Spring in Washington
Oct, 2015Views
357
Likes
Awards
People's Choice in Tree Flower Blossom Photo Challenge
Superb Composition
Love it
Outstanding Creativity
Top Choice
Peer Award
Top Ranks
Top 20 rankTop 20 rank week 1
Top 30 rank week 1
Top 20 rankTop 10 rank week 2
joycealicesmith
February 23, 2016
Love the perspective of this!! Congratulations on your well deserved People's Choice win!
PRO+
sundowngaited
February 23, 2016
Congratulations! I really like your background. I can almost feel the soft petals. The lines with darker hue really make it come alive
Same photographer See allBehind The Lens
Behind The Lens
Location
This was taken on the National Mall in Washington DC, right behind the Smithsonian. We were there to shoot the cherry blossoms, but they had not started blooming yet. I caught this explosion of color coming from behind the Smithsonian and was naturally attracted that way.Time
I shot this at the worst time of day to shoot.... Normally.... It was shot at 1 in the afternoon, but I was able to utilize the shadows off of the other blossoms to create the mood.Lighting
When shooting in natural light, people always focus on the items that feature light. In this photo, it was utilizing objects that created shadows that brought the proper mood.Equipment
This was shot with a Nikon D60 utilizing my 70-200mm during midday sun.Inspiration
Since I was in DC to shoot the cherry blossoms, I was naturally drawn to the color pink. In the Japanese Magnolia garden behind the Smithsonian, I found this overwhelming immersion in color. I started shooting and found myself captivated by the shape of the magnolia blossoms and had to do a quick macro shot. I found the right tree, with the right shadowing so that the background did not detract from the subject, and shot the shot.Editing
Post processing was very minimal. I found that the picture was very close to what I wanted from the beginning, so I added a hint of saturation and a touch of contrast to bring the subject forward more, but other than that, what you see is what I saw.In my camera bag
When shooting outdoor random shots, like this day, I normally pack for flexibility and mobility. I carry my Nikon D60 with the 70-200mm lens and a Nikon D3100 with a 35-70mm lens. This allows for quick choice of focal length. I also carry my Neewer 43" reflector, 3 macro filters (+1, +2, +4) and one of my NW-985 speedlights.Feedback
Do not be afraid to use objects around you to create the mood you are looking for. Use shadows as much as you use light. Where you don't have shadows to minimize lighting on objects, bring in a black reflector to cast the shadow in the proper direction.
