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A rose
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A rose

by Luke Ormand

Gallery: FloraPosted May 31, 201172 views6 comments
I had stopped at a riverside site to see if birds were around but couldn't find anything but as I was leaving I noticed this single rose.

Nikon D300s 105 mm f/2.8 VR HH
f/7.1
1/1250s
ISO 640
-.33 EC

Cropped to 79%, sharpened in CS5 on 27" iMac

- Luke

P.S. I finally bought a tripod but the head I have wasn't cooperating (isn't really designed for shooting without tripod feet anyway) so any suggestions for (inexpensive but good) heads would be appreciated.

Comments

6 comments
Comment posted by Gary Yeoh on May 31, 2011 at 9:53 PM
Luke:
The rose is beautiful but the lighting is a little harsh with strong shadow. Good bg separation. Also wish the leaf in the LLC did not cross the lower edge of the petals. A square crop would work well here too.

I am quite happy with my Manfrotto 486RC ballhead. Not too bulky and reasonable price. Good enough for the 300F4 which I use for dragonflies but probably not sturdy enough for longer lens.
Registered on September 1, 2009, 588 Posts, 8184 Comments
Comment posted by Ken Smith on May 31, 2011 at 10:16 PM
Nice ...big bold and fresh! I use the Manfrotto 488RC head. I had the 486 and wanted a tad bigger ballhead. Even though I don't have any bigger than the Nikon 70-200mm 2.8 with my Nikon D300. There are times when I wish that the dial to crimp down was a bit larger diameter so I could really crank hard on it. Works fine for me.
Registered on September 5, 2008, 449 Posts, 2444 Comments
Comment posted by Pat Sampson on May 31, 2011 at 10:29 PM
Luke,

I agree with Gary's comments on the image. The shadow is a little too dominant in this for my tastes.

I have a RRS BH40 that I'm very pleased with and have used for about three years now. One of the best pieces of gear I own and I use it constantly. I think it's the only photographic gear I own that has literally never had a problem. It's fairly expensive though.

pat
Registered on May 19, 2007, 953 Posts, 15989 Comments
Comment posted by Ramamohan Pai on May 31, 2011 at 11:02 PM
Luke, You give us a description of where this was shot - looks more like a wild rose and then habitat becomes important (also knowing a bit about your style over the years helps). Given the circumstances I think you did very well - love the layers and the center of the Rose.

These wild roses smell great (compared to the commercial hybrid variety which only look great) - back home in India we prepare a sugary syrup kind of thing with these wild rose petals added. Supposed to have a cooling effect on the body (so says the tradition).

I use a Really Right Stuff BH55 Ballhead - they are beautifully engineered and I am very happy with it. I hear good things about Kirk and Markins Ballheads also.
Registered on November 1, 2003, 550 Posts, 9037 Comments
Comment posted by Luke Ormand on May 31, 2011 at 11:03 PM
Ram, it is a wild rose growing along the roadside
Registered on February 4, 2009, 1093 Posts, 7035 Comments
Comment posted by Albert Darmo on June 5, 2011 at 9:42 PM
Hi Luke :wavey: Thanks for sharing this lovely wild rose. ..... perhaps a diffuser would have helped remove the shadows, A large piece of discarded cardboard makes a cheap and great diffuser :cool:
Albert Darmo
Registered on November 25, 2008, 1386 Posts, 11978 Comments