Posted by writepic on November 10, 2007 at 1:07 PM
i'm about as expert on berries as i am on fungus...but i liked this little group. i've dropped the highlights in PS to control the flash bouncing back off the berries, and cloned a light coloured twig bottom left.
f8 @ 1/20th sec handheld. ringflash @ 1/4 power.
there seem to be tonnes of berries and sloes about this year. old wives tales say this is a sign of a very long and cold winter. is this true?
mark
Posted by Rob Howard on November 10, 2007 at 1:21 PM
Hi Mark,
I'm no expert either but to me the whole image looks a tad dark, also seems to be a small amount of camera shake, at 1/20th, you really want to be using a tripod. It's a nice effort, which I think with some process tweeking could bring out alot more, looking at the catch lights, they are very dominant, not sure how to tackle this one. Would be nice next time to get a bird having a feast on them.
Regarding the amount of berries and a hard winter, that's what they say but how true it is i don't know, I would love a cold winter, means loads of time on my sledge
Regards
Rob
Posted by Alan Woolnough on November 10, 2007 at 3:51 PM
Most of the berries on my patch have already been stripped, and i still don't have a decent redwing/fieldfare shot to show for my efforts
Agree its a touch dark, and although i like the idea, i feel a warmer/autumnal coloured bg would be a more attractive back-drop for the berries {not always available though}.
Well worth the shot though Mark, and maybe a tweak here and there would give it a lift.
Alan
Posted by writepic on November 10, 2007 at 6:22 PM
hi guys,
thanks for the feedback. robam, i can't see any camera shake...it's the flash that keeps the image steady, as it fires at xxx'ths of a second, so as long as the shutter speed is not too low there will be no movement in the foreground. the focus berries have no blur on them. maybe you are looking at the out of focus ones and confusing that with shake? 1/20th if i was not using flash as the main light source sure i'd use a tripod.
i agree with the comments on the BG though. good observation. i think i was too late in getting out today and finding the light was very low out of the fading sun. however, i did try to get a darker BG so the bright red of the berries would jump out, however after reading the comments, i probably would find a better BG if i could get a warmer colour scheme going on.
however there seem to be very selective parts that still have leaves, leeward areas etc most of the windward foliage is bare now, but in sheltered spots, there are still very green leaves.
alan, if you're after berries for bird bait, get down here, there are so many berries on the trees and hedges they are nearly falling over.
thank again
mark
Posted by John Gardner on November 11, 2007 at 4:25 AM
Hi Mark
The berries are Guelder Rose (Viburnum opulus). Image doesn't work for me, the flash is too harsh and the background too dark. Flash is much better if you get it off your camera and soften it with a home-made softbox or other diffuser. You could also warm up the flash with a 1/4 CTO to complement the colour of the berries.
regards
John
Posted by writepic on November 11, 2007 at 5:34 AM
hi john,
pardon my ignorance....whats a 1/4 CTO ?
mark
Posted by writepic on November 11, 2007 at 5:39 AM
hi john,
pardon my ignorance....whats a 1/4 CTO ?
mark
Posted by John Gardner on November 11, 2007 at 9:23 AM
Sorry Mark. Had my commercial photographer head on where CTO, FLG and CTBs are part of the common parlance
CTO is a colour temperature orange filter that is used on flashes to balance them to tungsten lights. comes in 1/4, 1/2 and full strength. Used outside in daylight they warm up the flash, rather like the 81series filters you'd stick on your lens. If you use Nikon SB800s, they come with an FLG (for fluorescent) and a 1/4 CTO as part of the kit.
Discussion
7 repliesi'm about as expert on berries as i am on fungus...but i liked this little group. i've dropped the highlights in PS to control the flash bouncing back off the berries, and cloned a light coloured twig bottom left.
f8 @ 1/20th sec handheld. ringflash @ 1/4 power.
there seem to be tonnes of berries and sloes about this year. old wives tales say this is a sign of a very long and cold winter. is this true?
mark
I'm no expert either but to me the whole image looks a tad dark, also seems to be a small amount of camera shake, at 1/20th, you really want to be using a tripod. It's a nice effort, which I think with some process tweeking could bring out alot more, looking at the catch lights, they are very dominant, not sure how to tackle this one. Would be nice next time to get a bird having a feast on them.
Regarding the amount of berries and a hard winter, that's what they say but how true it is i don't know, I would love a cold winter, means loads of time on my sledge
Regards
Rob
Agree its a touch dark, and although i like the idea, i feel a warmer/autumnal coloured bg would be a more attractive back-drop for the berries {not always available though}.
Well worth the shot though Mark, and maybe a tweak here and there would give it a lift.
Alan
hi guys,
thanks for the feedback. robam, i can't see any camera shake...it's the flash that keeps the image steady, as it fires at xxx'ths of a second, so as long as the shutter speed is not too low there will be no movement in the foreground. the focus berries have no blur on them. maybe you are looking at the out of focus ones and confusing that with shake? 1/20th if i was not using flash as the main light source sure i'd use a tripod.
i agree with the comments on the BG though. good observation. i think i was too late in getting out today and finding the light was very low out of the fading sun. however, i did try to get a darker BG so the bright red of the berries would jump out, however after reading the comments, i probably would find a better BG if i could get a warmer colour scheme going on.
however there seem to be very selective parts that still have leaves, leeward areas etc most of the windward foliage is bare now, but in sheltered spots, there are still very green leaves.
alan, if you're after berries for bird bait, get down here, there are so many berries on the trees and hedges they are nearly falling over.
thank again
mark
The berries are Guelder Rose (Viburnum opulus). Image doesn't work for me, the flash is too harsh and the background too dark. Flash is much better if you get it off your camera and soften it with a home-made softbox or other diffuser. You could also warm up the flash with a 1/4 CTO to complement the colour of the berries.
regards
John
hi john,
pardon my ignorance....whats a 1/4 CTO ?
mark
hi john,
pardon my ignorance....whats a 1/4 CTO ?
mark
CTO is a colour temperature orange filter that is used on flashes to balance them to tungsten lights. comes in 1/4, 1/2 and full strength. Used outside in daylight they warm up the flash, rather like the 81series filters you'd stick on your lens. If you use Nikon SB800s, they come with an FLG (for fluorescent) and a 1/4 CTO as part of the kit.
HTH.
John