Spiked was composed at Redcliffe Plantation State Park in Beech Island, SC.
From my blog The Artist's Story:
"There are a couple of large clusters of cacti on the grounds near the main house at Redcliffe Plantation State Park. I never really paid that much attention to them during previous visits, but this particular spring afternoon, new, fresh cacti appeared to be popping up all over the surface areas of the older plants. They looked so full of life and color that I was forced to examine them closer. When I started composing, I found some to be quite compelling. For example, through positioning and the arrangement of its spines, the subject in Spiked seemed to take on a personality. I felt that it resembled Medusa with the ‘ready to strike’ thorns being her hair and taking the place of venomous snakes. It also appears to have captured her profile as she looks to the right with her head slightly tilted back. I positioned the camera to bring in as much of the fruit as possible (primarily to introduce some additional color into the composition). And, as a bonus, the almost blood red tone helps produce a more menacing quality as does the collar of needles around her neck."
Techs:
Canon 5D Mark III
F/22
0.6 seconds
ISO-100
180mm + 2X
No Flash
Gitzo tripod
Arca Swiss B1
