PhotogJeff
13th of September 2006 (Wed), 23:34
I shot this image earlier this evening. I am not saying this is some kind of great photo but I want to explain how it came to be so that the newer shooters understand that snapshots are taken and photographs are made.
Please understand although I like it, I am not by any means saying this is some sort of extraordinary image. We all are here trying to learn from each other and again I thought the newer shooters might benefit more from my explanation than just looking at another butterfly picture.
On my way home from work (I am a medical photographer by day) I’ve been noticing these wild flowers alongside the highway. All week the weather was overcast so I waited to see them on a clear or puffy cloud day. Today on the way home it there was a clear blue sky. I liked the contrast of the yellow against the blue sky. I looked for the sun & noticed it was in the right position to throw good light on the flowers in the early evening. Too early the sky would not be rich and saturated and the light would be too harsh. Too late and the trees would put them in shade well before sunset. So I estimated that in an hour or so the sun would be about right. On the way home I was thinking that a low angle will place that blue sky behind them.
I went home and grabbed my gear and made sure to bring my circular polarizer. I drove over to the area and pulled of the highway and put on my emergency flashers. Sometimes you have to be willing to get ticketed in order to get an image you want. I walked over to the area all the time running a mental check of the conditions, lighting, asa, possible shutter speeds, apertures and angles.
I got into the thick of it (and I mean thick of it) took some meter readings with my camera and picked my settings. I shot a variety of stuff for about 20 minutes all the time looking for interesting angle or a bug or some other element. I wasn’t perfectly pleased with what I had because although the flowers & sky were nice some of the flowers were getting old and weren’t in pristine shape.
I was looking around and noticed a butterfly on the other end of the flower patch. I trudged through to the other side and of course by the time I got there it had moved on so I waited & watched. I saw him land in an area where it was backlit so I continue waiting. This went on a while until it finally landed in an area I could get to quickly. I got over to it and grabbed a frame. Checked my histogram & settings & made sure my aperture wasn’t too high because I wanted the background to be out of focus. I redialed in my circular polarizer to richen up the sky and took another. Each shot moving in a little closer and being sure to bend down low enough to place that sky in the background. I shot another couple frames and on the butterfly decided to fly down the road. At that point I looked around to see if any other elements had come into play and decided to go home and eat dinner.
I hope this novel hasn’t bored everyone who reads it to death but my aim is to educate new shooters. Maybe this will give some insight into the thought process that goes into creating a photograph instead of snapping a picture. Please don’t take it the wrong way. I have as much to learn as anyone and in my short time here in the community I have already learned form many of your informative posts. Thank you.
Jeff
Please understand although I like it, I am not by any means saying this is some sort of extraordinary image. We all are here trying to learn from each other and again I thought the newer shooters might benefit more from my explanation than just looking at another butterfly picture.
On my way home from work (I am a medical photographer by day) I’ve been noticing these wild flowers alongside the highway. All week the weather was overcast so I waited to see them on a clear or puffy cloud day. Today on the way home it there was a clear blue sky. I liked the contrast of the yellow against the blue sky. I looked for the sun & noticed it was in the right position to throw good light on the flowers in the early evening. Too early the sky would not be rich and saturated and the light would be too harsh. Too late and the trees would put them in shade well before sunset. So I estimated that in an hour or so the sun would be about right. On the way home I was thinking that a low angle will place that blue sky behind them.
I went home and grabbed my gear and made sure to bring my circular polarizer. I drove over to the area and pulled of the highway and put on my emergency flashers. Sometimes you have to be willing to get ticketed in order to get an image you want. I walked over to the area all the time running a mental check of the conditions, lighting, asa, possible shutter speeds, apertures and angles.
I got into the thick of it (and I mean thick of it) took some meter readings with my camera and picked my settings. I shot a variety of stuff for about 20 minutes all the time looking for interesting angle or a bug or some other element. I wasn’t perfectly pleased with what I had because although the flowers & sky were nice some of the flowers were getting old and weren’t in pristine shape.
I was looking around and noticed a butterfly on the other end of the flower patch. I trudged through to the other side and of course by the time I got there it had moved on so I waited & watched. I saw him land in an area where it was backlit so I continue waiting. This went on a while until it finally landed in an area I could get to quickly. I got over to it and grabbed a frame. Checked my histogram & settings & made sure my aperture wasn’t too high because I wanted the background to be out of focus. I redialed in my circular polarizer to richen up the sky and took another. Each shot moving in a little closer and being sure to bend down low enough to place that sky in the background. I shot another couple frames and on the butterfly decided to fly down the road. At that point I looked around to see if any other elements had come into play and decided to go home and eat dinner.
I hope this novel hasn’t bored everyone who reads it to death but my aim is to educate new shooters. Maybe this will give some insight into the thought process that goes into creating a photograph instead of snapping a picture. Please don’t take it the wrong way. I have as much to learn as anyone and in my short time here in the community I have already learned form many of your informative posts. Thank you.
Jeff