Posts Tagged: Sunflower
Macro Photography and Playing with Light
Sunflower
35 mm macro lens, ISO 200, 13 seconds at f18
I couldn’t resist taking macro shots of a beautiful bouquet of wildflowers my best friend gave me to cheer me. The sunflowers were spectacular! I used a small aperture to increase depth of field. I turned off the lights around the flowers. When the overhead light was on, the petals were overexposed and there were shadows in the center of the flower. I used a small flashlight to light the flower for this image.
Mini Maglite
The camera was on a tripod and set on the self-timer mode. During the 13 second exposure, I waved the light from the flashlight all over the flower. The flower remained dark for the rest of the 13 seconds. I experimented with the amount of time the flashlight was lighting the flower until I got an image I was satisfied with. This resulted in more even lighting in the final image. It was so simple and fun! You might enjoy trying this on a rainy day.
Lichen
My mood for macro continued and I discovered this lichen on a wood fence on Palmatory Street in Horicon. Lichen is fungus plus algae or cyanobacteria. Fungi cannot make their own food. They need one of the other two substances. Soil fertility is improved when fungus joins with cyanobacteria. Lichen can colonize on almost any undisturbed surface. I love the texture of the wood with the leafy lichen. It grows less than 1 millimeter per year. This lichen has been growing a very long time.
I think the gray green color would be an excellent interior paint color. I suppose “Lichen Gray” would probably not be a big seller.
Chicory
The subtle bluish-purple petals of Chicory delight the eye. If you can identify the insect, please let us know in the comments section. I looked at hundreds of photos of bees and wasps and didn’t see an exact match. Chicory, intermingled with Queen Anne’s Lace, edging back roads is one of many reasons I am grateful to live in Wisconsin.
Two Handy Photo Tips
Sunflower
The texture and artistry in the leaves on the underside of this Sunflower intrigued me more than the blossom itself. A kind and thoughtful person gave me a bouquet of colorful blooms. Sunflowers will be blooming in late summer in the Horicon Marsh area. If you traveled here this week, you would have seen this,
Hail Pummels an Evergreen Tree
and this,
Several Inches of Snow Fell Recently in the Horicon Marsh Area
and this.
Porch Railing Covered in Snow
I shot the Sunflower photo by a window for side lighting and used a floor lamp for overhead lighting. I wanted more light on the underside of the blossom. My “real” reflector was too large for my set up. Aluminum foil wrapped around a piece of cardboard and taped to the back bounced light from the floor lamp up underneath the Sunflower. The result was more even lighting. Little post processing was needed.
Handy and Easy to Make Reflector
Lighting Set Up for Sunflower Photo
The handy Wimberley Plamp was used to demonstrate the set up. One end has a sturdy clamp that can be used on most tripods. You can also clamp it to other objects. The other end has a lighter clamp that can be used to hold plants still for macro photography. It spins 360 degrees and has a rubber cushion to protect the object it is holding. It only holds lighter items. Tension on the larger clamp can be adjusted by turning a screw. The arm can be moved in any direction. When you need three hands, the Wimberley Plamp may be just the help you are looking for.
Wimberley Plamp
I hope to be taking my Wimberley Plamp and reflector outside soon to photograph cheery spring blossoms at the Horicon Marsh.
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