<<< o >>>leaf and shadow 12 comments + add yours
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I very nearly didn’t use this image as when I first looked at it I thought that it lacked detail and wasn’t worth doing any work on. As I shoot most of my images in RAW format there isn’t a quick way of previewing them – I use Canon’s File Viewer Utility, which is a) slow, and b) generates rather small thumbnails. To view a larger preview takes around 30 seconds on my machine, and it takes a bit longer to convert and transfer the image to Photoshop, so, on first glance I wasn’s sure that it was worth bothering with.

The main issue was an apparent lack of clarity, but as I’ve almost run out of images to use this week I thought I’d have another look at it.

And while it isn’t quite what I was after (I initially wanted more detail in the shaded areas of the image) I do think it’s turned out ok – mostly as a consequence of using a slightly stronger unsharp mask than I might have used normally.

camera
capture date
aperture
shutter speed
shooting mode
exposure bias
metering mode
ISO
focal length
image quality
white balance
optical filter
 
Canon G5
11.06am on 8/2/04
f3.2
1/160
aperture priority
+0.0
evaluative
50
7.2mm
RAW
auto
B+W UV 010
 
 
4x3 + macro
comment by Maneck at 01:38 PM (GMT) on 10 February, 2004

Like this one too. Is that your head ?

comment by djn1 at 01:54 PM (GMT) on 10 February, 2004

No, it's a leaf ;-)

Actually, it's the shadow cast by the wavy edge of one of the other leaves on the plant (it's a peace lily).

comment by bsag at 09:39 PM (GMT) on 10 February, 2004

p. Ooo, I love this! I've got a bit of an obsession with 'structural' kinds of plants. I can't tell you how many pictures I've taken of palm leaves with shadows of palm leaves across them. But this is a really special image--the texture is lovely!

comment by djn1 at 09:55 PM (GMT) on 10 February, 2004

bsag: thanks, and – given that you're a biologist – I'm especially glad you like it.

comment by btezra at 10:12 PM (GMT) on 10 February, 2004

~xlnt display of color and shadow!~

comment by Jon at 03:51 AM (GMT) on 11 February, 2004

The colour just jumps right out -- great contrast between light and shadow. Not to evoke a cheesy McDonalds slogan, but I'm lovin' it.

comment by hannah at 07:13 AM (GMT) on 11 February, 2004

i dont know what to say. i think this image is stunning :) the green looks so crisp thanks to the sharp structure and fits well to the hard black!

well done.

comment by djn1 at 09:06 AM (GMT) on 11 February, 2004

btzera and hannah: thanks.

Jon: do you want fries with that? ;-)

comment by Judith Polakoff at 05:14 AM (GMT) on 13 February, 2004

This is gorgeous -- the color, the composition, the lighting, even the shadows behind the ridges within the leaf, absolute perfection! But the texture just blows me away. Every time I look at this photo, I can actually feel that leaf under my fingertips. I envy your talent! :)

comment by Jasmin at 02:22 AM (GMT) on 14 February, 2004

This is really beautiful. The colour just pops out, and the detail's amazing. You've got a great eye for composition. :)

comment by Will Koffel at 05:48 PM (GMT) on 18 April, 2004

This one is one of my favorites of yours, actually! No need to be apologetic. I think that the lack of detail in the shadow really brings out the detail in the rest of the leaf. And the color is spectacular (at least on my monitor!)

I think that the shadow on the left helps balance the photo in a very pleasing way.

comment by Russ at 01:20 AM (GMT) on 16 November, 2004

This photo is visually stunning, it almost looks as if it was painted it doesnt seem real! Very fine work. Do you edit your photos in photoshop or any other photo editing programs?