Lady fern spores

Hi Dave,

I like the choice of subject a lot. I agree that you are seeing the unseen.

I think there are improvements that could make this image better. You don't mention the lighting, but the strong front light and hard shadows are not flattering. I've made some photographs of ferns that I really like by finding strong back light, then bouncing fill back in. I tend to use natural light and a reflector, but I've seen examples of folks backlighting with flash and bouncing back to fill.

I think the main stem is a really powerful element in the photo. To me, it needs to be either given complete dominance in the frame, or made weaker. That's an "art" discussion that has no real answer. I mentioned the heart of the photo already. I like the idea of showing us something we don't often, or ever, see.

Finally, it is impossible to tell from a jpeg on a monitor, but it you may have been a little over ambitious in magnification. It could also be a basic technique error (missed focus for example) but I doubt it. It is pretty clear (unclear) in the larger version that it isn't sharp throughout, which I imagine was the goal.


I hope this is helpful not discouraging,
Pete D.

Dave, the red on green is pretty dramatic and the flow across the frame is really nice. Did you use a flash? the lighting seems very contrasty making it hard to explore the details in the spores. It's a really neat find, so now you'll have me on the ground looking up next time I'm in a damp woods.

David, you've already received some good observations. I think this is an interesting study, and an excellent introduction to your "Seeing the Unseen" theme. The sori show up quite well from a documentary standpoint, particularly against the dark bg. From an artistic point of view, the light is a little harsh, but I like the angled comp. Thanks for sharing. I am looking forward to seeing more of the unseen world.

Thanks for all the comments, which are really appreciated. The light was indeed harsh (direct sunlight}., but I did the best I could away from home and with no diffusers, etc. I hope to try some more fern spores since the patterns are often quite different, interesting, and beautiful (at least to my eye). However, I think their season is winding down, so I'll be looking more systematically next year.