After the Rain II

Hanging by a thread...that drop brings beauty and tension...I like the jewel appearance and background.

Gorgeous full droplets adorn this beauty, especially the hanging droplet. What an eye to catch that one. I wonder about the brightness adjustment... The image has a "dazzle" to it that can be both wonderful and a little over the top. Here, it's a little uncomfortable, at least for me.

I agree with Catherine about this being a little too bright, but an otherwise lovely image. I especially like the one big drop that is about to fall!

Nice shot Stephen, especially like the FG drop in LRC.

Stephen - Very nicely done. Love the water drops and the refraction in the biggest drop. Try and use a small diffuser to soften the light.

No flash fired on this one. It is a built in flash, so a diffuser is difficult. I tried to make one, from a styrofoam bowl, but it did not work so well :)

It is just brightened too much in PS. I will tone it down a bit.

Thanks for all the suggestions. :)

I did not mean a flash diffuser. I meant just a Diffuser like This One. It helps you to cut the light and soften it uniformly on your subject.

Interesting... thank you for the link.

I will have to figure out how it works :) just it just block the excess light??

I am assuming that I don't shoot through it... LOL

Stephen - Check This Article. You hold the diffuser over or by the side of your subject (depending on the angle the sun makes to your shooting position). That is all. Imagine your Hat's shade being transluscent.

Cool! Usually I position myself in a way that blocks the sun all-together, because it can be too harsh. This is a good way to keep some light, but tone it down a bit. :)
I find sunlight, can be very hard to work with. This particular photo, was taken on an overcast day, after a rain shower. It is not the natural lighting, that has made this one too bright. It is my inexperience with photoshop.

I can see it being difficult trying to use a tripod, lying on the ground and holding a diffuser up beside the subject. LOL. I will have to hire an assistant :)

You will need a Wimberley Plamp. I use it without any assistant.

Using a diffuser gives vastly superior results compared to shading the flower using your own shadow.

wow!! that is some pretty high tech stuff! people actually use those clamps to hold a flower up, to get a better background?

wow!! sure beats, lying on your back, trying to get the perfect bloom, while it's still attached to the plant. I kind of like the challenge of that though. there seems to be something, just wrong, about picking the flower and choosing a backdrop.

When you do real close-ups you will know the power of the 2 Miles/Hour wind . Usually people use plamps on a windy day. I use the plamp to hold my diffuser and rarely for any other purpose.

i am not sure what you mean by "real closeups"? all of my images are from the lens. there is no digital enlargements or zoom, after the fact. i do not have the benefit of a 100mm macro lens, so i have to get within 2-3 inches, from my subject. Believe me, i fight with every single, little movement. Everything you see here, is exactly what i see in my lcd, at the time of the shot. i have seen, where people take a photo and adjust the zoom in PS, after the fact. You can always tell, when this has been done.

if it is too windy, i just don't go out to shoot. for a little wind. i sit and hold my focus, and wait for the moment the wind dies down. there is always a still moment. :)

when there is a little bit of wind, i drain my batteries quick! once i have a subject chosen, i hold the shutter button half way down and get a rough AF. (i have no manual controls), i then move forward and back, from the subject, tiny amounts (mm's) to get the focus i want, exactly where i want it. when it is windy, i may have to hold that way for a few minutes, until there is a calm moment. :)

i think the plamp, would take away some of the fun, and make it almost like shooting "studio", outdoors. :)

Hi Stephen Your improving by the post This one is almost perfect, remember to always diffuse harsh light
Albert Darmo