2015 Project 52 by Geoff F - 2nd Quarter

[Geoff F]

Several questions there, Izzie.

These are native English Orchids which survive over winter by 'going underground' then popping up during the Spring.

Snow? Ah yes, I remember seeing some about 10 years ago! In this little corner of the far south UK lying between the high ground of Dartmoor and the sea we don't get a lot of bad winter weather. Just a few light frosts last winter; although plenty of rain. Some people will laugh at the thought of Dartmoor being 'high ground'. Well it is the highest around here.

Next month we will start to see a different and larger species of orchid which will pop up everywhere on this site; but they are quite specific about finding suitable locations and can be hard to find elsewhere.

When doing flower photography it can be tricky to achieve sufficient depth of focus around the flower, particularly when the background has to be blurred. So it is a case of getting a balance between the two, which sometimes needs a merge of two or three stacked focus points. Which can be difficult/impossible when there is excessive wind movement but it can work when the movement is less severe.

[Cantab]

Week 18 - Early Purple Orchids

One of those days where I thought I was doing OK until I had a closer look at the results.

Started with some Early Purple Orchids but they were looking a bit tatty. The later orchid species are usually more photogenic subjects. In bright sunshine I was getting nowhere with areas of over exposure and deep shadow. Whatever I tried, such as adding shadow or using flash didn't quite work out.

But later in the day when the sky clouded over I had another attempt.



7D with Tamron 24-70. 1/125 F3.5 Iso 100. Yes, F3.5 for flowers. But a merge of two focus points. The background was becoming over dominant even after I had done some 'gardening' to remove the worst of it. So in desperation I went for a much wider aperture to blur the background; but still had to do some blurring during editing.

I wanted a fairly wide scene so the spotted leaves which are an important identification feature would be visible, but without too much background depth.

Geoff, I think the first photo in particular worked really well. I've tried taking these type of shots in an alpine meadow and they're much more difficult than they look!

[vaez]

hello geoff
all image are very nice i very enjoyed
The first picture is tremendously beautiful
Branches like a flower pin is tight

[Geoff F]

Week 19 - Some like it wet!

A brief gap between the rain squalls but still overcast and wet underfoot. Or under knees as I knelt down to shoot!

But these would all have required shading if the sun was shining. All are a merge of two or three focus points in an attempt to give sufficient depth to the subject but exclude background; plus a bit of blurring and toning down during editing.

Bugle - Ajuga reptans. A subject which I tried previously but found difficult; so all those attempts were ditched.



7D with Sigma 180 macro lens 1/125 F6.3 Iso 400. I cleaned up the background foliage as well as I could but it was still too close so I had to use a more open aperture than normal for a macro lens.

Cuckooflower - Cardamines pratensis also known as Lady's Smock. The buds open as a pale pink then the petals gradually fade to white.



Tried with different lenses; this shot is with the Tamron 24-70 at 70. 1/250 F8 Iso 200

Lousewort - Pedicularis sylvatica



Also shot with both lenses but thought the 180 macro lens worked best, but I did have to back off a bit. 1/160 F11 Iso 400

Speedwell - Veronica sp There are several rather similar Speedwells. I think this is probably the Common Field Speedwell but I'm not an expert in them.



Also tried this scene with both lenses but chose the macro results.

ps. compare these Speedwells with the rather similar Forget Me Not previously posted.

[Cantab]

Geoff, this is a really good set of photos. The first is spectacular. In the second one with the very pale petals but still showing their veining, did you use multiple RAW exposure processing?

[Geoff F]

More than one shot of each scene, Bruce, but that was just to give sufficient subject depth without excessive background.

Some tweaking with curves after the initial Raw adjustments but that was all.

The main requirement was a lightly overcast sky and calm wind.

As I mentioned, I have tried Bugle shots previously but they all ended up with too much contrast. Over exposed areas in the pale parts of the flowers and heavy shadow.

For many flower shots I'm finding that you need just the right light.

[IzzieK]

I love the composition of the Speedwell, Geoff...that is brilliant. Excellent shots all.

[Geoff F]

Week 20 - Common Twayblade. This plant is actually a member of the orchid family.



7D with Tamron 24-70 lens 1/320 F3.2 Iso 200. Yes F3.2. The only way I could blur the background was to get myself into an uncomfortable position where I was square on to the subject and open up the aperture.

And a close up of those tiny flowers, which really do look like a person.



Sigma 180 macro lens 1/50 F11 Iso 400

Note to Izzie about a comment I made concerning one of her recent flower shots. This was a total reshoot because I had previously failed to spot a small bright area in the background behind the main flower spike; and wasn't sufficiently square on to the close up shot. And this is take 15 from the reshoot.

Not a Dandelion. I'm not very good with this tricky group but I think this is actually a Catsear - Hypochaeris radicata



Tamron lens again 1/400 F8 Iso 400. A bit of a compromise to include sufficient identification detail without excessive background problems.

And more Speedwell in an attempt for better identification.



Not the ideal composition for purely looking nice but it does show more of the leaves (with definite stalks) and densely hairy stems which make this a Wood Speedwell (Veronica montana). I think.

[IzzieK]

I like your composition of the Speedwell...all of them so far you have shown...the little orchid zoomed shot looks like it is ready to slide down the leaf. I see it as a face of a little child. So cute...

Note to Izzie about a comment I made concerning one of her recent flower shots. This was a total reshoot because I had previously failed to spot a small bright area in the background behind the main flower spike; and wasn't sufficiently square on to the close up shot. And this is take 15 from the reshoot.

Now that makes me feel that I am not doing enough about my composition. And you are right. I should really start thinking of composition each time I hold my camera to take a shot. So many things to remember but I will do that on my next outing which has to be soon. Sometimes or most of the time (I should say) I will shoot wide then worry about composition when I am about to do PP. I can remember telling Graham once that I thought about my composition in an image I re-submitted and he gave me a good rating there because it turned out all right. I don't think I have ever done it again...yet.

[Downrigger]

Good botanizing and lovely images, Geoff. Nice lessons here about going beyond "capture" to achieve composition. I think the Speedwell image with the six blossoms is really special.

[Geoff F]

Thanks. Tried some more tricky subjects which I couldn't photography well without being in shade because they all have such reflective petals which get covered in tiny 'hot spots' when in the slightest sunshine.

Week 21 - In the pink!

Starting with a Herb Robert - Geranium robertianum. I have attempted these common flowers so many times, and always rejected the results. This is my best attempt so far, from so many shots.



7D with Sigma 180 macro lens 1/160 F11 Iso 400. I wanted to include some foliage so I also shot with my 24-70 lens but finally settled for this image.

Ragged Robin - Silene flos-cuculi



1/100 F11 Iso 400. Shot this one with the smaller lens but struggled to find a workable background.

Red Campion - Silene diocia. Another subject which has had many rejects.



Back to the macro lens. 1/40 F1 Iso 400

[IzzieK]

The Herb Robert is very special here...I was thinking of a "nude" flower ... sorry. I like the simplicity of the shot and the sharpness which is not glaring at all. None of the shots here are glaring...And so well exposed that is the reason for the "nude" thinking. I can see everything in this flower I have not seen before in an image. You must have a good weather condition when you took these three. The Herb Robert is my favourite here for the composition too.

[bnnrcn]

A lot of lovely flower shots, thanks for sharing Geoff

[Geoff F]

Shooting under diffused light or cloudy skies helps to create a more pastel colour effect, Izzie. Harsh sunlight can be effective for some subjects but you often lose the subtle fine details.

In a wildlife site which I regularly visit someone had called Herb Robert 'Stinking Bob'. Well it certainly does have a distinctive scent when you brush over the leaves.

Since starting this project, Binnur I have certainly learned a lot about this subject and in particular about getting the backgrounds, and foregrounds, right before attempting a shot. A bit of gardening is often required; then it needs just the right aperture to keep the subject in focus without having background issues.

[Geoff F]

Week 22 - A Fern Committee. When I saw some freshly emerged Male Ferns in the woods I thought they looked like a rather pompous committee standing in a circle.

But actually capturing that effect became something of a challenge. Had to wait for the sun to go behind a cloud, to avoid over bright areas in the dappled light, then shot with a wide aperture to blur the background. Many shots with different angles and settings were rejected. This was the only keeper, and that is after a bit of editing.



7D with Tamron 24-70 lens 1/250 F4 Iso 400

And on a similar theme. A Fern Portrait.



A simple shot of another common plant also resulted in a lot of rejects. Ribwort Plantain.



1/400 F8 Iso 200. Overcast sky helped to prevent the lighter areas from seriously over exposing and this is a merge of two focus points; But I still didn't quite get enough depth for the closest point of that circle of small white bits.

I went for a tall effect with this crop but possibly a 4 x 5 ratio with a reduction from the bottom might be worth considering as an alternative.

[IzzieK]

Very nice composition on the first one then the second one is exquisite. The third one, I tried not to think of a bridal dress that has gone through the mud ...

The ferns, John...are these baby Tree Fern? In Oz there are lot of them growing on the roadside amongst the gum trees in the bush. And we have one in my house in Sandringham. It is my husband's favourite tree...

[Geoff F]

They are standard size UK woodland ferns, Izzie. They grow to around 3 ft high and 4 to 5 ft across.

Week 23 Some common smallish species which tend to get overlooked.

Common Mouse-ear (Cerastium fontanum) which is a low growing spreading plant.



7D with Sigma 180 macro lens. 1/125 F11 Iso 400 All of these images are merges of 2 or 3 shots.

And a close up of the actual flower.



Another plant which often fails to achieve sufficient recognition is Ground Ivy (Glechoma hederacea)



Growing nearby was a taller plant which looked like one of the Umbellifer family and I initially thought it was Wild Carrot but after checking my book I now consider it is more likely to be Pignut (Conopodium majus)



Switched to the Tamron 24-70 lens this time to get a little more overall coverage. 1/160 F8 Iso 400

[IzzieK]

I like the close up of the mouse-ear flower...very nice and clear...are these flowers fragrant?

[Shadowman]

Nice series, I was recently out nature walking and couldn't find a suitable subject. I started playing with backlit subjects and flash for a few minutes and viewing these reminded me of the outing.

[Geoff F]

Yes, John, it can be tricky to find suitable subjects sometimes. And then you need acceptable weather conditions as well.

I often wander around looking at then rejecting many scenes before actually taking any shots; and the majority of those attempts end in total failure.

If I don't use a difflector to reduce harsh sunlight I usually use flash to bring up the deep shadows after I expose for the highlights. Things like wild orchids often respond well to a bit of flash.

Those Mouse-ear flowers, Izzie, are only 10 mm across so while they do attract insects they don't have any noticeable scent; at least nothing obvious to me.