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Winter Milkweed
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Winter Milkweed

by Jim Zablotny

Gallery: FloraPosted January 2, 2017276 views5 comments
Finally, I have a day off and decided to see what's available for shooting in the backyard.  Sunny and 40 degree temps brought out a few honeybees that were flying around the hives.  Nearby, I found a set of milkweed pods and photographed them under some shade. The wind made stacking impossible so I brought this into the studio.  I made an impromptu lightbox out of a white umbrella and a sheet of hotpress Arches watercolor paper for a BG.  I used two flashes with master set at -2/3 and a slave set up at 1/16 ev.  I took 19 images and stacked them with Zerene Stacker using Pmax. K5 IIs 180 mm f3.5 (2.0sec at f9.0, ISO 80).  Adjustments to WB, Luminosity Masks on Lights, Darks-4, and Midtones, Brightness & Contrast.........................................Jim

Comments

5 comments
Comment posted by Barb Pflaum on January 2, 2017 at 3:10 PM
Very nice, Jim!  The stack gave excellent detail and sharpness.  The watercolor paper is a nice bg.  I could imagine the bg being snow, especially considering the title of this image.
Registered on January 14, 2009, 316 Posts, 2724 Comments
Comment posted by John Robinson on January 3, 2017 at 8:27 AM
Yes well done.
Nice stacking too and shows theres always something to do even in Winter..
JohnR
Registered on March 2, 2008, 535 Posts, 2453 Comments
Comment posted by Bill Fach on January 4, 2017 at 10:25 PM
Jim: I love milkweed pods as subjects and this is exceptionally well done IMO. The larger version MUST be viewed and is just a delight. Superbly crafted image.>=))>
Registered on November 1, 2003, 1805 Posts, 26981 Comments
Comment posted by Philip Hodgkins on January 5, 2017 at 4:56 PM
Jim, just a lovely kaleidoscope of lines, textures and shapes. The stacking looks good. I use Pmax for scenes like this that are almost high key. Pmax does the best job on detail, but leaves a lot of haloing, especially with  darker scenery. You take a lot more images than I do. Do you view this as a means of increasing structure and/or a control for haloing? I am curious about your take on it.
Registered on July 24, 2006, 2741 Posts, 12349 Comments
Comment posted by scott lanz on January 7, 2017 at 12:31 PM
Expertly captured and processed, Jim. Really fine detail.
Registered on November 14, 2003, 840 Posts, 12902 Comments