Francis inspired me!

[Roman Kurywczak]

I went to Longwood Gardens today with Dave Mils and as always.....had a great time! I spent almost the entire day with the water lillies......and after the first hour.....started concentrating on Bees in flight. I didn't have my 20mm tube......but kept back to try and see how I could capture the scene with only my twin flashes.......I am always willing to push myself and the equipment to the max......so I upped the ISO.....and bracketed with it......to see what would work best for future attempts. Very bright and slightly overcast.....Canon 1D Mark lll with the Sigma 180mm macro and the MT24 Twin Lights at +3 and ISO 3200! f18 and 1/2500 sec. HH Noise Ninja used in PP. I am hooked so I will be trying this some more with a closer approach.

[Ákos Lumnitzer]

Man, you work hard at success! It shows with this image IMHO. Love the sharpness and there isn't a hint of noise at all. :) WOW~ I feel it could live without the leaf on the LHS.

[Mike Moats]

Hey Roman, you guys are shooting some cool stuff there at the gardens. Great job catching the bee, nice details. Well done.:)

[Dave Mills]

Roman, Nice job capturing the bee with tricky lighting conditions. I like the bee's wing position and the rich color of the lily...

[Ed Vatza]

Wow, f/18... that's like wide open isn't it?!?!?:eek::D

Excellent work, Roman. The water lily is beautiful and you've caught the bee "in the act" so to speak.

I wish I could get down there again. It's been a while. Darn job keeps getting in the way!

[Julie Kenward]

Roman, the water lily and bee are tack sharp - I'd expect that from you! What really gets me on this one is the half in/half out shadow - it's perfectly placed and really adds to the drama! Wonderful irridescence on the inside of the lily, too. Beautiful!

[Roman Kurywczak]

Wow, f/18... that's like wide open isn't it?!?!?:eek::D


I wish I could get down there again. It's been a while. Darn job keeps getting in the way!

Thanks all......will try to work on closer ones now.
Hey Ed,
I agree....that is practically wide open for me!!! I wanted f32 and get closer......but SS went too far down. See if you can get down there Sat. or Sunday.....yes more crowds.....but the lillies are really blooming now......even the Lotus are out!

[Charles Wesley]

Roman,

I appreciate your hard work. It paid off with this water lily. Great color, contrast and details. I like the shadows and green leaf to the left side. They seem to yield a more graphic image IMO.

Thanks for sharing...
________________
Charlie Wesley
St. Augustine Beach, FL
http://naturesphotographs.com

[denise ippolito]

Roman, Nice job w/ the lighting and the colors look great. The bee is a big bonus!! Looks like you were probably busy for hours.

[Roger Clark]

Roman,
Beautiful image. Would you please explain your twin light setup? It looks like the flashes are way off camera.
Are they on a big bracket, or on separate tripods?

Roger

[Roman Kurywczak]

Roman,
Beautiful image. Would you please explain your twin light setup? It looks like the flashes are way off camera.
Are they on a big bracket, or on separate tripods?

Roger

Hey Roger,
No, the flashes are mounted right on the front lens element with a ring........but you can position them at a few different angles. With the 180mm......you are back further from the subject which helps greatly with the flash angle. You can also power the flashes at different output levels......but most of the time I use them at equal power. Digital has helped greatly in fine tuning and controlling the flash output.

[Roger Clark]

Roman,
Thanks for the info. I do have the Canon 180 mm macro, but have never tried a flash like that. Is the bracket you use a commercial one? The 180 is a wonderful lens.

Roger

[Roman Kurywczak]

Hey Roger,
Here's the link to the Canon flash from Hunt's Photo;
http://www.huntsphotoandvideo.com/de...facturer=Canon
I'm pretty sure it comes with the ring to mount it on front of lens.....just double check it......nothing else special required and works very similar to the 580EX. Pricey.....but works great.

[Anita Bower]

This Water Lily seems to glow from within--fantastic! The colors are fabulous. Love that bee coming in for a landing. I'm a little distracted by the green on the left side, but note that others find it a positive. I admire your perseverence --it paid off.

[Roger Clark]

Thanks, Roman!

Roger