We had a good bit of rain last night, so I went out to our flower garden this morning and saw all the drops on the different stems, and those beautiful purple Spiderwort flowers. So I gave it a try.
Canon 5D Mark IV, Canon 180 mm L macro lens on monopod, settings all manual except ISO auto, f10, 1/200, ISO 2000. Edited in LR (cropped to vertical), and Topaz AI Clear.
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Beautiful Shirley. I love the contrasting colors and the great detail you’ve captured in the drops and the stem. The OOF background really helps to make the drops stand out. Very nicely done.
Shirley, the water drop lenses are working wonderfully here. Their clarity is excellent. I also like that you include in the frame the oof view of what the refraction shows. Part of me was thinking about getting in closer and going horizontal, but then you wouldn’t get the complete oof view of the spiderwort. Well done.
Very nice image, Shirley. The colors, the detail, the bokeh, the clarity, and the composition are great. I love the reflection in the water drops. I’ve tried taking shots like this in the field (albeit without a macro lens), and I can never get the sharpness.
Refraction in water droplets is a diffult topic. I have long been fascinated by them, but did not yet manage to do one with a pleasing result by myself. So please consider my feedback somewhat theoretical…
What I really like is that you managed to show the refracted subject in sharp focus and the original one out of focus in the same image.
However, what bothers me is the prominent stem. Although you placed it according to the rule of thirds, it is somewhat like a barrier to me (just my perception). It prevents me from ‘entering’ or immersing into the image, like a fence. In addition, the droplets showing the refraction are somewhat below the stem and partly hidden, whereas the droplets without the refraction are on top. To overcome this, my suggestions would be:
try a more diagonal composion, so that the fence-like impression is reduced
try to darken the stem and lighten up the flower, so that the focus is more on the flower instead of the stem
go lower (and if possible even closer)so that you have the droplets with the refraction as major part of the image. Depending on the relative position of stem and flower this could be difficult and means some experimenting with the angle of view, in order to keep the refracted subject still in the frame.
I understand that this location is close to your home, so you could easily go back and give it another try. And if there is no rain, you could take a spray bottle with you to create artificial water droplets ;-). Keep experimenting, you might already know that in the macro world even minute changes of distance and angles have major impact on the composition.
Thank you to all who viewed and those that left a comment. I really do appreciate it.
Katharina, thank you for your critique, it is much appreciated as well. It sounds like good advice, that is for sure. Been some years since I had tried doing raindrop refractions, so I definitely am rusty at it, and never had mastered it, for sure. Now, pushing up in age a bit (almost 69), and with having a back that will slip out of place fairly easily (and I sure don’t want to go to the chiropractor until it feels safer from this virus situation), I have to be very aware of my positions that I might get myself in that could cause my back to go out. So, what I did was not what one would normally do for shooting a shot like this. I used a monopod, and moved the shutter speed up to 1/200 and high speed shooting to allow for possible slight movements on my part. I should have got in closer and shot it vertical, but hind sight is the best vision out there. I was afraid to go back while the drops were still there as it just might be asking too much of my old back. Maybe sometime soon I can try it again. Anyway, I was glad to get what I got. I think what you recommended about dulling the stem down, and brightening the flower might improve this shot. Again, I appreciate your input on this.
Thank you, Katharina, I do appreciate the links. I have knee pads already (for arthritis in the knees), but not as good as those in your first link, so will certain consider them. As for the back, I’m afraid unless the Lord intervenes, that is a lifelong issue. I have twisted my spine twice in serious falls, so I regularly see a chiropractor (but prefer right now not to be going for at least another week or so maybe). I do appreciate your help, that was very thoughtful of you.
Amazing Photo image Shirley, I love the composition how the drops are and the background that matches the flowers in the droplet. I have a monopod so I need to try it like you did. Also colors are rich and full of contrast
Thank you, Dean. I appreciate that. You would be better off if you used a tripod. Because of back issues, I wanted to quickly get the shot (already had the monopod for butterflies and bees) on when I saw the rain drops, if I am remembering correctly. Anyway, the monopod was better than just handholding the camera, but really, a tripod is ideal. I did have the shutter speed up higher than I would have on a tripod too, which of course, meant a higher ISO. I am just glad that I am healthy enough to get out some in our yard and shoot, then put ice on my back and hope I haven’t caused it to go out of alignment. Trying to stay away from the chiropractor until the COVID-19 thing calms down. Again, thanks. I have missed you on here lately. Looking forward to more of your shots.
Shirley: Sorry to be so tardy commenting on this but perhaps better late than never. Really nice job on getting the refracted images and the stem in focus. That’s sometimes hard to pull off. Good advice from Katharina regarding the knee pads. I indulged myself with some fairly heavy duty ones a couple years ago after going through several less robust pairs and now I don’t go out without them. Hope your back issues stay dormant enough for you to continue shooting comfortably. >=))>
