Delicate

Gallery: FloraPosted October 31, 201392 views8 comments

I lived in western Oregon for three years, and winter was always a difficult time for me to find macro subjects, and to photograph those I did find while keeping my camera and myself somewhat dry. I often went home empty-handed after a day of shooting, and would decide briefly to head off to some amazing national park where I knew I could have success, though I prefer to shoot fairly close to where I live and I know that beautiful photographs exist everywhere, you just have to find them.
One day I decided to focus on the small rose hips I saw dotting a nearby field, and came away with this portrait of them in the rain. It's not earth-shattering, but it did make the notions I'd had about traveling to distant lands for photographs seem silly, and I suppose that I'm more proud of successful images I take of fairly humble subjects, than those of soaring mountains and raging rivers.

Minolta Maxxxum 7, Minolta 100mm Macro Lens, Gitzo 6X tripod
2 seconds at f/2.8, Velvia 50

Comments

8 comments

Comment posted by Christine Adams on October 31, 2013 at 3:59 PM

Love this! Enough good exposure on the rosehips without blowing out the BG which highly showcases the rosehips. I'm not really technical for seeing nits but I know what I like! And I see Velvia was used. Good for you!

Registered on January 24, 2006, 119 Posts, 1871 Comments

Comment posted by Sanjay Sundaram on October 31, 2013 at 5:04 PM

This is very beautiful and original, Tom. I like the curved stem of the rose and the understated red against the gray. The water drops are a huge bonus. I think a little more dof would have brought the second hip in sharp focus but maybe you didn't want that.

I agree with your thoughts on making photographs close to where you live. Depending on where you live, it could be hard to find the subjects that interest you, but on the plus side, it is easier to revisit the places and subjects at all times of year and also correct and revise the comps because the subject is accessible. I love to travel and explore but think some of the best pictures I have taken are close to home.

Sanjay

Registered on April 9, 2013, 107 Posts, 725 Comments

Comment posted by Lucy VanSwearingen on October 31, 2013 at 9:24 PM

Simply sublime

Registered on May 23, 2009, 800 Posts, 2042 Comments

Comment posted by Ramamohan Pai on October 31, 2013 at 11:04 PM

Thomas - Very artistic and somewhat minimalistic too. I like how the rose hips arise from the darkness into the light along a gentle curve.

Lovely Frame

Registered on November 1, 2003, 550 Posts, 9037 Comments

Comment posted by Thomas Haney on November 1, 2013 at 10:07 AM

Yeah I agree Sanjay. I've been more pleased by the photos I've gotten in Oregon in the winter than in the most biologically diverse area of Peru, when I travelled there because I thought there would be better opportunities. I notice you're from Austin, I grew up there and spent a LOT of time down on the Greenbelt with my camera.

Registered on April 7, 2013, 138 Posts, 537 Comments

Comment posted by Nancy Lea Sandy on November 1, 2013 at 9:13 PM

Most appealing! Very nice job on this humble subject. You've given it all the impact of a raging river. Nice work

Registered on January 24, 2011, 576 Posts, 6942 Comments

Comment posted by Ken Smith on November 2, 2013 at 11:23 AM

Excellent! Both in terms of philosophy and execution. By showing the gems that can be found locally, you inspire others who cannot travel the distances...which brings even more into the magic of photography. I like the red and monochrome of this...simplicity and craft...using the blurred b/g with spot-like center.

Registered on September 5, 2008, 449 Posts, 2444 Comments

Comment posted by Bill Fach on November 2, 2013 at 7:45 PM

Thomas: Your gear certainly takes me down memory lane. Don't know how many shots I took with that same exact rig. I still have my M7 and actually broke it out as an emergency backup on a trip last year. Still have the 100mm as well but my 200mm supplanted it about a decade ago. I learned macro with that lens though and it is still the sharpest lens in my bag. As for the image, really good vision and execution. A touch more DOF would suit me a bit better but this works great as is. Good philosophy too. I'm blessed with a master gardener for a wife so I've taken tens of thousands of frames within 100 feet of my front door. Sometimes the grass is greenest on our side of the fence. >=))>

Registered on November 1, 2003, 1805 Posts, 26981 Comments