Dogwoods on the Merced River, May 12, the day after a small snowfall. Conditions were difficult; many of the blooms were brown on the edges, and it was often windy. I managed to find this branch near the Pahono Bridge. I used a Singh-Ray variable neutral density filter and shot at f 16 and 4 seconds, at 7:55 am.
I really appreciate that you include the technical information about how you achieved a shot. I have shot many dogwood blooms and isolated them from the background by using a narrow depth of field. Here, your use of motion blur in the river yields a much more interesting result and you have the full benefit of a wide dof. The shot is beutiful and your willingness to share the "how to" is inspirational to me. Thanks.
The color and effect on the water is nice. I'm just wishing more of the dogwoods were sharp. It seems like the lower third of the frame is tack sharp but the dogwoods on top are a bit soft. This is a great find though. It seems like more often than not the flowers are facing the opposite direction in these types of scenes.
Elegant composition, Tony. Your framing creates a very nice balance here. I'm seeing a bit of a yellow/green cast, however. I wonder how this would look with a more neutral WB?
Discussion
7 repliesI really appreciate that you include the technical information about how you achieved a shot. I have shot many dogwood blooms and isolated them from the background by using a narrow depth of field. Here, your use of motion blur in the river yields a much more interesting result and you have the full benefit of a wide dof. The shot is beutiful and your willingness to share the "how to" is inspirational to me. Thanks.
Roland
persistence paid off. Very pretty and good composure, Tony.