APPLE TREE IN THE RAIN

[gary ellwein]

This is my first venture into the Macro and Floral forum. Prior posts have been in ETL. After a recent rain, the water droplets in the back yard apple tree could not be ignored. I figured capturing a good image would take a few minutes. With a subject that just sat there, how hard could it be. Misconception number one, they don't just sit there. Each drop that fell from the twig set the entire field into motion. My eventual setup included a skimmer ground pod on a blub bean bag on a step ladder with a garbage bag on a stick shading the subject. Get the picture? My neighbor came over to see if every thing was all right. Nikon D3s, Nikkor 105mm macro lens, f4.5, 1/200, iso 400 mirror lock up with cable release. I tried deeper depths of field but liked this narrow range. C & C appreciated.

Gary

[Mitch Haimov]

Way to go with the problem solving, Gary! You are liable to receive a lot of odd looks (and comments) if you get serious about close up/macro photography. The water drop in this image looks great, and I don't see you or your camera peering out of it. :5 And nice angled composition. I'm guessing that I would prefer a version where everything is sharp, except that lovely BG (if the BG was far enough away to remain the wash of color that it is when stopping down). But that is simply a matter of personal preference. The one thing that bothers me is that there is an area of the OOF leaf behind the main stem (primarily below it, but a little bit above as well) that seems to have unnatural color--looks like a mix of magenta and blown-out white. The easiest solution may be simply to replace with BG, at least the below-the-stem portion. I look forward to seeing more of your work in this forum and TFS.

[bhavya joshi]

Well captured with single drop Gary .. well position..I agree with Mitch..There are many distracting leaf to see, you should remove them.. and good luck for next macro..:S3:

[Jerry van Dijk]

Your efforts and your new reputation with your neighbors paid off well Gary! I like the mood of rain just past in this image. Don't mind the OOF leaves, I think they add interest. I would have liked a little more separation between the FG and BG leaves (would have been easily solved by stepping a little to the right. The diagional of the branch makes a nice compositional element. Well done! Hope to see more of your macro's here!

[Roman Kurywczak]

Hey Gary,
Welcome ot the forum! You had tough light and handled it very well! Flash would not have worked in this case although with the D3s.....don't be afraid to push the ISO to 800 or even a bit more if you have to! You can also pretty safely HH at 1/100 sec. although again....on a ladder? this at least gives you options to explore when composing. Some great advice already given above and I want to stress what Jerry brought up....in macro, a slight move can make a huge difference in the comp. Once you find a subject that catches your eye, take the time to explore the possibilities and angles. This will force you to look a bit more closely at things like the intersecting leaves. I think you did very well given your conditions.....just try and keep some of the suggestions in mind for next time out!

[gary ellwein]

Thanks to all for the encouraging comments and suggestions. I am rather fond of the out of focus leaves. Jerry's suggestion of changing position so there is some separation is excellent. In my minds eye I can see the difference. Being a newcomer to photography, 'Im beginning to appreciate the numerous avenues one may explore.

Gary

[Steve Maxson]

Hi Gary and welcome to the Macro forum. From the sound of it, you have the makings of a macro photographer - we have all sorts of ad hoc, do-it-yourself tricks up our sleeves - and lots of neighbors left scratching their heads in wonder. :S3: Lots of good suggestions above for you to consider. You did a great job on the water drop and I also like the diagonal comp and the background. I agree that the OOF leaves add interest and would wish for a little more separation from the in-focus material. Keep them coming!

[Anita Bower]

Lovely colors and composition. My eye goes right to that gleaming water drop. The only out of focus leaf that bothers me is the green one on the left--a bit distracting. Thanks for sharing the story of taking the photo! :-)