The Weeping Aquilegia...
Columbine ~ Aquilegia vulgaris
Columbine ~ Aquilegia vulgaris
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Jun, 2015Views
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Behind The Lens
Location
I took this image of a Columbine (Aquilegia vulgaris) which was flowering in my garden at Waterfall, KwaZulu - Natal in South Africa.Time
The photo was taken on 22 September 2011, (Springtime in the Southern Hemisphere), shortly after midday under the shade of a tree. I cut the flower and took it indoors as the wind prevented me from capturing a clear shot with my basic hand-held Samsung S1060 camera.Lighting
After pegging the flower stem to a bamboo skewer which I secured in a bottle, I set it up close to a West-facing window to make the most of the natural reflected side lighting. I placed a black non-reflective poster to act as a background and used a white card to reflect extra light from the window onto the flower. This highlighted the darker parts of the petals. The liquid drops on the petals are drops of glycerin strategically applied with an eyedropper.Equipment
The made use of a tripod but no flash. I set the camera at ISO 100 and F2.8 then captured the shot as a JPEG.Inspiration
I loved taking photos of flowers from the garden, especially of Clivias that I had grown and bred. I found the structure of the Colombine flower very intriguing with its contrasting colours and it's 4 long backward facing spurs. As with the photos that I had taken of the Clivias, I decided to add a texture layer to the photo to enhance the composition.Editing
The texture that I used was a free texture, titled 'Textura 77 # Holga', created by Anton Osolev. I had found that when a dark background is used when capturing an image, it was a fairly simple process to apply a texture layer using Photoshop CS3, as I only had this older version of PS. .In my camera bag
When leaving the house to take photoghaphs, I take a small lightweight fold-up tripod, my trusty camera, which has now been slightly upgraded to a Canon SX500 IS, a bean bag to steady the camera for slow captured shots and a black non reflective cloth and white or silver card. Oh yes!, I almost forgot. I almost always take along with me the most important piece of equipment - my dear wife. A most essential piece of equipment for holding, fetching and especially helping this old guy to stand up after lying prone on the groung to get a shot!Feedback
If one is always aware of one's surroundings, you will always be able to find subjects worthy of photography. Be prepared to look at all levels -Up, Down, In and Under - even if it means that you have to get down on the ground to see the facinating objects that can se found at your feet. It's not only the 'in your face' subjects that are picture worthy, but also unseen and overlooked things that abound all around us. If you see a flower that is lovely - or not - look more closely, look deep into it's depths, see the anthers, the veining, the small creatures that are hidden from your first glance... and then apply this scrutiny to everything you look at. You will be amazed at just how much there is to capture with your camera.
