Yellow Water Lilies

[Mike Hannisian]

I shot this pair of Yellow Water Lilies while floating my camera and lens on my boogie board setup. I used a Canon 40D with a Canon 100-400mm f/4.5-5.6 lens @ 400mm with a 20mm Kenko extension tube and a 90 degree eye piece. My ISO was 400, my aperture was f/18.0, my shutter speed was 1/250, and an EV -0.33. The image is uncropped and nothing was added or removed.

[denise ippolito]

Mike, Really nice low angle. I like the juxtaposition and the way the front flower looks like it is the star. A teeny bit tight on the right. I might lighten the lilies just a touch if it were mine. I might also darken down the one specular highlight on the bottom right (but that is being a little picky ) I really like this image and think that your boogie board idea is fantastic!:S3:

[Ron Sprunger]

The lemon yellow against the dark BG is lovely. The background has something of a splotchy look that I really like -- gives it a painterly quality to my eye. I can go either way on brightness, but like the gentle understated quality as presented.

[Mike Hannisian]

Mike, Really nice low angle. I like the juxtaposition and the way the front flower looks like it is the star. A teeny bit tight on the right. I might lighten the lilies just a touch if it were mine. I might also darken down the one specular highlight on the bottom right (but that is being a little picky ) I really like this image and think that your boogie board idea is fantastic!:S3:

Thanks, Denise. I was very careful when I started using the boogie board, but eventually felt confident enough to float my Canon Mark 1D III with my Canon 600mm f/4.0 and a teleconverter. But the real key was the use of the 90 degree angled eye piece.

[Anita Bower]

Wonderful angle of view and composition. I like the two lilies, with the one slightly out of focus. The yellows look lovely against the dark bg. Very clever set up. I'm interested in your comment that the 90 degree eye piece was key. I've wondered about getting one for on-land very low shots. I'd like to see the yellows a little brighter, maybe with a curves adjustment, and a round of noise reduction for the BG. Lovely image.

[Mike Hannisian]

Wonderful angle of view and composition. I like the two lilies, with the one slightly out of focus. The yellows look lovely against the dark bg. Very clever set up. I'm interested in your comment that the 90 degree eye piece was key. I've wondered about getting one for on-land very low shots. I'd like to see the yellows a little brighter, maybe with a curves adjustment, and a round of noise reduction for the BG. Lovely image.

Thanks for your comments. I do not use the angled eyepiece often, but really like it when I do use it. I have seen someone dig a small hole in the ground into which the camera was placed to get a low angle and thought about how much easier it would be to achieve this effect with an angled eyepiece. I also process my images in LAB color space and can thus control yellows quite a bit. However, when I brightened the yellows here it over powered the rest of the image. Also, I have had this image printed as a 2x3 foot canvas wrap around and like the texture add by the background noise.

[Anita Bower]

Thanks for your comments. I do not use the angled eyepiece often, but really like it when I do use it. I have seen someone dig a small hole in the ground into which the camera was placed to get a low angle and thought about how much easier it would be to achieve this effect with an angled eyepiece. I also process my images in LAB color space and can thus control yellows quite a bit. However, when I brightened the yellows here it over powered the rest of the image. Also, I have had this image printed as a 2x3 foot canvas wrap around and like the texture add by the background noise.
I would love to see it as a 2x3 canvas wrap! Wow!

[Mike Hannisian]

I would love to see it as a 2x3 canvas wrap! Wow!

How far are you from Cape May?

[Anita Bower]

How far are you from Cape May?
3 hours, but I seldom drive that far. :S3:

[Mike Hannisian]

3 hours, but I seldom drive that far. :S3:

Too bad, but if you ever find yourself in the area let us know and you can stop by.

[Anita Bower]

Too bad, but if you ever find yourself in the area let us know and you can stop by.Thank you.

[denise ippolito]

Thanks, Denise. I was very careful when I started using the boogie board, but eventually felt confident enough to float my Canon Mark 1D III with my Canon 600mm f/4.0 and a teleconverter. But the real key was the use of the 90 degree angled eye piece.


I am interested in that eye piece. Tell me more, please...:S3:

[Mike Hannisian]

I am interested in that eye piece. Tell me more, please...:S3:

Denise, the B&H page illustrating the eyepiece is: http://www.bhphotovideo.com/bnh/controller/home?O=&A=RetrieveSku&IC=CAFAC&Q=.

I hope this helps.

Mike

[Andrew McLachlan]

HI Mike, this is a beautiful capture of some very lovely water lilies. I love your boogie board idea - might have to give that a try next summer at the lake.

[Mike Hannisian]

Thanks. When I first tried it, I entered the water wearing a bathing suite only to quickly learn that the 6-8 inch sunfish bite. It's not that they drew blood or even hurt, but I am very ticklish and it made concentrating on the task at hand rather difficult. I solved the problem by wearing light weight long pants and shirt.

[Steve Maxson]

Hi Mike. Lovely flowers, good comp, and I like the selective focus on the first flower with the second flower clearly recognizable, but not drawing attention away from the first. My personal preference would be for a noiseless background, but I can appreciate how the textured look would also be appealing. :S3: Very well done.

[Mike Hannisian]

Thanks.

[denise ippolito]

Denise, the B&H page illustrating the eyepiece is: http://www.bhphotovideo.com/bnh/controller/home?O=&A=RetrieveSku&IC=CAFAC&Q=.

I hope this helps.

Mike

Thanks Mike!