Look Again...

Daffodils arranged by Constance Vanides (f/9 1.6s 17mm)

The wonderful thing about digital photography is the ability to quickly experiment. It's great for those learning photography, and it's even more fun, I think, as you push your craft and grow your expertise. But with all the instant gratification of digital, it's too easy to be in a hurry.

Every type of subject poses its own challenges. I am constantly amazed at how relaxing still-life photography can be - and how this opens up opportunities to "look again" at the subject.

The daffodils above, for example, were placed on a table with a sweep of white paper to eliminate the "horizon" of a backdrop. It was lit with two sources - the north-facing window to the left of the setup, and with a flash unit covered with a diffuser, hand-held high and to the right to fill the white backdrop. I intentionally selected a slow ISO speed so I could get a LONG exposure time, giving me time to manually trigger the flash while the shutter was open. It took a few tries, but like I said, that's the beauty of digital.


But that was just the beginning of the fun. How else could I capture "daffodils"? what else was there to see?

(f/8 1/6s 100mm Macro)

A classic "two-daffodil portrait" was a fine starting point, but I didn't think it was very inspiring.

(f/9 1s 100mm Macro)

With the same backdrop, I wanted to see what a quarter profile would look like. I intentionally left the whitespace on the left, in case I wanted to make a poster or greeting card with words (cropping is always easier than enlarging the canvas!).

(f/6 1/25 100mm Macro)

Moving even closer, the subject stops looking like a classic daffodil, and starts looking more like an undulating water creature. Closer still, and a surprise emerges:

(f/8 1/2s 100mm Macro)

I had never noticed before that the stamen of the daffodil has a 3-"leaf" center feature. I'm no botanist, but I'm sure it serves a purpose.


I just wouldn't have ever noticed had I not taken the time to "look again"...


  
____________

Photo Tip: It goes without saying that when you get this much magnification with a macro lens, vibrations can easily ruin a shot. A tripod is a must, and I highly recommend that you also:

• Lock up the mirror before you shoot; better yet, if your camera has a combination mirror lock and LCD preview with zoom, you can fine-tune your focusing AND get the advantage of reduced mirror shake
  
• Use a remote shutter release; if you don't have one, use the timer on your camera (I used a 2 second delay, which was enough to make sure the camera and tripod stopped vibrating after I pressed the shutter)
  
• Select a mid-range f-stop; if the f-stop is too open, focusing is really difficult as the depth-of-field is VERY shallow in situations like this. With a mid-range f-stop, you have more of a chance of getting key areas to be in focus (if that's what you're trying to achieve).