Project 52 - 1st Quarter by Geoff F

[Geoff F]

I know what you mean, John. This autumn I succumbed to one of the nasty viruses which are going around and never left my house for a week; and it took 6 weeks before I really started feeling reasonably fit again!

[Geoff F]

I always knew February would be the challenging month. Anyway . . .

Bramble leaves are so common, but some are taking on a nice bit of colour and texture now.



7D with Tamron 24-70 lens. 1/80 F11 Iso 200

Ivy Berries are starting to ripen now, but they won't last long once the birds find them.



1/40 F11 Iso 400

And in my garden the early Irises are starting to add a bit of bright colour. Firstly, Iris reticulata



1/13 F1 Iso 200. A merge of 3 focus points.

Iris unguicularis flowers on and off throughout the winter



1/200 F11 Iso 200. Background problems and a need for faster shutter speed meant I had to give this one a bit of flash. A merge of 2 focus points.

I always find irises to be a challenge regarding correct colour. And photographing them actually growing in the garden added a few extra difficulties. For best effect, they really need picking and bringing indoors for photography under controllable lighting and background.

[IzzieK]

I love the brambles and the irises!!! The first iris is just wonderful and more colourful than the second one and perfect and the bramble is so simple but it works for me! The berries...well...they are berries. Ours around here are red ones.

[Kaye Leggett]

I love the bramble leave too. Maybe crop the photo to remove the part leave a the bottom ?? The first Iris photo is lovely - you have captured other signs of spring life around it which reminds us spring is on the way.

[deetheturk]

Very nice Geoff, keep up the good work!

[Geoff F]

Thanks for the comments. I had tried several crops of the bramble leaf but thought the leaf on its own seemed a little 'lost' on its own so decided to show just a bit of the lower leaf to act as a 'lead in' to the scene. Maybe just a fraction more might be worth trying.

[dje]

That first Iris is just beautiful Geoff, what a lovely colour.

Dave

[Geoff F]

Firstly, an overview of the scene with an oak tree in a grassland clearing surrounded by woodland.



7D with Tamron 24-70 lens 1/125 F11 Iso 200 The tall dead grass and brambles were a limiting factor on the foreground so this was the only available angle.

The tiny Stonecrop plants (probably Sedum anglicum) thrive in the driest of habitats. All they need is a crack in the rock for anchorage against wind rock and a hint of soil to provide some nutrient.

The whole plant, growing on a fairly large rock amongst grass.



1/20 F11 Iso 200. A merge of 3 focus points but I now see that I didn't quite get everything in focus. Had to use my Lastolite Difflector to block the rather harsh sunlight which was giving excessive contrast with over exposure amongst deep shadows.

And a closer shot with my Sigma 180 macro lens.



1/10 F11 Iso 200. A merge of 2 focus points.

On reflection, maybe I should have taken a shot of the whole rock which was about 4 ft in diameter and 2 ft high.

[purplehaze]

Very nice colour and textures in the Sedum shots, Geoff. I would be a long time shooting that plant against the rock and the lichen.

[IzzieK]

I love the view of the first one, Geoff...

[Geoff F]

Thanks for the comments.

That Iris reticulata is a stunning plant when growing singly or in small groups. A reasonably hardy and reliable bulb. That particular form of reticulata is sufficiently toned down in colour to just avoid being over gaudy but I have seen others which are way over the top for my tastes.

The Iris unguicularis is slightly more subtle but flowers on and off throughout the winter. The problem is that it grows amongst a mound of straggly leaves and although they can be trimmed a little it always seems fractionally 'scruffy' which makes photography more challenging.

Just a quick handheld overview shot.



And the rather delicate petals suffer more from wind and rain damage than the other Iris.

[Geoff F]

Tried a bit of experimentation with tricky subjects; so not all totally successful.

Firstly an overview scene. Something which I have tried previously with even less success.

The Grand Canyon. Well more like a drainage ditch but at this site it is known as the Grand Canyon.



7D with Tamron 24-70 lens. A merge of 3 exposures. Looking south so it needs a lightly overcast sky to have any hope of success. And also a winter shot so the leaves don't get in the way.

A Scarlet Elf Cup. The first time I have found this fungus here; and it was a rather small untidy specimen.



7D with Sigma 150 macro lens. 1/20 F11 Iso 400. A merge of 3 focus points.

The First Primrose. Tried a shot of this flower in the half open stage hoping for something different.



A merge of 2 exposures taken in subdued light plus my Diflector. Seemed like a good idea but didn't quite work out as good as I had hoped.

In my garden, primroses flower on and off throughout the winter but this was the first one in the wood.

Another 'clever idea' was a bit of old rusty wrought iron discarded fencing with a woodland floor beneath.



My original idea was to show more of the fence and use 2 focus points but it really needed 3 shots to get the coverage which I was after and my focus on the first part of the fence wasn't perfectly sharp. So this is the best of my attempts. Maybe try again next time I'm there.

[IzzieK]

All good ones, Geoff...my fav are the first two...why is the first shot called a Grand Canyon? Any story to that one?
#2, despite your comment that it is untidy you managed to not make it so by closing in on the cup. Another good macro shot. The colours are really good...
#3 did not work for me well because of the softness at the bottom petals. #4 is interesting but I do not know why it just doesn't click as much for me...

OFF TOPIC: I am learning a lot more from recent posts and response to other members and taking notes of terminologies that I do not yet know, googling them and following instructions. Thank you.

[Cantab]

Geoff, I assume you must have been travelling/wandering with a tripod to have got the multiple exposure shots, especially the second photo at 1/20 sec -- or do you have extremely steady hands?

My favourite is the first one. It captures the feel of the place despite the technical challenges. I live not far from forested areas and know how difficult it is to take successful shots like this one.

[Geoff F]

Thanks for the replies.

Yes, I normally take some form of tripod with me. This was my lightweight easy carry Velbon Luxi L which folds up small enough to fit inside a backpack. The serious use Manfrotto is obviously a lot better but it tends to be a bit cumbersome to lug around all day just in case I need it; and the Velbon is usually sufficient for average uses.

The 'canyon' is the deepest of several drainage channels through a very wet wood and goes down to 6 ft in places; which is why it is locally known as the Grand Canyon. Each year a retired schoolmaster and naturalist friend takes a party of local schoolchildren on an expedition down the canyon, starting from Troll's Bridge, where he points out anything of natural history interest. Last year I had to do the pre expedition walk with him down the channel to clear any serious obstacles and make it safe for all those tiny feet!

[Shadowman]

Nice update of overhead subject matter.

[JBW]

Geoff, is it fair to say you are doing Studio Shooting in the garden? I am just a tad envious of your Fungi shot. We have that basic type in our garden but I have never seen colours like you captured!

[Kaye Leggett]

Lovely shots of both week 8 and 9. I like the way you give us the context of the images

[Geoff F]

Thanks for the comments.

Brian. My challenge with this project is to produce real life shots, in the field (quite literally ). So I'm having to do quite a bit of experimentation regarding equipment and technique.

The scarlet elf cup and primrose were shot where they were growing but I used a Lastolite Difflector as a shield against harsh natural lighting, even in the dappled woodland light.

This seems to bring out more in the way of natural colour particularly with the paler tints which so often look washed out with any hint of sunshine and tends to equalise out the shadows which overcomes the common problem of having excessive contrast in a scene.. The downside is that it results in longer shutter speeds so any subject movement can be a problem.

Another bit of equipment which is undergoing testing is the Lastolite Micro Apollo which slips over the flash head. Roughly similar in principle to many other types of diffuser but has a head size of 10 x 7 inches. It still needs to be used with suitable flash output compensation (when using ETTL metering) and won't do anything for over flashed highlights; but it does give softer shadows and allows me to work closer to my subject.

Normal flash produces a flash angle which meant I was getting a bit of flash shadow darkness when I got closer than around 12 inches, even with my lens hood removed. With the Apollo I can flash at 8 ins with no problems and get an overall even coverage.

The insects shot in my Weekly Photos thread this week were taken with this unit. Not really sure if there is any real benefits when working at a greater distance than 12 ins. I need more experiments taken with and without before reaching any firm conclusions.

My Weekly Photos during 2015 - Part 1

[Geoff F]

A few challenging subjects from my garden in the way of experimentation, all using flash. Some have worked better than others