Day Start
Day Start
Written by Thursday, 19 February 2009 00:00
“The morning pouring everywhere, its golden glory on the air.” Henry Wadsworth Longfellow
|
|
Day Start The same, tired sun that passes for the billionth time in front of Virgo constellation (S. Beckett, “Murphy”) rises behind the mount Hymettus in Attika, Greece in a cold winter day. Its rays awake the flora and fauna which react to it in different ways. Part of it takes a while to wake up while another part immediately responds to it. It is a rewarding sight, full of surprises, especially if you have been there again during mid day and you know how things normally look like. Nothing seems to be the same. You see leaves still covered by ice waiting for it to melt before they get back to normal and start the photosynthesis. You see birds still clinging on branches, half asleep, yet alert – but not very willing to fly. Insects are waiting for the heat to take the humidity off their wings so they can fly, too. Flowers and plants, covered with droplets which shine when the sun’s rays hit them. Deep, long shadows, mixed with paths of light reveal the texture, complexity and symmetry of nature. A usual scene becomes an interesting sight, which will only last some minutes, before everything returns back to normal. The flower of the almond tree hit by the sun from the side reveals its deep colours and complexity. The sight of Ranunculus asiaticus flowers, covered with drops of water, still closed or just opening, create an interesting image. We knew that there were two different subsets in this region so we should have two photo sessions devoted to it. The first session was about plants and static objects so it had to be a macro lens and a camera which would give us quality images at high ISO settings, because of the light levels which varied greatly in every scene. You turn your camera to one side and you have plenty of daylight, while some meters away, deep shadow is the norm. D700 was the natural choice of course, set at ISO 800. We were prepared to go as high as 1600 but thankfully this was not needed. The flash unit was set to “balanced” mode to preserve the natural tonality as much as possible. We set the camera to “shutter priority” and speed to the highest synchronization speed for the flash, so we could get all its power, if and when needed. However, in most pictures, we decided to rely on natural light alone and turned the flash off. The natural light created so interesting hues and tonal changes that it would be a pity to “flatten” them with the use of the flash. Since the shutter speed was not a problem and there was no wind we had the luxury to get the pictures exactly as we wanted them to look like. The macro lens performed greatly, giving us some really nice images full of detail. Photos by Marina Parha and George J. Reclos Shooting Data: Camera: Nikon D700 1. Sensitivity: ISO 800 2. Sensitivity: ISO 800 3. Sensitivity: ISO 800 4. Sensitivity: ISO 800 5. Sensitivity: ISO 800 |
These photographs are the property of MCH Portal and cannot be reproduced without the written permission of the This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it .
| < Prev | Next > |
|---|