by Jim Zablotny
I drove to St. Johns, Michigan to find a swallowtail kite that has been hanging around the area for a week. But rain and poor visibility kept the bird hunkered down so never got a chance to see the bird. On the way home, I stopped at a nearby lake and found scarlet smartweed in bloom along the shore. I took several shots, but wind and heavy rain reduced image quality. I returned later and photographed the plant again as the cloudy conditions continued, but with little or no wind. K5 IIs, 600mm f5.6 + 1.4Tc (1/50sec at f11, ISO 1250) slight crop for comp, Topaz Detail, TK's Make It Glow, Brightness & Contrast. The BG is the surface of the lake which was reflecting the gray sky................................Jim
Comments
6 commentsJim this is a fine look at this "weed". (I pulled/hoed an awful lot of smart weed out of farm fields as a kid...
) The near white background sets this up well as a portrait and the crossing leaf with water drops adds a fine touch of environmental context.
Very nice, Jim. Excellent comp and excellent use of the lake for the clean, light bg.
High key and detail done well. Strictly speaking, this would have done better without the grass blade, but it does provide context.
Great comp with its graceful lines, nice overall flow to it. Like the intersecting wet leaf that injects some 'tension' too..
The lake made for a nice high key BG, it sets off the plant well Jim
Hi Jim
Perfectly presented, with the big glass giving excellent detail...with my huge garden , i weed all day. but you make these guys look so beautiful
Albert Darmo .. Canada
Jim: Great use of your long lens. I like the comp and colors and for me the blade of grass is a nice supporting element. I might be tempted to lighten the BG even more. >=))>