost everyone owning a good camera be it a compact , mobile phone or DSLR , millions of images are taken hourly around the world and then tweaked ( and many times badly ) in various software suites. So look to the unique, get down low , lie flat on the beach , shooting the seaweed in the sunrise light , despite the funny looks you will get , because it could just be the shot that will make your image stand out from the massively ever growing crowd. Shoot the usual standard stuff if you know its what a client needs or has requested but otherwise go out on a limb and try something new very day
