BW Flower-2564
Nov, 2017Views
338
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Awards
People's Choice in Growing Beauty Photo Challenge
Peer Award
Absolute Masterpiece
Same photographer See allBehind The Lens
Behind The Lens
Location
This photo was taken at the McCrory Gardens in Brookings South Dakota. This is a special place for me. The students of South Dakota State University plant and maintain the gardens as part of their education and as a way to give back to the community that supports the campus. There is a large variety of flowers and plants grown at the gardens, all native to South Dakota and identified by ornamental plaques telling the species and where you can find them in the wild. It is a labor of love for the students and a source of pride for the community.Time
I took this photo on a late Summer field trip with my family. We like to find places within driving distance to explore and practice photography as a family. It was late afternoon when I found this patch of wild daisies. Due to the beautiful shade trees surrounding the gardens, many of the flowers were well into the shadows, but this clump was sitting just right, so the sunlight filtering through the trees highlighted just the one daisy. I couldn't have walked past without taking a photo if I tried. It was like the sun itself demanded I photograph this delicate flower.Lighting
The sunlight was falling just right for this picture. All the surrounding flowers were in shadow, making the one lit specimen seem to glow in the late afternoon light. I couldn't have done it better in the studio.Equipment
This photo was shot using my Canon Rebel T6 and a 100mm 2.8 lens. Since I was on a field trip with my kids, I wasn't carrying a tripod. I shot it at an aperture of 2.8 and an ISO of 100.Inspiration
Though I love photographing many things, flowers are my favorite subject. They have all the beauty of wildlife without the mobility to run out of the frame. No matter how many photos I have of a particular type of flower, I am helpless to walk by without taking the shot.Editing
There was some post processing on this photo. I tweaked the exposure just a bit as the bright sun was creating a little highlight cropping and I transferred it to black and white using a Lightroom preset as a base. I further manipulated it by opening the shadows a bit and taming the highlights.In my camera bag
Depending on the purpose of the field trip, I carry a few basics in my bag. For a trip to the gardens, I always carry my Canon Rebel T6 and my 100mm 2.8 macro lens. I usually tuck my 50mm 1.4 lens in as well, but stick to the macro as much as possible. Sometimes I carry a small spray bottle full of water as well, for those times when I think dew drops would add to the scene, but there is no dew to be found.Feedback
When photographing flowers, I cannot stress enough how beneficial a macro lens is. Using your manual focus will help you choose which part of the flower you want in focus when shooting with a wide aperture. I usually shoot with my aperture as wide as possible, causing the eye to travel across the flower to the part of the plant that I find most beautiful. Though fantastic photos can be created in all kinds of light, I prefer direct sunlight on the plant, as it can really make the flowers seem to glow and bring them to life in the shot.
