Showing posts with label flowers. Show all posts
Showing posts with label flowers. Show all posts

Friday, July 19, 2024

Flowers enshrine my heart between their petals....

Flowers enshrine my heart between their petals....
All photos are copyright Joseph S. Valencia, All Rights Reserved. They may not be used in any way without express written permission of the photographer. If you wish to use any of the photos you may contact the photographer at valencia32photo@gmail.com

Click on any image to see full-size - opens in a new tab.

Flowers enshrine my heart between their petals; that's why my heartbeats love them so much - Munia Khan

Flower Photography

My Front Yard

This year we decided to try1 turning our front yard into a pollinator garden - good for pollinators, good for the environment, and good for my photography. We had some flowers bloom but, overall, it didn't work out. I was able to get some images before we mowed everything down and will consider a saparte blog post for them in the future.

We have quite a few ferns growing in the flower beds, and I have made many images of them; Fern Arch is one of my favorite images. I know there are many different ferns, and their bracken relatives, but I have no idea which this may be. If anyone reading this knows it's name, please let me know in the comments below or via email.

The orange daylily shown here has been growing at the end of my driveway for the last few years but I forgot all about it because the azalea was doing a good job of hiding it. 😉 I was on my way back from getting the mail one afternoon when it popped out and flagged me down. I went out the next day but it was looking a bit beat up but there were more buds getting ready to shine. I checked one day and found this beauty. These are focus stacked macro images made using extension tubes in the form of my Vello Macrofier3 and edited using my "dark and moody" flower preset in Lightroom.

My Porch

My wife has a green thumb and is growing a variety of plants on our front porch, giving me a lot of subjects to chose from. These four (4) images are just a small glimpse into what I have captured over the last few years. In reality, the front porch has been a great source of inspiration since I began working from home at the onset of the Great Pandemic of 2020.

Yakkety Yak is a Spotted Dead-nettle (Lamium maculatum) that has growing in two (2) porch rail containers for a few years now. I enjoy following the life-cycle of this plant and trying to get as close as I can to capture all of the fine details and the color is so vibrant. The best part about having this plant in the rail planter is that I don't have to get down on the ground; getting down isn't a problem but getting back up could be entertaining to see for anyone watching.

Dark and Moody Tulip and The Heart of the Tulip are both the same potted Orange/Red Tulip that my wife brought home one day. The day I made these images it was rather windy so I brought the plant inside, using our picture window as my sole light source. One of the biggest hurdles with flower photography, especially macrophotography, is battling wind. There are times when I go outside and don't feel even a hint of a breeze but, upon magnifying the image on the back of the camera to focus I can see there is enough to make the flower sway.

The Ready to Strike, a Purslane plant, is the most recent addition to our porch collection. This is a plant that I had never seen before but my wife grew up with her grandmothers growing it. While the blooms are quite beautiful - vibrant red with a yellow center - I happened to see this leaf one afternoon while exploring the best composition for a macro image of a blossom. When I saw this in the viewfinder I saw a snake getting ready to strike. I tried to get a bit more light on the stem but not sure the image would be better, or worse, had I been successful.

Deep Cut Gardens

My wife and I love going to Deep Cut Gardens, there is always something there to see. We will usually start in the parking lot (where else?) and take the walkway past the Koi Pond, make a quick stop in the Visitor Center, and then down the stairs to the Rose Partarre. Depending on the weather, and what is blooming, this could take a while. There is a beautiful Japanese Maple tree that I have been trying to get a good image of but so far, I have come up short. I am determined that some day I will come home with a winner.

The last time we visited I went straight to the greehouse. This proved to be a great idea but it sure was hot! One of the biggest advantages of the greenhouse is, of course, there is no wind to contend with but it is also usually fairly empty. The greenhouse has a variety of orchids growing, this White Moth Orchid is one of my favorites. The orchid is one flower that begs to be looked at closely - the black and white macro image shows why. To me, it looks like a bird (or a moth, maybe) swooping in to capture something in it's claws. The black and white treatment really brought out the "eyes." The black and white conversion was done with Nik Controls Silver Efex Pro 2 as a plug-in in Lightroom.

The Echeveria gibbiflora (I think I have identified it properly, if not please let me know) was the first thing I saw entering the greenhouse; I'm not sure if I have ever photographed a succulent before that day but they are certainly on my radar now. It isn't hard to see how Mother-of-Pearl" plant, aka Ghost plant, got it's name; with it's pale leaves it is a stark contrast to the Echeveria.

The images here are just a small sampling of what can be found in the greenhouse and a very small percentage of what you will see at Deep Cut Gardens. For more information about Deep Cut Gardens, you can check out their website - here - or one of my previous posts shown below.

Random Images - not really flowers

I have a couple more images that I really like but they don't necessarily fit with the "flower" theme. If I am being honest, I am adding this section so that I can use this quote that has been sitting in my quotation database for a while.
The difference between a flower and a weed is perspective. - Christian Baloga
For years I watched my father, and our neighbors, laboring to rid the lawn of "weeds" - dandelions in particular. When I bought a house of my own I started out doing the same but have since seen the light. I have captured many images of weeds over the years and will continue to do so. One of the benefits, other than having subject matter, is that many are beneficial plants for pollinators. I never understood how many self-identified "environmentalists" I have met are the same ones killing off the weeds. 😒

I am overjoyed when I find a dandelion that has gone to seed, the detail is incredible. Normally I will only stop and look at those with a "full head" but this particular one seemed to grab me by the ankles and not let me walk by. Perfection is so over-rated.

The Japanese Honeysuckle was made while on a scouting excursion along the Secaucus Greenway with a friend. The boardwalk entrance is found within Mill Creek Park in Secaucus and I thought there may have been a sunset composition somewhere in the park or on the boardwalk. I had stopped to check a potential composition and just happened to look down - that is when I found this honeysuckle growing on a downed log about six feet below.

These two (2) images are great examples of why we - photographer or not - need to keep our heads on a swivel, looking all around, up-and-down while we are out in nature. You never know what you are going to find.

In Closing....

I hope you have enjoyed seeing small parts of the world through my lens and hope I have encouraged you to slow down and enjoy the natural world around us.

  1. We tried to create a pollinator garden but, unfortunately, it didn't work out. We are going to try again next year.
  2. The Heart of the Tulip was made using Vello Macrofier3 with my 18-135mm zoom @ 135mm.
  3. See Still-Life Macro Photography with the Vello Macrofier and Product Review: Vello Macrofier for Canon EOS (UPDATED!) for information.
  4. Wishes in Waiting was made with the Vello Macrofier and Canon EF 75-300mm f/4-5.6.

If you enjoyed this post, please do me a small favor and share it with others. You will find buttons for many of the popular social media platforms at the bottom of this post. Thank you!

    Technical information (unless otherwise specified):
  • All images were made with a tripod, unless specified otherwise
  • Camera: Canon EOS Rebel T3i (crop sensor - 1.6 factor)
  • Lenses: Canon EF-S 18-135mm f/3.5-5.6 IS
  • Tripod: MeFOTO Roadtrip Classic
  • ISO 100
  • Manual Exposure and Manual Focus
  • All focal lengths are as-recorded - the full-frame equivalent in parenthesis.
  • Shutter tripped with wired shutter release, unless handheld.

All photos are copyright Joseph S. Valencia, All Rights Reserved. They may not be used in any way without express written permission of the photographer. If you wish to use any of the photos you may contact the photographer at valencia32photo@gmail.com
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Location: New Jersey, USA

Saturday, July 23, 2022

Backyard Discoveries: Hosta

Backyard Discoveries: Hosta
All photos are copyright Joseph S. Valencia, All Rights Reserved. They may not be used in any way without express written permission of the photographer. If you wish to use any of the photos you may contact the photographer at valencia32photo@gmail.com

Hostas

This is my third "Backyard Discoveries" blog post and there is at least one more coming, that one is about ferns. I know, it's unfair that I should tease but you'll just have to wait patiently. 😁

I have known about the hostas in the flower bed, they have very distinct leaves, but don't remember seeing the long stalks with blooms on them before. I guess I never paid much attention or thought they were some other plant. Now that I have discovered them, I have been trying to document their growth when the weather allows me to spend time outdoors.

I am going to keep this post uncharacteristically brief and just let the images speak for themselves. The images were all made in the early-to-mid afternoon, for some I used a large diffusion panel held at arms length to lessen the harsh light.

In the case of the last image, Hosta Bloom #3, I decided to give it a warmer tone, similar to what one would expect around sunset.

If you enjoyed this post, please do me a small favor and share it with others. You will find buttons for many of the popular social media platforms at the bottom of this post. Thank you!

    Technical information:
  • Camera: Canon EOS Rebel T3i (crop sensor - 1.6 factor)
  • Lens #1: Canon EF-S 18-135mm f/3.5-5.6 IS
  • Lens #2: Canon EF 75-300mm f/4-5.6
  • Tripod: MeFOTO Roadtrip Classic
  • ISO 100
  • All focal lengths are as-recorded - the full-frame equivalent in parenthesis.
  • Shutter tripped with wired shutter release.
  • Diffusion panel/Reflector: Selens xyz" diameter

All photos are copyright Joseph S. Valencia, All Rights Reserved. They may not be used in any way without express written permission of the photographer. If you wish to use any of the photos you may contact the photographer at valencia32photo@gmail.com
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Location: Neptune Township, NJ, USA

Tuesday, May 31, 2022

Beauty in a Parking Lot

Beauty in a Parking Lot
All photos are copyright Joseph S. Valencia, All Rights Reserved. They may not be used in any way without express written permission of the photographer. If you wish to use any of the photos you may contact the photographer at valencia32photo@gmail.com

Roses

"What's in a name? That which we call a rose by any other name would smell as sweet." - William Shakespeare (Romeo and Juliet)

I was in the parking lot of a local supermarket the other day waiting for my wife to finish her shopping. I was parked next to a "divider" with various bushes in it; among the bushes I found the beauties. I will freely admit that I am not very knowledgeable about plants and flowers but concensus seems to be that these are hybrid tea roses - specifically Adolf Horstmann.

As is often the case, the first thing I did was take out my phone and fire off a few images. The camera has a macro-mode so I used that and got in close. The first image shown here is from the phone, edited using Lightroom for Mobile on my Samsung tablet. I am always impressed by how good the images are coming from the phone, I wouldn't want to make a large print but they are nice for sharing online.

The rest of the images were made with my DSLR, as listed in the section below.

I quickly set up the tripod, attached my remote release, and mounted the camera. Quickly was key; one of the biggest obstacles in flower photography is wind and I could feel a slight breeze starting to blow. The closer you get to your subject, the more pronounced the problem. Of course, one way to combat movement is with a fast shutter speed but it was a cloudy, late afternoon and there was a lot of dark green to contend with. I don't like boosting my ISO beyond 400 and even that is a last resort. This meant working quickly, while at the same time being patient - sometimes having to wait a while for the wind to stop.

“We are all dreaming of some magical rose garden over the horizon instead of enjoying the roses blooming outside our windows today.” – Dale Carnegie

I ended up with about a dozen different images of three (3) different blossoms; not bad considering I was leaning against my car and didn't move more than about five (5) feet the whole time. It is amazing what you can find if you just take the time to stop and smell the roses. 😃

I'm sure most of us see the plants growing in, and around, parking lots but how many actually stop to look at them? Do we notice but not really see them? What is the most unusual place that you have made images of flowers? What is the most unusual place you have made any image? I would love to hear your story in the comments below.

You can see more images from this photo session by visiting my Instagram - @Valencia32Photo.

If you enjoyed this post, please do me a small favor and share it with others. You will find buttons for many of the popular social media platforms at the bottom of this post. Thank you!

    Technical information:
  • Camera: Canon EOS Rebel T3i (crop sensor - 1.6 factor)
  • Lenses: Canon EF-S 18-135mm f/3.5-5.6 IS
  • Tripod: MeFOTO Roadtrip Classic
  • ISO 100
  • All focal lengths are as-recorded - the full-frame equivalent in parenthesis.
  • Shutter tripped with wired shutter release.
  • Aperture-priority was used for all exposures used in this post
  • Information in parenthesis after exposure settings indicate "exposure compensation" setting, if used

All photos are copyright Joseph S. Valencia, All Rights Reserved. They may not be used in any way without express written permission of the photographer. If you wish to use any of the photos you may contact the photographer at valencia32photo@gmail.com
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Location: Ocean Township, NJ, USA

Saturday, May 14, 2022

Backyard Discoveries: Azaleas

Azaleas
All photos are copyright Joseph S. Valencia, All Rights Reserved. They may not be used in any way without express written permission of the photographer. If you wish to use any of the photos you may contact the photographer at valencia32photo@gmail.com

Azalea Japonica

1/30 sec @ f/5 - 200mm (320mm) - Lens #2

It was two (2) years ago that I published Lily of the Valley closely followed by Backyard Discoveries here; I also published My COVID-19 Backyard Boredom Project on my other blog. This blog post is a continuation of the project.

Capturing the Images

I live in a neighborhood where everyone has a mailbox at the end of their driveway, most with small flowerbeds planted around them. We have daffodils and a clematis planted in our bed and I often find myself sitting in the street setting up my tripod during various stages of the daffodil's life. I can only imagine how entertaining it must be for any neighbor watching as I try to stand up. 😉 😄 The other side of the driveway has two (2) small shrubs (I forget the name, but they are some type of dwarf shrub), the azalea bush, and an evergreen tree that grew up out of nowhere. I never really paid much attention to that side of the driveway but something caught my eye the other day and I am glad it did.

I noticed the red petals of the azalea against a dark green background, and wondered how many times I have looked at them but never really saw them. I ran (okay, I didn't run, I slowly walked) into the house, put the mail on the table, grabbed my gear and headed back out. It was an overcast day with a bit of a breeze making it challenging to get sharp images - I like to keep my ISO at 100 whenever possible, going as high as 400 if I have to. For those blooms in deep shadow I used a large aperture in order to keep the shutter speed up, something I usually don't do with flowers. The limited depth of field turned out to be a good thing in many of the images, would you agree?

The next day I was back out to the azalea bush again, the sun was out and there was almost no wind. The images used here were made over this two-day period.

Processing the Images

When I started my digital photography journey I shot exclusively in JPEG, mostly because I didn't understand RAW but also because I wasn't a firm believer in Photoshop. I was of the opinion that it was "cheating" and felt that way until a friend brought up Ansel Adams. Ansel was not only a master photographer, he was a master printer; spending hours perfecting the print with dodging and burning, along with other techniques. I realized that Photoshop, and Lightroom, were digital darkrooms and that it was okay to use them.

The majority of my post-processing is done in Lightroom, the only image in this post that saw any Photoshop work is the first one - that is actually a two-image focus stack that was blended in Photoshop after some editing in Lightroom.

Ordinarily, I would open up the shadows, bring down the highlights, bring up the "whites", darken the "blacks" and then do some fine-tuning of the overall exposure, contrast, vibrance, etc.... That was my "standard" editing workflow for quite some time; about the time of my "backyard discoveries" project I started modifying how I edit my flower images and I couldn't be happier with the results.

I start in the Calibration panel by tweaking the Red Primary, Blue Primary, and Green Primary saturation - I don't do anything with the hue or shadows in this panel. It is then that I go up to the Basic panel setting my white balance and then using "auto" to see what Lightroom thinks the image should look like and give me a jumping off point. This is the point that I start to deviate from my "normal" workflow.

Now I darken the overall image, especially the shadows. I use masking - often a radial filter - to work on my subject, brightening it up, opening up some of the shadows, bringing up some vibrance and fine-tuning the contrast. Depending on the image, I may then duplicate this mask, invert it, and further darken the background while decreasing saturation. I like the way this isolates the subject and creates a moody feel to the image. I have the RAW image, as-well-as the finished image, shown here so that you can see the difference.

The Rest

You can see more images from the two days I spent shooting the azalea bush by visiting my Instagram account - specifically here and here. You can see some other examples of this editing technique here and here.

If you enjoyed this post, please do me a small favor and share it with others. You will find buttons for many of the popular social media platforms at the bottom of this post. Thank you!

    Technical information:
  • Camera: Canon EOS Rebel T3i (crop sensor - 1.6 factor)
  • Lens #1: Canon EF-S 18-135mm f/3.5-5.6 IS
  • Lens #2: Canon EF 75-300mm f/4.5-5
  • Tripod: MeFOTO Roadtrip Classic
  • ISO 100 (unless otherwise noted)
  • All focal lengths are as-recorded - the full-frame equivalent in parenthesis.
  • Shutter tripped with wired shutter release.

All photos are copyright Joseph S. Valencia, All Rights Reserved. They may not be used in any way without express written permission of the photographer. If you wish to use any of the photos you may contact the photographer at valencia32photo@gmail.com
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Location: Neptune, NJ, USA

Sunday, November 1, 2020

An Afternoon at Deep Cut Gardens

Deep Cut Gardens

When you take a flower in your hand and really look at it, it’s your world for the moment. I want to give that world to someone else. Most people in the city rush around so, they have no time to look at a flower. I want them to see it whether they want to or not. - Georgia O’Keeffe
I took a much needed day off at the end of September and spent the day with my wife. For the first time this year we had lunch at our favorite diner, All Seasons Diner in Eatontown, and then, after a quick detour, headed for Deep Cut Gardens. We love going to the park but don't get there nearly as much as we would like. A Thursday afternoon seemed like a great time to go but there were quite a few people there, including at least four (4) other photographers and more than a few women with young children. If you aren't familiar with Deep Cut Gardens, you can check out my earlier blog post - Parks of Monmouth County - Deep Cut Gardens - and I will provide further links below. I will also provide some links to photographs on Instagram featuring Deep Cut Gardens - I encourage you to check them out and follow them. I do!

The walkway from the parking lot around to the Koi Pond is now lined with beautiful fall colors, replacing the tulips that thrive earlier in the year. This flower bed changes thru the year - the last time we were here the Park Rangers were digging up tulip bulbs and giving them away. We will have tulips next year! I have to admit, I spent a while scoping out this bed and trying a number of compositions but nothing really clicked except for the zinnia shown here. It happens sometimes; there is so much going on and I jump from one thing to another like a kid at Christmas. I must make a conscious effort to slow down and work a composition properly. The good news is that, after all these years, I can still get as excited about photography as I did more than 45 years ago when I first fell in love with it.

Soon there were three (3) other photographers vying for space; it was time for me to move on. When I turned the corner to the Horticultural Center I was struck by these incredible golden spires, beyond them were bright red ones. These Celosia (see Celosia on Wikipedia) are simply magnificent. I made a few images before moving on to the “Main Event” – the Sargent’s weeping hemlocks and Parterre. The hemlocks are such beautiful, and surprisingly fragile, trees; we stopped to speak with Ranger Don who told us that the limbs sometimes must be supported in the winter if enough snow builds up on them. That is one reason why climbing, or sitting in, the trees is prohibited.

There is a wonderful series of waterfalls & ponds nestled within the trees; perfect for a bit of long exposure photography. I reached for my Ice 72mm CaNDi-5 Solid ND 1.5 and Circular Polarizer Filter (5-Stop) to help cut the glare and provide me with a bit more latitude for my exposures. Each of the three (3) ponds have their own charm so I set out to capture each, trying exposures ranging from about 1/3 second to 2 seconds. I have included my favorite image here – to see the others, along with more Deep Cut Gardens images, check out my Behance Project - Deep Cut Gardens. It was right about now that my wife, I was there with my wife – remember, caught up with me. We sat on one of the benches under a tree to rest a bit. You see, when we go to the park, we tend to go our own way at times. She has her interests and I am like a butterfly moving from one composition to another. She uses her phone to capture and edit images and has become quite good; I would even say that she can out-shoot me some of the time. Don’t tell her that, it will be our little secret. It doesn’t take long before something catches my eye and I am heading towards the Parterre.

The roses are mostly gone now but a few blooms remain, I used a couple of them to frame the pergola. Yes, I purposely have them out of focus…. No, I’m still not sure if it “works.” What do you think? Let me know in the comments. The destination was the pergola or, more specifically the flower beds in front of the pergola.

I thought the flower beds were a great opportunity, much like the flower beds in the parking lot. I tried focus-stacking an image using the front of the beds as a leading edge. I still believe there is an image there somewhere, but I didn’t find it that day. I did come away with a few individual blooms – the images here represent the best of them. I find myself attracted to the warm end of the spectrum when it comes to flowers which is a double-edged sword. They are strikingly beautiful but also rather difficult to photograph well. They tend to fool the camera’s meter and tend to be under-exposed. If you compensate too much they get washed out and look funny.

I did manage a few images of the red zinnias that are in the pergola flowerbeds, as you can see. I think I am doing better but need more practice; I suppose I am going to have to keep going back to Deep Cut Gardens. 😉

We decided to go back to the car by way of the greenhouse and Display Garden. This turned out to be the best thing I did all day; it brought me to the Japanese Hairy Toad Lily. I had never seen one of these before and I was captivated by it. Up to this point there was virtually no breeze at all but now that I wanted to get close, and these are on a long, thin, stalk, a slight breeze started. It was almost imperceivably but when I magnified the image to focus, you could see it moving. This flower is going to get a lot more attention whenever I go to the park.

The last stop was the Display Garden where I got to visit with a few of the locals, including a little Garden Fairy! The garden is a fenced in area filled with raised beds growing flowers, vegetables and herbs. Interspersed among the plants you can find some garden gnomes – a few of which I have here.

If you enjoyed this post, please do me a small favor and share it with others. You will find buttons for many of the popular social media platforms at the bottom of this post. Thank you!

All photos are copyright Joseph S. Valencia All Rights Reserved They may not be used in any way without express written permission of the photographer. If you wish to use any of the photos you may contact the photographer at valencia32photo@gmail.com
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Location: Deep Cut Gardens, 152 Red Hill Rd, Middletown Township, NJ 07748, USA

Sunday, May 31, 2020

Backyard Discoveries

The "Project"

Today is May 31st and I have been working from home since mid-March. I mention that because it is the reason I started my "Backyard Boredom Project" and if anything good has come of this pandemic, this is it. During this time I also found the following quote:
The goal is not to change your subjects, but for the subject to change the photographer. - Unknown
This project has definitely had a positive affect on me as a photographer. You see, most of my photography over the past few years takes place on my way to the office, during lunchtime hikes at one of the parks by the office or on my way home from the office. I will also take a break during a stressful day to walk around the office building and parking lot looking for something to point the camera at. Can you see a pattern? Add to this the fact that the parks all over the state were closed down for a number of weeks and I was left with my yard. I have written a companion piece titled, My COVID-19 Backyard Boredom Project on my other blog.

My Yard

I have about a half acre of land at the end of a cul-de-sac with woods one two sides, it is nice and quiet with plenty of trees and wildlife. My wife enjoys gardening and has planted quite an assortment of trees, shrubs, flowers and plants over the years but I've never really explored them before now. I usually get a few good images of daffodils we have planted around the yard but not much more than that. The past couple of months have changed that and a whole new world has opened up right outside my door.

I find that just having the camera in my hand can help improve my mood, it often leads to random shutter clicks with no "keepers" but a dramatic uplift of spirit. I was having a particularly bad day "at the office" and grabbed my camera, determined to find something. That first afternoon didn't result in any good images but it did give me a lot of ideas and avenues to explore. I decided to make it a point to get outside with my camera at least once a day, challenging myself to find print-worthy images. The next day gave me this dandelion.

The Lily of the Valley image has started another aspect of discovery for me. This time I was sitting on the front porch steps, camera in hand, looking for something to catch my eye. We have flower beds on either side of the porch filled with Lily of the Valley, ferns, hostas, and verbena. In the twenty-six (26) years that we have lived here, I have never photographed a single one. That has changed (see my post Lily of the Valley) and all because of the Lily of the Valley shown here. Looking to my right, thru the porch railing, I saw this Lily of the Valley; I grabbed the camera, leaned towards the flower and made this image. Hmmm.... what if I sit on the steps - front and back - with a single lens, looking for compositions without moving? Sounds like a great exercise. I now do that several times a week.

When I am working at the computer, I can look out a nearby window at a holly tree that is often the host to a bird or two. That same window overlooks some wild roses and sweet briar roses, like those shown here. When I am working, the camera sits within a few feet - armed and ready to go. The screen in the window has been removed so that I can open the window and shoot at a moments notice. While this hasn't exactly gotten me any great bird images, I have gotten some of the flowers and bees that frequent them.

This time has also re-ignited my interest in macro photography. I have always enjoyed macro work but have never had a "true" macro lens - I still don't. What I do have is a Macrofier (see Still-Life Macro Photography with the Vello Macrofier and Product Review: Vello Macrofier for Canon EOS (UPDATED!)) and that allows me to get some really nice macro shots. This brings me to the first image at the top of this post - if I didn't caption it, would you know that it is a common weed called white clover? This image is cropped from a larger one but not too much. I now spend almost as much time shooting macro as I do my other work.

I've really enjoyed working on this project and will continue for as long as I am working from home. It has opened up a world of new possibilities and made me more aware of compositions around me. I am thinking about similar projects - maybe a seasonal one or shooting a particular subject throughout its growth stages during the year.

I hope this has inspired you to get out and explore your own backyard, flower bed, planter, whatever you have around you. If you do, I would love to hear about your experience in the comments below.

If you enjoyed this post, please do me a small favor and share it with others. You will find buttons for many of the popular social media platforms at the bottom of this post. Thank you!

All photos are copyright Joseph S. Valencia All Rights Reserved They may not be used in any way without express written permission of the photographer. If you wish to use any of the photos you may contact the photographer at valencia32photo@gmail.com
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Location: Neptune Township, NJ, USA

Tuesday, May 19, 2020

Lily of the Valley

Lily of the Valley

We have had Lily of the Valley growing in our front yard for as long as I can remember and for just as long I have made mental notes to shoot them. I finally got around to it this week.

I will often sit on my back steps, camera next to me, and watch whatever is going on. One thing I will do during this time is challenge myself to find compositions without getting off the steps; I don't often come away with much but it is a creativity building exercise. This past Sunday afternoon I found myself taking the bold step of sitting on the front porch! I have always wanted to travel.... 😉

After watching a rabbit and a few birds I looked around for something interesting to shoot. That's when I saw this little Lily of the Valley plant nestled among the big, green leaves. I liked the way they appeared to be peeking out of a hiding spot to see if it was safe to come out, with the one big leaf acting like a roof. The result was image #1. There were a few other reasonably good compositions from this exercise but I wanted to get closer. There was a slight breeze and the front of the house gets very little sunlight and since I was handholding, the ISO got bumped up to 1600 in order to get a shutter speed I was comfortable with and high enough to stop any movement of the flower.

The next afternoon I spent my lunch hour (I am working from home) looking to improve on the previous days' shoot. This time I was shooting macro and came armed with a tripod, extension tube and wired shutter release. It was a bit windier than the previous day so I was set at ISO 200 just to get a little more speed to stop the movement of the flowers; camera shake wasn't going to be a problem.

Images #2 thru #4 are the results of that macro shoot. Using a tripod for macro work in the field is great but can be a bit of a burden. When you are shooting macro, focus is often done by moving the camera but with the tripod you can't do that - unless, of course, you have a geared head that moves.

I am happy with the images, as a whole, and learned a lot from the experience. The next chance I get, I will be out front trying to get even closer and refining the compositions. I would love to get a frame-filling image of the inside of a flower; that is going to take a bit of ingenuity!

For further reading on my adventures in macrophotography, check out a couple of my previous blog posts: Still-Life Macro Photography with the Vello Macrofier and Product Review: Vello Macrofier for Canon EOS (UPDATED!)

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All photos are copyright Joseph S. Valencia All Rights Reserved They may not be used in any way without express written permission of the photographer. If you wish to use any of the photos you may contact the photographer at valencia32photo@gmail.com
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Location: Neptune City, NJ, USA
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