Beautiful blossoms
I was just playing around with my new camera in the front yard.
I was just playing around with my new camera in the front yard.
Read less
Read less
Mar, 2016Views
957
Likes
Awards
Action Award
Zenith Award
Legendary Award
Lucky 3 Award
Member Selection Award
Spring Selection Award
Top Choice
Superb Composition
Absolute Masterpiece
Outstanding Creativity
Peer Award
All Star
Superior Skill
Top Ranks
Top 30 rankTop 30 rank week 1
Top 30 rankTop 20 rank week 3Top 20 rank week 2
Same photographer See allBehind The Lens
Behind The Lens
Location
This was taken in my front yard. I am a passionate hobby photographer and I just love taking out pictures of everything around me - even weeds like dandelions and blooms such as this peach blossom. My hubby is the gardener in the family. He just has the knack of making plants thrive. Me - on the other hand, I keep the blooms alive through my photos :)Time
This was taken in the late evening one Spring in 2015. When my hubby was working on the pond area in our front yard, I was walking around with my camera and practicing taking shots of the new springtime blooms around me. It was my first DSLR which I'd received three months earlier as a Christmas gift from my husband and kids. They know that I love taking out pictures and it was a wonderful surprise to receive it.Lighting
Since it was late evening, there was still some good lighting. We live in the south. I was new to learning photography. All the years prior, I was taking snapshots. When I got the DSLR, I wanted to not just take snapshots but photos and to learn about photography. That day, I had my camera on manual and was playing around with the different settings to try to get a good photo straight out of the camera. For this picture, the ISO was at 800, the shutter speed at 1/1600 and aperture at 5.6.Equipment
This photo was taken with my only DSLR, a Canon EOS Rebel T3, using an 18-55 mm lens with no flash nor tripod.Inspiration
Spring is one of favorite time of the year since new blooms are budding out everywhere. There is something about new growth that lifts the spirit up. New growth signifies new life and a promise of the future. The day I took out this photo, I was walking around my yard to take out pictures of the flowers and trees around me. We have a large yard. In fact, we have a total of one and a half acres of land. The peach tree was in bloom and the lovely pink blossoms were a sight to see. I wanted to capture their beauty.Editing
I was still learning about DSLR at the time of this photo but I did have Photoshop. I used it along with alien skin to help tweak the exposure and sharpening.In my camera bag
Since I only have one DSLR, it's the Canon EOS Rebel T3 body with 18-55mm lens, 75-300mm lens and 50mm lens. I do have a Canon EF 85mm f.18 USM but use that to play around with portraits. I always make sure and keep my lens cleaner packet in my camera backpack along with a lens hood, shutter release, battery charger, extra memory cards, uv and polarizing filters. Though I do not lug around a tripod (a Dolica Proline) most of the times, I do have my Dolica monopod which is lighter to carry and less bulky.Feedback
Though I am not a professional photographer, I am very passionate about photography. I try to learn as much as I can from videos, tutorials, books, online courses - both free and paid. I still have so much more to learn. The main advice I can give is to know your camera, read the manual and get to know the features of your camera. Always be aware of the lighting- whether it is harsh, speckled, diffused etc. Shoot in manual since you have more flexibility this way. If possible, shoot in raw. Know what you want to be the main subject and focus on it. For this photo, I wanted to capture only the blossom rather than the tree itself. I got close to it without shaking the branches. Get the correct metering. One thing to get better shots is to have the correct lens. I probably would have done a much better job using another lens but you do the best with what you have. The more you practice, the better you get. It is sort of like driving a car. You cannot drive a few times and get good at it. You have to know your car (some brakes you just tap to stop while others you have to press harder), get the feel of it and soon it becomes second nature to you.
