Impatiens

The Impatiens is a simple flowers, always around and seldom admired.  I have some, still growing happily in a pot.  They survived the heat of the summer and have enjoyed the cooler temps  of  fall.  Yesterday morning, I sat on my patio and thought they looked happy.  I snapped a portrait or two.  Today, it is raining and getting cold.  It is Monday and my first day back at work in a week…sigh; so I need to post something cheerful.

 

Impatiens

Nikon D90 with Tamron 90.  1/640s at f/4, ISO 160.  In Lightroom, cropped, adjusted white balance, adjusted light levels, reduced clarity and increased contrast, adjusted exposure mode and switched from Landscape to DX2 Mode 2.  Unsharp mask to finish.

 

Rain Soaked Hibiscus Flower

A week or two ago, rainstorms went through the area blowing out the last of summer and bringing cool, fall air.  I went out the morning after and picked up this fallen blossom.  I spread it out and set it up in my little flower studio.  I used a small aperture to create depth and pick up all of the lovely creases in the petals.  I used the gold side of my 52-inch reflector to cast light from the bottom of the flower, offsetting the natural light coming from the top.  I did not want a soft image but rather a sharp, hard, fading and wrinkled flower.  This was its last hurrah before it faded to the soil from whence it came.

 

Morning After

Nikon D90 with Tamron 90.  8/10s at f/16, ISO160.  In Lightroom, I adjusted the white balance, adjusted light levels bringing the petals up in contrast to the dark background.  I wanted to be sure and capture the whole blossom including the short stem.  I increased contrast and clarity and sharpened the image.  I adjusted the camera scene value, starting with Lightroom’s own Adobe settings and went from there.  In flowers, these adjustments help bring many of the subtle floral colors out.

 

Red Cyclamen

This photograph is the beginning of something new for me.  More details later (I don’t like to jinx things).   It is cyclamen and is now in my garden enjoying our beautiful weather.

Thanksgiving was wonderful.  It is interesting when half your guests are over 75 and the rest are under 10.  Well, my brother is in his 40s but he preferred the under-10 crowd and, as usual, fit in well.

Cyclamen Blossom

Nikon D90 with Tamron 90.  1/200s at f/4, ISO200.  In Lightroom, the photo was cropped and tilted.  White balance was adjusted and light levels were adjusted.  Clarity and contrast were increased.  Shot in Landscape mode with adjusted settings.

Closed Anemone

This is a beautiful, long-lived bloom.  It opens and closes and interacts with its environment.  I think it is an intelligent flower.   This shot was taken towards the end of a cloudy, rainy day as the light faded away.

 

Closed Anemone

Nikon D90 with Tamron 90.  1/10s at f/4, ISO160.  In Lightroom, adjusted white balance, increased contrast and decreased clarity.  Adjusted light levels to bring out the flower and darken the background.

 

Dance of the Sufi

I was sitting on a bench looking at this little flower,  I’ve forgotten what it is called, and it seemed alive in a most joyous way.  I had the impression that it was dancing on a bright, sunny, beautiful day.  The weather right now is the payoff for the sweltering heat of July and August.

Nikon D90 with Tamron 90.  1/125s at f/4, ISO200, Landscape Mode.  In Lightroom, adjusted White balance and light levels.  Decreased clarity and increased light tones to create a soft feel.  I used split toning to introduced blue-red to the light areas and sepia to the dark tones.

Mixed emotions

When I look at some of the grain-added photos on the big monitor, I am disappointed.  I have always worked so hard to remove noise and it seems I am simply adding it back.  With this photo, I decided to add the grain in an effort to give it a dreamier feel in the petals.

 

Inside White Cyclamen

Nikon D90 with Tamron 90.  2s at f/16, ISO160.  In Lightroom, desaturated, boosted light levels, removed clarity and increased contrast.  Added grain but made it finer.  Used split toning to introduce some sepia into the darker regions.

 

Cyclamen in Lightroom 3

I’ve played with the Lightroom 3 beta release for about a week now.  Overall, I think LR3 is a good advance and I will purchase the release when it comes out.

One of the most intriguing things to me is the ability to add grain.  It is with things like grain that I realize how little I know about photography because I have no clue as to the importance of grain.  However, I remembered some of the great folks I’ve gotten to know online and off I went to re-explore their blogs.  This is my first photo processed with grain: cyclamen.

 

Morning Light

Nikon D90 with Tamron 90.  3s at f/22, ISO160.

In Lightroom 3, I worked hard on this one.  I changed the white balance to fluorescent to give it the blue glow.  I increased contrast but reduced clarity.  I increased brightness, especially in the dark and light tones.

Then I played with the grain.  There are three sliders to adjust: amount, size and roughness.  In the end, I added more grain, increased the size but brought the roughness way down.  I used split toning to add in more blue into the highlights.

I worked on this for quite a while more, adjusted tints, choosing camera profiles, etc.  I am happy with the result.

 

Cyclamen

I am intrigued with this flower.  These are my first shots but they will not be my last.  I love a flower that gives up its secrets slowly, making you work to know its personality.

White Cyclamen

Nikon D90 with Tamron 90.  4s at f/22, ISO160.  In Lightroom, adjusted white balance and light levels.  Increased contrast and clarity.  Desaturated and sharpened.

White Flower

It was cloudy and getting late.  I did not have my flash but the air was still.  No tripod, either.

Spikes

Nikon D90 with Tamron 90.  1/80s at f/2.8, ISO200.  In Lightroom, cropped to isolate the flower, adjusted white balance and light levels, decreased clarity and increased vibrance.

It’s not always the bloom

Of course, I can’t go out to Chappell Hill without getting flower shots.  Even now, there are a lot of fall flowers appearing.  No clue as to what this is but its on a large bush.  While the petals were beautiful, it was really the stems that I found most interesting in the gray, fading, afternoon light.

Stems, Fall Flowers from Chappell Hill

Nikon D90 with Tamron 90mm.  1/80s at f/8, ISO200.  In Lightroom, desaturated, used Nikon DX2 mode 2, increased clarity, adjusted white balance and light levels.  I used split toning bringing blue into the highlights and red into the shadows.  To finish it off, I rotated 180 degrees.