Red On ...

Euphorbia pulcherrima  (Poinsettia) 

The sight of this poinsettia being temporally in the snow created a contrast between the bright red leaves, the green foliage and the neutral, white snow.

Photo by Kenneth A. Pass

Shooting Data:

Camera: Nikon D70
Lens: Zoom Nikkor AF-S DX 18–70 mm f/3.5–4.5G IF ED @ 70 mm
Sensitivity: ISO320
Shutter speed - aperture: 1/320 sec - f/9, Auto mode
Flash: None
Image: RAW, converted in PS CS, sharpening low, auto-contrast, saved in JPEG, USM added.

Papaver rhoeas (Family: Papaveraceae; common name: Poppy)

The appearance of poppies in the fields signifies that spring is finally here. Every year, those bright red flowers fill the fields of Greece with red dots which create an eye-catching canvas. These poppies appeared just 20 cm from the edge of the road while at the same time, the ground next to it had a steep slope since it led to the beach. The sun was not high in the sky so there was some blue in it, which I wanted to capture in order to create a red-green-blue picture. I laid down on the ground and closed the macro lens to f/22 to increase the depth of field as much as possible while allowing the flash unit to synchronize and fill in the flowers. I exposed for the sky, locked the exposure and let the flash take care of the rest.

Photo by George J. Reclos

Shooting Data:

Camera: Nikon D70
Lens: Tamron SP AF 90 mm f/2.8 Di Macro 1:1
Sensitivity: ISO 200
Shutter speed: 1/180 sec, f/22, Aperture priority mode
Flash: SB-800 in i-TTL mode
Image: RAW, converted in Photoshop CS, sharpening and contrast adjusted, saved in JPEG, levels adjusted, cropped + USM added.

Lilium sp. (?)

I was very lucky to have two nice friends in USA (Ken and Roy) who shared their time with me and gave me an unforgettable tour in Albany (NY, USA) and the surrounding area (which even included Massachusetts). During our visit to a local botanic garden I saw those Lilium flowers against the green grass and I thought of the nice contrast their colors would make. I decided to shoot this scene with and without flash to be sure that I would get the most saturated colors.  

Photos by George J. Reclos
 
Shooting Data (top):

Camera: Nikon D2X
Lens: Tamron SP AF 90 mm f/2.8 Di Macro 1:1
Sensitivity: ISO100
Shutter speed: 1/200, f5.6 Aperture priority
Flash: None
Image: JPEG edited in Photoshop CS2, levels adjusted, USM added and resized. 

Shooting Data (bottom):

Camera: Nikon D2X
Lens: Tamron SP AF 90 mm f/2.8 Di Macro 1:1
Sensitivity: ISO100
Shutter speed: 1/60, f14 Aperture priority
Flash: SB800 in i-TTL
Image: JPEG edited in Photoshop CS, levels adjusted, USM added and resized.

Rosa sp. (common name: Rose)
 
Recently, I discussed with Frank a new approach. Using extremely small aperture settings and flash in close up photos. This has two advantages. First, maximum depth of field (although this may affect the overall sharpness of the image) and second, a black background if there is no subject close, behind the subject. This rose really stands out in the picture without the distracting background which was quite evident at f/8 and f/10. Since most cameras respond to red in different ways, I was expecting to see a deeper red by the D2X (as compared to the D70 and the CP5700), which is what I actually got.

Photo by George J. Reclos

Shooting data:

Camera: Nikon D2X
Lens: Tamron SP AF 180mm f/3.5 Di Macro 1:1
Sensitivity: ISO200
Shutter speed: 1/60 sec @ f/22, Aperture priority mode
Flash:SB800 in i-TTL
Image: JPEG edited in Photoshop CS2, levels adjusted, increased contrast, Smart sharpening added and resized.

Red  

During a recent discussion with Frank, he told me that he has seen roses shot from every possible angle and under all lighting conditions till now. He was joking of course but this rang a bell inside me. Yes, I needed to take a different shot of a rose. Then I thought of a close up shot of the center of the flower. I needed a flower which hadn't opened yet to ensure that there was maximum detail and a "tight" construction, increasing the complexity of the image. I found one and spent an hour taking pictures of it with different light combinations. One of the main problems was that flash light usually washed out the colors of the flower so I had to try many different approaches (plastic dome, white card, bounced on the ceiling, a second flash close to the lens axis, artificial light with longer exposures etc.). The one which worked best was the plastic dome.  

Photo by George J. Reclos

Shooting Data:

Camera: Nikon D2X
Lens: Tamron SP AF 90 mm f/2.8 Di Macro 1:1
Sensitivity: ISO 100
Shutter speed - aperture: 1/60 sec - f/13, Aperture priority mode
Flash: SB-800 in i-TTL mode with plastic dome.
Image: JPEG edited in Photoshop CS2, levels adjusted, smart sharpening added and resized.