May 092012
 

Spring Light
{click image to view large}

Nikon D300; f11 @ 1/350 sec, ISO 200 (handheld);
70-300 mm f/4.5-5.6 @ 220mm (330mm EFL); focus distance 1.68m

Prairie Fire
{click image to view large}

Nikon D300; f9.5 @ 1/125sec, ISO 3200 (handheld);
70-300 mm f/4.5-5.6 @ 165mm (247m EFL); focus distance 1.68m

“Dappled light” sounds pretty, doesn’t it? But high contrast and hard shadows have led me to dismiss it in favor of photographing subjects under soft, even lighting…

Until last month, during the Callway Gardens workshop, when a participant opened my eyes to possibilities I’d been ignoring. She was photographing the color and reflections of azaleas along a riverbank, playing with impressionist ripples in the water. What especially struck me, however, was the way she’d been drawn to one particular mound of blossoms spotlit by sunshine through a break in the surrounding trees. Ah-hah.

Thank you, for showing me the light!

  4 Responses to “Dappled Light”

  1. As students learn from the teachers, so do good teachers learn from their students.

    I love your images. I have many shots like these, but I like yours better. Perhaps I’m too severe a critic. Or need to use a different lens.

    My fav is the top one – love the silhouettes of the stamens on the petals.

    • Thank you, Flo. I rented this lens especially for Callaway, anticipating distant shots of participants in the field. Then I fell in love with it and purchased one “like new” from KEH. It has beautiful clarity and creates great separation even at f11 against near-ish backgrounds. 🙂

  2. Hi April,

    I agree with Flo, # 1 is my favourite, due to the sun light, shadows and composition.

    Alan

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