Electrified Daisies
A bouquet my wife received for her retirement party
A bouquet my wife received for her retirement party
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Jun, 2015Views
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Behind The Lens
Location
It was a Sunday evening on January 4, 2015, when I decided to make this photo. I used my living room as a makeshift studio. January's are pretty cold here in New Hampshire so I made sure that I had a fire burning in the wood stove. The light from which also added some intrigue to the final photoTime
This was one of my early examples of a still life photo and any excuse to take a photograph was good enough for me. It was made on January 4, 2015 at 7:12 pm. It took me two hours to finish making the photograph in camera.Lighting
My idea to make this photograph was to instill a little bit of drama and intrigue in the final shot. In lighting the scene I decided to bounce a TTL flash unit and to use side lighting to highlight the edges of the petals and at the same time to diffuse the not so robust parts of the flowers.Equipment
My camera of choice at the time was a Canon T3i (600D) with a Canon EFS 70-250 kit lens. The aperture was F8 with a focal length of 79mm and an ISO of 100. The bouquet was placed on an office chair which provided a black backdrop. A tripod and a remote timer were used to make the shot.Inspiration
I gave a floral bouquet to my wife for her retirement. After a week it began to wither and I knew it wouldn't last much longer. I wanted to preserve it as much as possible as it was a beautiful arrangement. I thought, what a better way to do this than to photograph it and commit it to print to be enjoyed for many years to come.Editing
I did some post processing in Lightroom, reducing the highlights and slightly increasing the shadows. I brought up the saturation to enhance the overall tonality and did some noise reduction and sharpening. Finally I ran it through Topaz Glow to give it that "electrified" aura.In my camera bag
Cameras have come a long way since the days of my Canon T3i. I now shoot with a mirrorless Sony A7R IV and a Sony GM 24-70mm lens. Also in the bag is my Canon T3i with three lenses, 50mm, 18-55mm and a 70-250mm. So that I can use my Canon lenses on my Sony camera I have a Metabones EF to Emount adapter. Both cameras have battery grips and I carry spare batteries in the bag. I have a remote controller for both cameras. I have a 82mm polarizer and a 58mm one. I have an array of filters for both cameras. I also have the usual gear such as lens cleaner and wipes , a lens pen, and brush.Feedback
Plan ahead. Have all the necessary gear readily available. Setup in a quiet area with sufficient electrical outlets available. An assistant is always nice to have to help with the lighting and arranging the subject while you're busy with the actual camera work. Post processing software is necessary. I use Lightroom and Topaz. Have fun and good luck!
