The Heart of a Flower

Attraction

Taking close up pictures of flowers is less demanding than insects but not easy. In contrast to insects flowers show more dramatic contrast in both colour and light intensity which means that exposure may be critical. What usually strikes me is the delicacy of the flower which in some cases is combined to a complexity that really makes a work of art. This is a very common wild flower in Greece. I was attracted by the shade of its petals, darkening towards the middle of the flower and the contrast of these to the delicate wreath of stamens.

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 - aperture: 1/350 sec, f/8 Aperture priority mode
Flash: SB800 in TTL/BL
Image: JPEG edited in Photoshop CS, levels adjusted, sharpening added and resized.

Crecento (Family: Cannaceae)

This flower looked "intense". The contrast between the black anthers and the purple petals was eye catching.

Photo by George J. Reclos
 
Shooting Data:

Camera: Nikon D70
Lens: Tamron SP AF 180mm f/3.5 Di Macro
Sensitivity: ISO 200
Shutter speed: 1/180, f13, Aperture priority
Flash: SB800 in TTL/BL
Image: JPEG edited in Photoshop CS, levels adjusted, sharpening added and resized.

Magnolia

Unless I want to deliberately blur part of the flower or show something particular about it – like the tips of the stems - I use small apertures and high shutter speeds. You have to keep in mind that some of those flowers are really big, so depth of field is essential. Using the Nikon D70 offers the additional advantage that the Nikon SB-800 (or any dedicated) flash unit will synchronize at any speed up to 1/500 sec, which adds to its versatility.

Photo by George J. Reclos

Shooting Data:

Camera: Nikon D70
Lens: Tamron SP AF 180mm f/3.5 Di Macro
Sensitivity: ISO 200
Shutter speed: 1/250, f13 Shutter priority
Flash: SB800 in TTL/BL
Image: JPEG edited in Photoshop CS, levels adjusted, sharpening added and resized.

Azalea

The nice thing about flowers is that you don't have to go far to find them. Usually, wherever you look, there are some. Isolated or in nice combinations they will reward you with colorful images and interesting textures.

Photo by George J. Reclos

Shooting Data:

Camera: Nikon D70
Lens: AF-S Nikkor 300 mm f/2.8 D
Sensitivity: ISO 200
Shutter speed - aperture: 1/25, f8, Manual mode
Flash: SB-800 in i-TTL/BL mode
Image: JPEG edited in Photoshop CS, levels adjusted, sharpening added and resized.

Amaryllis

Amaryllis produces a very large flower with a striking red colouration. The filaments of the flower are red; as a result they are almost  invisible as their background is the rich velvety colour of the flower. I focussed on the stamens and used a fill in flash was used to bring up the details. The ambient light was strong enough so balancing it was relatively difficult.  Gold dust from the anthers is all over the flower, giving it a "party" look.

Photo by George J. Reclos

Shooting data:

Camera: Nikon D70
Lens: Tamron SP AF 180mm f/3.5 Di Macro 1:1
Sensitivity: ISO200
Shutter speed: 1/250sec @ f/11
Flash: SB-800 on-camera TTL (non BL) mode
Image: JPEG processed in Photoshop CS, unsharp mask filter, curves to reduce the highlights and resized.