I'm a bit hesitant to share this one since it translates so poorly to the web, but what the hey.
Since we seem to be on the topic of rainy day photos, this image came to mind. I photographed it a month or two back, during a rainy day in east-central Minnesota. I composed the shot during a gentle rain, and then waited for about a half an hour until the rain let up to fire the exposure. The flowers are so delicate that the rain drops would move them considerably - not a desirable thing considering the long shutter speed. This particular arrangement was found after a significant period of scouting for a large bed of columbines (aquilegia canadensis) to photograph. As a large format photographer, my "close-ups" are often 3-4 feet wide or long, and are conceptually more about the surrounding detail and the habitat of the subject than the portrayal of a singular flower. The results are oftentimes Eliot Porterish to a certain extent. In this instance, a larger sized print would reveal the rain drops covering the leaves, in addition to simply showing the flowers themselves in considerable detail. As always, thanks for looking.
Whoa - you got COLUMBINES to hold still that long (how long was the exposure, by the way). Must have been extra still that day!
I really like this shot, and would love to see a large print. The red of the flowers against the green foliage is wonderful - nice one Joel!
Now I guess I have to find a rainy day shot as well, to keep the theme going!
CJ
Posted by Chuck Beatty on August 22, 2007 at 10:48 AM
Joel,
I really like the way the red columbines pull my eye throught the image. Congratulations on getting them to sit still for so long. Agree that this web format doesn't do justice to the detail. I'm sure it's spectacular up close.
Thanks guys for your thoughts. I just remade the web file as the greens were over saturated and lacked some color dimension. I should really know better by now than to post a file that I've worked on the same night...I almost always make changes. Heck, I'll probably make more before I consider printing the image. lol.
CJ - I don't have the digital file that I based the exposure on (generally I keep them, since I use a digital slr as a lightmeter...not sure why I didn't upload those files). I remember it being multiple seconds. I'm not one to record exposures in a notebook since I feel that it generally hampers my creativity. Anyways, it was dark out and just after a rainstorm had passed, I believe it was taken at f32 along with a PL filter...you know the game.
Let's see - cloudy soft light, f32, polarizer - I'm guessing at LEAST 4 seconds, and depending on how dark maybe a lot more. It really WAS still! Nice job.... CJ
I think the colors are good. I think I read recently that reds are the best color to have in your photograph because it draws the viewer into the picture and this is the case with this photo.
Discussion
7 repliesSince we seem to be on the topic of rainy day photos, this image came to mind. I photographed it a month or two back, during a rainy day in east-central Minnesota. I composed the shot during a gentle rain, and then waited for about a half an hour until the rain let up to fire the exposure. The flowers are so delicate that the rain drops would move them considerably - not a desirable thing considering the long shutter speed. This particular arrangement was found after a significant period of scouting for a large bed of columbines (aquilegia canadensis) to photograph. As a large format photographer, my "close-ups" are often 3-4 feet wide or long, and are conceptually more about the surrounding detail and the habitat of the subject than the portrayal of a singular flower. The results are oftentimes Eliot Porterish to a certain extent. In this instance, a larger sized print would reveal the rain drops covering the leaves, in addition to simply showing the flowers themselves in considerable detail. As always, thanks for looking.
Tech stuff: Tachihara 4x5, Fujinon 135mm, Polarizer, Fuji Provia 100f
I really like this shot, and would love to see a large print. The red of the flowers against the green foliage is wonderful - nice one Joel!
Now I guess I have to find a rainy day shot as well, to keep the theme going!
CJ
I really like the way the red columbines pull my eye throught the image. Congratulations on getting them to sit still for so long. Agree that this web format doesn't do justice to the detail. I'm sure it's spectacular up close.
CJ - I don't have the digital file that I based the exposure on (generally I keep them, since I use a digital slr as a lightmeter...not sure why I didn't upload those files). I remember it being multiple seconds. I'm not one to record exposures in a notebook since I feel that it generally hampers my creativity. Anyways, it was dark out and just after a rainstorm had passed, I believe it was taken at f32 along with a PL filter...you know the game.
Phil Schwarz
Red & Green always work. Like it a lot.
JG