Droplet on flower petal - unedited
Jul, 2016Views
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Behind The Lens
Location
I took this photo in the favourite gathering place of our home … our kitchen … where the sun’s morning rays pour in through the big picture window and lights up the entire room.Time
This shot was taken mid-morning on a Sunday in late September.Lighting
I really enjoy playing with natural light, which happens to tie in well with my passion for macro, nature and landscape photography. My favorite times to shoot are the early dawn hours and again at dusk, when mother nature provides that extra amazing dose of ambience that you just can’t get with any other type of lighting. For this picture, which was taken indoors, I was able to take advantage of the natural light coming in through our big picture window.Equipment
This was shot on a Canon Rebel T4i with a Canon EF-S 60mm 2.8 macro lens, my old tripod and, lastly, a spritz bottle to add a few water droplets for special effect.Inspiration
Several years ago my husband started a wonderful tradition of putting together his own unique bouquet of flowers and presenting them to our daughter each year on her birthday. Last year’s bouquet was an exceptional collection of roses, lilies and multicolored gerber daisies that were enhanced even further by the sun’s rays shining through the window the morning I took this photo. Seeing how wonderful the flowers looked in the light, I just had to grab my camera to see if I could capture some of that beauty through my lens.Editing
This is an “as is” shot with no post-processing. I often refer to myself as a photography purist in that I very rarely, if ever, edit my images. As I move from amateur to professional, however, I can see that I will most likely need to start applying post-processing techniques to further enhance my images so that I can better compete in the marketplace.In my camera bag
If I had to choose only one lens, it would be my Canon EFS 18-135 as it is so versatile. Having the benefit of owning a large camera backpack, I also normally have my Canon EFS 60mm macro, Canon 75-300mm and Sigma 20mm wide angle lenses, my Kenko extension tube set and my Plamp (which helps me to keep those wily flowers steady for that ultra close up shot). My Canon 100-400mm zoom lens gets to jump in the bag as well, but only on those occasions when I am heading out to capture that elusive bear or landscape shot, as this lens adds so much weight to my bag (and my back!).Feedback
I guess you could call this my “stop and smell the flowers” approach. I typically try and take at least a few moments to first walk around and view the broader surroundings of my intended subject with the naked eye before I get behind the lens and narrow my target. I have found that this approach not only gives me the opportunity to gain different perspectives and identify other subjects, it also increases my ability to capture shots that are more creative, unique and interesting all at the same time.
