Christmas Colors
My Diana and I were meeting her sister and husband for brunch. We were waiting for them to arrive and of course I am always with camera in tow. Weather was over...
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My Diana and I were meeting her sister and husband for brunch. We were waiting for them to arrive and of course I am always with camera in tow. Weather was overcast and lots of dew all around. No tripod. grabbed this shot sitting on a bench backwards.
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Dec, 2016Views
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Awards
Top Shot Award 22
Contest Finalist in Red Color In Nature Photo Contest
Peer Award
Outstanding Creativity
Top Choice
Absolute Masterpiece
Superb Composition
Magnificent Capture
All Star
Superior Skill
Emotions
Impressed
Top Ranks
Top 20 rank week 1
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Same photographer See allBehind The Lens
Behind The Lens
Location
I took this photo outside a Joe's Crab Shack restaurant in Rancho Cucamonga, California. My Diana and I were meeting her sister and husband for brunch. We were waiting for them to arrive and of course I am always with camera in tow. Weather was overcast and lots of dew all around. No tripod. grabbed this shot sitting on a bench backwards. No tripod.Time
This was taken late morning on an overcast day in December.Lighting
I love to pick up background light and found that this rose was in the perfect spot behind the bench we were sitting on. It was an overcast day but still enough light to pick up some detail in the dew on the petalsEquipment
This was shot on a Canon 7D mark II with my trusty Canon 60mm macro. I was sitting backwards on and hanging over the edge of a bench. No flash or tripod but I was propped against the backside of the bench. Odd body position but it worked.Inspiration
We were just waiting for my brother and sister in love and I get antsy. I can't sit still. It was December and there was moisture in the form of dew everywhere. A small garden was right next to the bench outside the restaurant. There were spiderwebs and flowers all over with the perfect dew/light combination to make it look like my Diana and I were sitting in the middle of a field of diamonds. I couldn't NOT take photos. I was compelled and drawn. There was little choice.Editing
I cropped this closer than the original shot so that I could really highlight the drops and the reflections that were captured in the drops. I added some detail and clarity to one of drops that shows the sky and a palm tree in it's reflection. Just a little messing about with saturation and shadow but mostly untouched.In my camera bag
On this particular day, I was traveling lite. Just my camera with the macro lens. I was out with My Diana and I did not want to have a bigger bag than she was carrying because we were meeting our family for brunch. Normally, carry extra batteries, and memory, a macro and a wide angle lens. When I am shooting macro, I carry a ziplock bag full of uncooked kidney beans. It makes for a great and flexible base for macro shots close to the ground.Feedback
Change your focus. Take a moment to take in the scene from a few different angles. I like a lot of blur. So find out where you want your point of focus so that you draw in the viewers eye. Be mindful of background. I purposely was looking for the contrasting green in this shot against the red. Play with shadows. Take multiple shots at a few different aperture settings to find your sweet spot. Work with steady hands and as low of an ISO as you can get away with. You can crop closer and not have to worry about noise. Lose yourself in the moment and enjoy the shot.
