Prickly Pear Cactus

Gallery: FloraPosted August 13, 201172 views9 comments

Prickly Pear Cactus

Place: Gilbert Water Ranch, AZ
August 12, 2011, 7:37 am
Equipment: Nikon D300, Nikkor AF-S 300/2.8 & TC20E (2x), G1325, RRS BH-55, Sidekick
ISO 400, aperture priority matrix metered, 1/125th sec @ f/11, natural light no fill flash
Raw, PS CS3, Mac G4, 73% of frame

I rarely get out of the Avian Gallery, but since there wasn’t much bird activity while I was out yesterday I had time for a few other subjects. Since it was already 90 degrees at dawn I didn’t have any other gear with me besides my bird lens – if I'd have brought along a shorter general purpose optic I might have experimented more with composition and angle here.

I like the look of this soft light that still had enough direction to give some form to the cactus fruit. As with my avian images my post processing is limited to tonal/contrast/saturation fine tuning – no cloning or background hocus pocus.

As always: honest critiques requested; all comments appreciated. Please view the larger image before critiquing if possible.

Comments

9 comments

Comment posted by Bill Fach on August 13, 2011 at 4:56 PM

Richard: Great to have you posting on the finest Flora gallery on the planet. Excellent use of your long lens to isolate the subject. I especially like the BG and your DOF management. You ought to aim your rig at the ground more often.

Great to have you aboard and looking forward to more.>=))>

Registered on November 1, 2003, 1805 Posts, 26981 Comments

Comment posted by Philip Hodgkins on August 13, 2011 at 6:35 PM

Accurate color, good detail and composition. DOF is just about right. The BG is fairly neutral and unobtrusive. Welcome to the Flora Gallery, Richard!

Using enhancing techniques on a prickly pear is, in the words of Jonathan Swift, making a silk purse out of a sow's ear.

Registered on July 24, 2006, 2741 Posts, 12349 Comments

Comment posted by Pat Sampson on August 13, 2011 at 10:59 PM

It's a pleasure to see you posting here Richard.

Strong comp, excellent detail, fine subject/ground separation and lot's of subject presence. A very fine image for my tastes.

Having enjoyed and studied your avian photography for nearly the past five years, I'd love to see you post here in Flora regularly. Welcome to the gallery. (Many of the images here are a bit more interpretive than in Avian but you probably already know that. (smile))

pat

Registered on May 19, 2007, 953 Posts, 15989 Comments

Comment posted by Ian Wolfenden on August 14, 2011 at 9:27 AM

Nice to see such fine specimens of this plant, Richard ! Beautifully sharp capture and nice colouring, and this makes a good enough composition for me. With close up lenses I suspect there could be some great abstracts, but I like this as is.

Registered on May 18, 2007, 1108 Posts, 7647 Comments

Comment posted by Bob&Charly Nelson on August 14, 2011 at 10:49 AM

Wonderful detail and comp. Richard, well seen and captured.
Bob

Registered on October 27, 2005, 289 Posts, 4202 Comments

Comment posted by Ramamohan Pai on August 14, 2011 at 6:06 PM

Honestly, this is a fine photo, Richard. Nice to see you in this side of NPN

. Deep reds, the spikes and a very helpful textured background all come together to make this is a crazy good photo.

Registered on November 1, 2003, 550 Posts, 9037 Comments

Comment posted by Gary Yeoh on August 14, 2011 at 8:49 PM

Richard:
You make this 'ordinary' subject look glamerous. With composition and color you have captured here, there is no need for hocus pocus. Welcome to Flora.

Registered on September 1, 2009, 588 Posts, 8184 Comments

Comment posted by Wayne Willison on August 16, 2011 at 6:42 PM

Richard, nice to see you here. I see that 300 and tc is good for more than just birds. We're in the same boat; I don't have hardly any birds to shoot, either.
Good job on separating the cactus from the bg, and still retaining lots of detail. LIke the colors, also.

Registered on April 10, 2009, 292 Posts, 3967 Comments

Comment posted by Howard Cheek on September 13, 2011 at 11:18 PM

Great use of the ambient light with natural colors & sharp details Rich.
Just enough BG separation to make it work nicely, like what I see..
Well done.

Registered on July 24, 2008, 1201 Posts, 10758 Comments