The Lightness of being
Jan, 2017Views
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Behind The Lens
Location
The photo was taken in a field not far from where we live. A week later, the field was bulldozed to make way for cluster housing. I am thankful that I did not postpone taking this shot.Time
This was taken in April 2014, late afternoon, on a dreary day with some light rain and weak sunshine every now and again, not the kind of day I like photographing!Lighting
The lighting varied between dreary and soft and bright when the sun managed to break through.Equipment
I used a Nikon D50 with a 100mm macro lense, set at a wide aperture for a shallow depth of field. The use of a reflector (a crumpled piece of silver foil) helped to throw some more light back onto the flowers.Inspiration
Rather than making a literal document, I wanted to emphasize the delicate beauty of these snowdrops, strengthened by the soft lighting.Editing
I processed the RAW image using Adobe CS5. I added a little more density and selectively sharpened some areas in the final image.In my camera bag
Typically I would opt for a 50mm, 70 - 200mm, 100mm Macro as well as a wide-angle. From time to time I would use a reversal ring on the 50mm for macro shots, but thus far the images have not proven satisfactory. I also carry a camera "raincoat" when on hikes away from home. I am not fond of using my tripod and prefer a beanbag. When shooting flowers I use an emergency blanket to protect my clothes and gear. On occasion (in Namaqualand) I was lying flat on the ground trying to photograph flowers in the wind. When I got up I was amazed to find hordes of photographers in their cars with their binoculars trained on me! They all wanted to know what I was photographing . . . !Feedback
Be patient. Never postpone taking any image, disregard weather conditions and do the best under the circumstances with the equipment you have. Shoot in RAW to retain all possible data.
