Datura with light painting - more backyard fun

[Randy Stout]

I have a datura plant that grows outside my back door, and all summer long provides me with lovely late evening blossoms, that whither and die by the next morning. Such amazing blossoms, I always feel bad that they don't persist.

I have played around with light painting over the past few years, and enjoy trying to create different looks.

D4 Sigma 180 f/32 8 second exposure, ISO 100 BH-55/Gitzo

Post: selective sharpening, added canvas superioly

I liked the darker leaves poking out, the imperfection in the top leaf. For me it is an image that rewards your eye for moving around, new little finds, despite being a very simple image overall.

The balance of illumination when light painting is always a bit of a challenge, but also part of the fun.

Advice and comments always appreciated.

Cheers

Randy

[Grahame Hamblin]

Nice shot but that top leaf just gets to me. No experet
Grahame

[Nick Palmieri]

Hey Randy, love the flower and the light on the flower. I a bit bothered by the light on the leaf at 2o'clock, I think the bright spot pulls my eyes from the nice flower. TFS

[Jonathan Ashton]

What a pleasing shot this is! As you might guess Randy the small imperfection does not bother me at all, in fact if it was all perfect it would seem almost unnatural to me. I love the light, what did you use as a light source?

[Steve Maxson]

Hi Randy. Nice to see you over here in Macro! I was wondering how you achieved this cool lighting - before I read your post. Very creative and nicely done! Good sharpness for f/32 - my lenses tend to be rather soft at this f/stop. The comp and black background are working well and I like the subtle detail in the whites. Nick brings up a good point about the bright leaf - it should be easy to tone that down just a little. This is a very interesting image! :cheers:

[Randy Stout]

Thanks guys:

Jonathan - I use a long battery powered goose neck LED flashlight that I can move around easily just outside of the frame to do my "painting". The longer the exposure, the more control you have over the light patterns. I usually take a number of frames, as it is hard to predict exactly how each frame will look.

Cheers

Randy