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Jan, 2016Views
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Same photographer See allBehind The Lens
Behind The Lens
Location
I took this shot while visiting my aunt who lives about 1 hour north of Detroit Michigan. She spends much time and effort creating her beautiful gardens. Being from Southern California, we lack the lush green, vibrant, colorful flower gardens.Time
The morning sun radiated beautiful light, but it was filtered by the tall trees in the background. By the time the sun fully illuminated the area it was too bright, so after a few days of just enjoying the beauty I had to get into the dirt and get some shots.Lighting
The morning light was too filtered by the trees and the other tall flowers to capture of the details of the beautiful flower focused on, so I used an off camera flash to get in close. In this particular garden the best light was in the morning since the rest of the day either flat with too much light or completely shadowed.Equipment
I used my Canon 5D Mark II and a 100mm lens set on macro. The flash was set on a stand triggered by a wireless remote. It took several tries to get the flash strength and exposure adjusted. When shooting flowers I like them wet so usually use a spray bottle or a mist from nearby hose.Inspiration
Morning light inspires me every day no matter where I am. This beautifully backlit garden come to life and danced with color. The flowers begged to be seen more intimately.Editing
Since this shot was pretty straight forward, the post processing was minimal. I just lightened a bit and slightly increased color saturation. Even though I do post process, I prefer to create my images and adjust the equipment while I'm shooting to achieve the desired effects. Many photographers shoot in raw, but I primarily use JPEG for my type of work. By the time I make all the adjustments and save in usable file, the image just didn't give me what I was looking for.In my camera bag
I keep my equipment in a flower computer bag so it looks less like camera equipment. After having several Canon SLR's, (and passing them down to family), I just use Canon 5D mark ii. I most often use the Canon L 24-105 followed by Canon wide L 17-40. I carry 2 off camera speedlite flashes. Even though I use the Canon Speedlite, I prefer the Neewer flash because its easy to adjust the strength it doesn't go to sleep when used off camera while costing about 1/10th as much. I carry shutter release cables, Neewer Conkin series graduated ND filters, Cowboy Studio remote speedlite trigger, batteries, and a small flashlight. I always keep a sturdy tripod near at hand but don't carry in bag. Secondary equipment is the Canon 100mm which takes miraculous shots for getting in close and longer zoom lenses. Those just aren't versatile enough to carry all the time.Feedback
It's all about perspective. Look and shoot from all angles. Get in close. Use your flash and polarizer to cut undesired glare. Move the flash to different angles and consider using more than 1 flash. Get dirty!
