Four Seasons

Water drop

Just after the rain stopped, the plants are still wet. Especially on these Iris leaves the water forms nice "droplets". I positioned my flash on the right to obtain a nice shadow that accentuates the shape of the drop.

Photo by Frank Panis

Shooting Data:

Camera: Nikon D70
Lens: Tamron SP AF 180mm f/3.5 Di Macro 1:1
Sensitivity: ISO200
Shutter speed: 1/400sec
Flash: SB-800 off-camera in remote mode put on the ground at the right side to recreate a shadow
Image: RAW, converted in Nikon editor, sharpening low, autocontrast without colour change, then opened in PS7, resized to 1200 pixels wide and added USM and saved in JPEG.    

Desire

It was late evening after a hot summer day in Athens when I shot this photo. The last rays of the sun were giving a nice texture to the root of this palm tree leaving the rest in the dark. The effect that this soft game of darkness and light had on the plant made me think about fulfilment of desires.  

Photo by George J. Reclos

Shooting Data:

Camera: Nikon D300
Lens: Nikkor 300mm f2.8
Sensitivity: ISO640
Shutter speed: 1/1250sec, shutter priority
Flash: no flash used
Exp. bias: -0,33 EV  

Autumn colors

I shot this picture only because it represents autumn in every pixel of it. The subtle colors, the decaying leaves, the new life which starts under it. The strange shape of the decaying leaves was the first thing I noticed. Then I realized that the background was also dead pine needles and in the middle of it, a small green leave belonging to another plant which will live and die during the cold season. The seasons follow each other and nature changes its dress with or without our presence. This shot was taken on a day with heavy clouds, next to the trunk of a large pine tree so light was really very low. I had to use a flash unit, which, to my surprise, handled lighting in an excellent way.

Photo by George J. Reclos

Shooting Data:

Camera: Nikon D70
Lens: Tamron SP AF 90 mm f/2.8 Di Macro 1:1
Sensitivity: ISO200
Shutter speed - aperture: 1/60 sec - f/13, AP mode
Flash: SB800, auto/return light detected (TTL/BL mode)
Image: JPEG processed in Photoshop CS, unsharp mask filter and resized.

Frost on a leaf

We're in the winter season what could not pass unnoticed On devember 27 we had fog and freezing temperatures, so everything outside had a small layer of white frost. These leaves had the nicest ice crystals and were a bit above the others, so I could use the sky as a backround so there were no disturbing elements. I've set the D70 on aperture priority, and used the SB-800 in TTL modus to freeze possible motion.

Photo by Frank Panis

Shooting Data:

Camera: Nikon D70
Lens: Tamron SP AF 180mm f/3.5 Di Macro 1:1
Sensitivity: ISO200
Shutter speed: 1/60sec f/16
Flash: SB-800 in TTL
Image: RAW, converted in Nikon Capture editor, sharpening normal, WB adjusted, opened in PS7, cropped, sharpened and saved