Teardrops From Grandmo 2017
This is a bloom from my grandmother's favorite tree. She passed away in 2001 and it rained the other day when I took this shot and made me think of her and...
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This is a bloom from my grandmother's favorite tree. She passed away in 2001 and it rained the other day when I took this shot and made me think of her and that she was still looking after her favorite tree.
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May, 2017Views
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Behind The Lens
Location
This shot was taken at my home in Chipley, Florida. My Grandmother planted this Tea Rose bush years ago which became one of her favorite plants. Her love for plants and trees started from her early childhood from the early 1920's. She had a vast knowledge about them and could tell you if you could use it for health reason or if you need to stay away from it. She spent many our caring for this bush as well as many other plants that she planted over the years.Time
I took this shot about 2 hours after sunrise. I was actually out taking some close up shots of some of the tree bark on my property for texture overlays. A rainstorm had passed by about 30 minutes before I ventured out with my camera. As I was returning to the house I noticed the rose with the water droplets on it. I made me think of my Grandmother and how much she would have enjoyed seeing it as well.Lighting
Other than night shots, my outdoor shots for natural light I try to stick to 1-2 hours after sunrise or 1-3 hours before sunset. This is something that most photographers suggest when working with sunlight. Sometime you can stretch those time like in this case when there is a cloudy sky; yet, you need to remember that you will most likely get a "silver" tone with your shots.Equipment
This was taken with my ZTE Z717VL camera on my Citrine smartphone. As I stated above I was get some texture shots from tree barks, grass and concrete. I didn't feel the need to get out my main camera. No tripod, no flash.Inspiration
My Grandmother, no doubt. I am blessed to have the house that her and my Grandfather retired in. They retired in 1969, I was 5 years old and spent every summer and Christmas for the next 10 years enjoying them and this 5 acres of land. As I stated above, she planted many of these plants and trees that are still here to this day. When I see any of them in bloom, it makes a nice time to reflect on her, my grandfather and my childhood.Editing
Yes. This is a style I have been fine tuning for 3 years now. I refer to it as PIM ART style which stands for Portrait in Motion. Those of you that work with editors like GIMP, ON1 or Photoshop will notice it as Smudge Painting or Smudge Art. In my PIM ART I go through a few extra steps to prepare the image for smudging and then I use a copy of the original image with a heavy amount of Motion Blur to create the backdrop. For this image I decided to try and get the black back drop instead of using the Motion Blur to create the backdrop. I was pretty pleased with how it turned out. I probably spent about 6 - 8 hours working on it to achieve this look. For being my first time trying to lay a subject against a black back drop without cutting it out became a great learning lesson.In my camera bag
Right now I have my camera phone and my main camera is a Canon PowerShot SX100 IS. It is a simple point and shot camera; yet, I have been using it in complete manual mode and get some great shots with it. I have been wanting to get a nice DSLR from Nikon; yet, ever time I just about have the money saved up for it, something comes up that calls for my new camera fund. Nevertheless, I keep plugging away and I end up learning more more ways to maximize the use of both cameras.Feedback
The best advice that I have received for taking outdoor daylight shots are summed up below: 1.) Just after sunrise or just before sunset 1-3 hours will provide the best lighting for you. 2.) Tripod - utilize your tripod for taking flower shots. It allows you to focus on you subject. 3.) Pay attention to details in you composition. Take a good look at your subject and the area around it or behind it. If it is going to be in your photograph, make sure you are happy with it to start with. Change the angle if needed and/or move things out of camera view. 4.) Take your time. Take many shots at different settings and angles. You never really can tell if you have a great shot until you get it into your editor. 5.) Lastly and one of the most important lessons I learned from a wonderful professional, don't be afraid of the "Delete" button. Not everything you take will be golden. Weed out the bad shots and liberate your mind to focus on the really good shots.
