Leaf

[OldNick]

Just fiound the texture and colur nice
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[canonloader]

Great shot. I thought it was a hand at first. Just a bit more light to the dark side to give a hint of the leaf might be nice.

[OldNick]

Thanks Mitch.

It does look a bit like a hand! If a rather gnarled and wrinkled one.

Yeah...I took shots that showed more of that. Trouble is the leaf has had a bit of a tough life on that side. It's lost a fair bit down near the stalk and it's a bit tatty. So I was trying to show its "best side".

It was blown into our place by strong winds and I don't know where it came from, or I would try to ge a better specimen.

[canonloader]

Well, look around for the nearest Oak tree. :)

[OldNick]

Pretty uncommon around here. There are some planted ion gardens though.

Actually the leaf is very thick, as if it's made of several layers of printer paper, but not cardboard. The veins are up to 2-3mm thick. That and the location make me think more of an Australian fig rather than oak.

I will keep the oak in mind though.

BTW I showed my Dad the shot and he thought it looked like....a hand! :)

[canonloader]

HAHA, the hand was a very first impression, but only lasted a second. Actually, it looks more like one of my brown cotton gloves folded over. :)

[OldNick]

I am going to try your suggestion of a little more light, using bounce flash. And I am going to take a wander and see if I can find the source.

To give you an idea of the leaf, I used a GN 43 flash at high power, behind it, to see what would come out...it was pretty well black, except for spill around the sides. It's pretty hefty.

[canonloader]

You can use something as a reflector on that side to fill it in a bit more. Not much, but enough to show it has a second side. :)

[OldNick]

Good idea! I have a couple of flashes, which I revel in using for gear's sake. bit fond of my new toys! :) I need to "stay humble" and think how to do without...good for field work, and for when you just do not have the gear..

I am a great one for tissues and paper as diffusers etc...as I say, new toys....

[canonloader]

This winter was really hard for me. I just could not get use to the cold this time. So I stayed inside a lot. One nice side effect from that was, I bought a light tent and light stands with reflectors. After using that a couple weeks, I needed something a bit bigger so I bought some foam core board and made an open "box". Just two foam boards and some posterboard for a background. Check out the Talk section of this forum for some great ideas. I am quite happy with this new direction, and it's a great way to use the camera when the weather isn't cooperating. :)

[OldNick]

I will check that out, but it's weird. Just recently I was on an Oz board, and we were talking about using Corplast, I think it's called...corrugated plastic like cardboard boxes...to make reflectors. I wanted it for making boxes to hold fresnel lenses to zoom flash, and somebody else popped up about using big sheets as onsite reflectors. So the wheel turns.... as it gets re-invented! :)

[canonloader]

Foam core board is very handy stuff. It's about as thick as carboard but a little stiffer and has foam inside a double layer of thin white plastic coating. A great reflector surface, but a matte finish. It also cuts very easity with a utility knife or razor blade.

I use two sheets with duct tape hinge on the long side. I bought a couple extras to cut up for reflectors and bought 4 minuature clamps that I can clamp onto the smaller pieces near a corner and that will hold them up so I can stand them around the subject to act as reflectors from different angles. The best part is, all this stuff is very cheap, under about $10. The most expensive things were the light bulbs, and they are about $11 each. :)

[OldNick]

Ahhh the old duct tape hinge. I have tjhose in quite a few places and they work very well.

I am having trouble locating plastic sided foam. All the stuff I am seeing is paper over foam....need to keep looking. I just DAGS foam core board site:.com.au

BTW, went out this morning, and there across the road is......an OAK TREE! :D I had even commented on it before, but familiarity breeds ignorance. It's not a very big oak, and I think it;'s been hacked back at some stage, but it is undoubtedly the source of the leaf. Now to pluck up courage to ask to grab a couple more. Don't know the people and at the very leafed :) they are going to think I am weird.

Anyway I bow to you and your ID of that leaf. Dang well done.

[canonloader]

Wow, I was ready to say it might not be an Oak leaf, cause the lobes looked a bit different than ours do, but that was my first impression. :)

Foam core board might be covered in paper, but it's a plasticised paper. Water seems to roll off it. You will find it at any art supply store.

[Cyclop]

Great shot/nice composition.

[OldNick]

Wow, I was ready to say it might not be an Oak leaf, cause the lobes looked a bit different than ours do, but that was my first impression. :)

Foam core board might be covered in paper, but it's a plasticised paper. Water seems to roll off it. You will find it at any art supply store.

Yep well I really am impressed. I just did not realise oak leaves were so fleshy.

Thanks about the board. Now I know it's the right stuff, it's easy.

Great shot/nice composition.

Thanks for that. The leaf really grabbed my eye, and I am trying to show why. I actually saw it in oblique light, although not as stark as this. If you read a bit of the thread, you will see that various other efforts may be on the cards.:)