Amaranth Resting
This is the amaranth resting in my Turkish spice bowl. I used my Altura super macro lens to photograph its beautiful essence of being, even as it is slowly, yet...
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This is the amaranth resting in my Turkish spice bowl. I used my Altura super macro lens to photograph its beautiful essence of being, even as it is slowly, yet gracefully dying. There is so much we can learn from plants about being better people, by being there for others.
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Jan, 2019Views
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Behind The Lens
Location
I photographed the amaranth in my casita’s kitchen near the corner of Santa Rita and Adams Street, but I found the amaranth on the side of Mission Road, on the way to San Xavier del Bac, in Tucson, Arizona.Time
The sun was setting right above the roof tops and trees. So it must have been 4:30pm late fall to early winter.Lighting
Lighting is key to a good photograph, aside from knowing where to stand, as Ansel Adams used to quip. I always photograph nature or natural scenes at dawn or dusk. I photographed this particular scene of the amaranth resting in the bowl as the sun began setting right above the tree line.Equipment
At the time, I only used my Canon EOS Rebel 6 by itself with an ISO of 3200 on the manual setting.Inspiration
The photo, Amaranth Resting was a Kodak moment I wanted to capture. It represents the beauty and grace Mother Nature has, always, no matter if she vibrantly alive or dying slowly in a plant that has been picked or severed by natural forces. I found this desert amaranth while photographing a Saguaro cactus on the side of Mission Rd in Tucson, AZ where I live. It was lying on the ground, dying, but vibrant in color. I picked it up and wrapped in a handkerchief I had with me. I took it back to my little casita and laid it with the drying mint, rosemary, and rose petals I had in my Turkish bowl. It graced my black cat Isa’s and my kitchen for many more months with vibrant colors. In fact, after I moved into a small house and yard I bought a year later, it still has some color now that we have lived here in our new home for two years. I have the deepest respect and admiration for Mother Nature. She humbles me and inspires me every day.Editing
The only thing I did in addition to taking the photo, is add a darkening vignette around the edges.In my camera bag
I usually carry my FujiFilm X-T3 with me, but occasionally have my older Canon Rebel EOS 6 too. In addition I carry an extra battery, filters, a diffuser, cleaning cloth, a zoom lense for my Canon, a tripod, and some trail mix and water in or alongside my old camera bag, my grandfather gave to me 23 years ago.Feedback
To photograph anything in nature, you should photograph at dawn or dusk , or close to dusk mostly, unless you are looking for a high noon effect. I recommend that you also bring a tripod, since you want to have stable photos (non-blurry) photos. That is especially so when it is gusty, breezy, or cold outside. Heat can also affect your equipment, so be sure to put your camera bag into an insulated plastic cooler (w/out the ice, of course), if the temps go over 90 degrees and you know you will be out for a while. Practice breathing while taking shots too. Breathe in, click the shutter and hold the breath, until you know the shot was captured. This is what I do to get stable photos, when I do not have my tripod nearby.
