Oak Leaf

[Ken Childs]

Canon EOS REBEL T1i
Canon 100mm f/2.8 Macro
Av
.6"
F8
ISO 200
Tripod
LR and CS3

My wife and I spent a few days in NYC for our wedding anniversary and those big city germs got the best of me so I'm sitting around inside with a bad cold. I dug out the leaves I collected in the fall so I could shoot something. This leaf was placed on a sheet of paper on top of a sheet of glass and is backlit by an LED flashlight.

I had to save at 50% to get under 200kb so the quality isn't all that great. I'm not thrilled with the glare showing on the lower edge but anything I tried to correct it made it look worse so I ended up leaving it alone. Maybe when me head clears I'll take another shot at it. I thought about removing some of the black spots but decided to leave them in.

[Kaushik Balakumar]

Flattering composition Ken !
Some great textures and tones !

[Jerry van Dijk]

Hi Ken, hope you get well soon and congrats on yourwedding anniversary! I love the textures and colors and the contrast between leaf and BG. I don't mind the glare to much. I do notice some soft spots around the image, but I'm not sure whether they are in the leaf or are a result of shallow DOF. As you may have guessed, I don't mind that you left in the black spots... :bg3:!

[Dave Woeller]

I also like the textures, tones, and composition. Like the use of the white paper and backlight, and I agree with Jerry on the DOF. Hope you're well now.

[Roman Kurywczak]

Hey Ken,
Sure.....blame it on the city:bg3:! I like the comp here very much! 50 quality will definitely kill some sharpness. I think the colors could go up a bit more....but that is subjective. I'm OK with the glare as it isn't overpowering. Nicely done and congrats on the anniversary!

[denise ippolito]

Ken, I like the composition but my favorite part is the slight curve under of the leaf at the lower left area.

[Julie Kenward]

That glare doesn't really bother me, either...not sure I would have thought much of it until you mentioned it. :w3

Love the comp and the textures on this one and I think leaving the black spots in was the right choice; it really brings out the natural properties of the dying leaf.

[Steve Maxson]

Hi Ken. I actually like the glare and I'm fine with the black spots. :S3: Very nice comp and lighting, plus lots of interesting colors textures, and patterns. Well done.

Congrats on the anniversary and get well soon!

[Chris Korman]

Very nice flow to the image, and nice intricate textures. A thought: Have you experimented with trying out other BGs besides white?

[Brendan Dozier]

Nice composition, Ken. Good use of backlighting to bring out that great texture and detail.
Well done!

[Ken Childs]

Thanks everyone for the comments!

Chris, I plan on trying other BG's but I may need a stronger light to get them to work. This was done with a sheet of thin printer paper and I think anything with color will need something stronger than a 9 LED flashlight to work.

[Ken Childs]

Hey Ken,
Sure.....blame it on the city:bg3:!
10 seconds on a subway train and I knew I was doomed! :bg3:

[Anita Bower]

Lovely! Love the graphic quality and simplicity. Great crop choice. Beautiful leaf, black spots included. I noticed the glare but have no suggestions on how to eliminate beforehand. Congratulations on your anniversary, and sorry about your illness.