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Sitka Columbine
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Sitka Columbine

by Bruce King

Gallery: FloraPosted June 19, 201081 views10 comments
Found this lonely blossom under thick overhanging underbrush and dangling above the Metolius River headwaters last week. While moving throught the brush I glimpsed a dash of color through the thick tangle and by the time I got in a position to see it clearly I was on my belly with my face surrounded by limbs and leaves. I love that kind of stuff. :biggrin:
Anyway, like my last post I've been interested in capturing images that depart from the usual creamy, smooth bokeh we often see. The stream beneath the Columbine provided an interesting marriage of reflected foliage above and the rocks and algae on the river bottom.
I does distract form the main subject, but as I said I'm experimenting. I might remove the spider web from the blossom in a future version. I miscalculated dof on this one. I would have liked more of the stem, leaves and branch at ULC to be in sharper focus.
Opinions? Thanks for looking.

D5000
Sigma 150 f2.8
f/14 @ .3 sec
ISO 800

Comments

10 comments
Comment posted by Patricia Brundage on June 20, 2010 at 12:45 AM
The branch gives me a sense of place and the reflection tells me it is over water. The wild columbine usually is in the rock walls above a river bed and you've done an admirable job getting a in-focus shot. They usually are blowing in the wind. :toast:
Registered on March 23, 2006, 1111 Posts, 6531 Comments
Comment posted by Ken Smith on June 20, 2010 at 12:58 AM
Nice shot. Thanks for the text...I was wondering how this was taken....the stream for b/g works well. And the branch is a good reference point. The columbine pops! Ken S
Registered on September 5, 2008, 449 Posts, 2444 Comments
Comment posted by Bruce King on June 20, 2010 at 12:40 PM
Thanks for the input.
Patricia, the Eastern Red Columbine is found in woods, thickets, ledges and cliffs as you stated. However the Western Red, or Sitka Columbine is found along stream banks and in woods and meadows. At least according to the NWF fieldguide.
This particuler Columbine was protected from most breezes by low forest canopy and underbrush on three sides, so movement was not a problem. The hardest part was getting into position to take the shot.
Registered on January 14, 2010, 276 Posts, 2212 Comments
Comment posted by Philip Southard on June 20, 2010 at 10:24 PM
Nice shot Bruce. Great color and lighting. The stream provides a very different and interesting BG that I like. Sounds like you had fun getting the shot. :cool:
Registered on July 15, 2007, 258 Posts, 3892 Comments
Comment posted by Timothy F. Hale on June 21, 2010 at 12:53 AM
Bruce, IMO you have taken a pic of a lovely red columbine and through your backround and composition have rendered an image that look, very much, like a Japanese painting. Nice.

Concrete Tim
Registered on December 10, 2003, 282 Posts, 405 Comments
Comment posted by Mike Gallo on June 21, 2010 at 9:10 AM
Very artistic capture Bruce, I like everything about it :toast:
Registered on September 14, 2005, 182 Posts, 1471 Comments
Comment posted by Catherine Reilly on June 21, 2010 at 6:37 PM
I like your idea. The only thing that niggles at me is that the flower and the stem (on the left) interrupt each other. On the other hand, if I slide down to include only a couple of inches of the stick where it's gray, then it looks like a purposeful interconnection between it and the flower and there's a more powerful point on which to focus: where your gorgeous flower meets the the zig-zag part of the stick. Anyway, well worth the scramble and belly crawl. I vote you keep up the experiment. :cool:
Registered on August 16, 2006, 603 Posts, 9192 Comments
Comment posted by Morris McClung on June 21, 2010 at 7:48 PM
Love the curve in the stem. Very graceful. Well done.
Registered on May 7, 2007, 670 Posts, 19650 Comments
Comment posted by Bruce King on June 21, 2010 at 11:40 PM
Thanks for the input everyone.
Catherine I like your suggestion. I reworked the master file a little in addition to cropping.
Registered on January 14, 2010, 276 Posts, 2212 Comments
Comment posted by Bill Fach on June 24, 2010 at 11:54 PM
Bruce: Sorry to be so late in commenting but this is terrific. The river is a GREAT BG and I love the color palette. I like the light as well. I do give a slight nod to the repost. Great find, great image.>=))>
Registered on November 1, 2003, 1805 Posts, 26981 Comments