sunflower
Oct, 2016Views
451
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Awards
Fall Award 2020
Peer Award
Superb Composition
Absolute Masterpiece
Top Choice
All Star
Magnificent Capture
Superior Skill
Outstanding Creativity
Emotions
Impressed
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Same photographer See allBehind The Lens
Behind The Lens
Location
This was taken on a small table in my study.Time
This was in the evening in a partially darkened room.Lighting
The light was quite mixed with a bit from a street light through the window, some from a hall light through the door and mostly from an LED light box beneath the sunflower.Equipment
This was shot with a Nikon D850 from a Gitzo 3542LS tripod, an Acratech ball head with a Nikon 85mm tilt shift lens. I sprayed the water droplets onto the flower petals.Inspiration
It was winter and there had been nothing but dreary rainy weather. I found a bouquet of 5 of these sunflowers at the grocery. It was a hint of summer to come. The diagonal composition was inspired by having looked at many images on VB.Editing
The image was processed in Lightroom and NIK color efex. Color balance changes, and increased light on the base of the flower were the major changes. The low light increased the saturation and the lens and camera were great with the resolution.In my camera bag
I have in the bag I use for flowers the TS Nikon 85 mm, A Nikon 105mm Macro. I use a small spray bottle with water, a set of 20 inch reflectors, some soft plastic covered wire and a couple of clothes pens to work outside.Feedback
For indoor work it is best to keep it simple and work with any lights available to make the image stand out. If there are outside gardens, the light, wind, dew and best condition of the flowers will be from 15 minutes before sunrise for the next hour, or more if it's your lucky day. Vary the aperture as you work your subject. Often less depth of focus is more appealing especially if it simplifies the image. Avoid shadows as the lines of the flower are your interest, rather than the lines of the shadows. Don't give up. The more you keep working, the more your artistic and technical skills will improve.
