Fuji XT-1, XF55-200mm @ 90.4mm, f/8.0, 1/800 sec, ISO 500
This image was taken looking out our dining room window. I noticed how the emerging leaves of the Ginko were contrasted against the deep pink of a flowering cherry. I varied the depth of field to get a pleasing combination of sharpness of the Ginko and a blur of the background cherry.
Fuji X-T1, XF 18-55mm @ 42.5mm, f/5.6, 1/100 sec, ISO 800
I simplified this image by isolating one clump of blossoms and shooting against the deep green grass background. I used Color Efex Pro to extract detail in the blossoms without affecting the background. I finally used a simple texture on the background.
Fuji XT-1, XF18-55mm @ 35.8mm, f/3.6, 1/480 sec, ISO 500
What would spring be without cherry blossoms. This image was taken on the first day that the blooms popped out of the tight buds. We have seven flowering cherries in our yard. They are my favorite spring highlight. When the cherries bloom, spring is really here. I worked the aperture setting to come up with the optimum setting to capture the sharpness of the first group of flowers and blur the background flowers. They were hard to separate with a standard length zoom lens.
Fuji XT-1, XF60mm F2.4R Macro @ 60mm, f/4.0, 1/210 sec, ISO 400
We have had a downpour of rain for the past two days. One good thing about rain is raindrops. So, this mornings shoot focus was to try to capture them. The day was cloudy so I could not capture the sunlight starbursts or the bokeh. It was still a nice morning walk and shoot in the garden. It was a gift.
Fuji XT-1, XF55-200mm @ 156mm, f/5.6, 1/75 sec, ISO 200
Experimentation … does this work? I am not sure. The intended subject was the trunk of the Japanese Maple as viewed through the emerging red leaves. The RAW image was very flat. When I added contrast, the colors of the leaves and grass made the overall image look gaudy. I toned it down with a B&W layer at about 50% opacity. It still looks too busy for me. Next time I will try a shorter depth of field, get closer to the leaves and focus on a smaller area of the trunk.
Fuji X-T1, XF55-200mm @ 200mm, f/4.8, 1/1500 sec, ISO 200
This image follows the approach shown in my last two posts. Here I used the bright yellow of the flowering Forsythia along the back fence line as a background to force the viewers eye to the small 1/2″ Dawn Redwood Cones. There is something interesting around every turn in our garden.
Fuji X-T1, XF55-200mm @ 50.5mm, f/11, 1/340 sec, ISO 200
The pink of the Red Bud always attracts me. I used the emerging buds to frame our white garden shed. I used NIK software to add additional blur and defocus the foreground while leaving the shed “as shot”. Typically I focus on the details of individual flowers or plants. This and my post from yesterday, I focused on using spring color as a foreground or background to frame and bring focus to another object.
Fuji X-T1, XF55-200mm @ 55mm, f/5.0, 1/400 sec, ISO 200
This post will start a series on Spring as it comes into our garden. This image is a composite of two images. The first is a straight image of the garden bench against a red Weigela. I then overlaid a C-blur of the Weigela on top and adjusted the opacity to my taste. I can never pass by an opportunity to capture red!
Spring has come slow to SE Pennsylvania this year. The plants and trees are now rushing into bloom before we can catch up cleaning the yard. Each new day is a gift that we very much appreciate. So here’s to 27 April 2014 … it is a beautiful day!
Canon 7D, EF-S10-22mm @ 10mm, f/22, 1/10 sec, ISO 200
Some time when it is cold and dreary, I enjoy looking back through my past images to a more enjoyable time. We had some wonderful early summer weather on our whale-watching trip last summer. This image was taken on the SE end of San Juan Island in Puget Sound. How we miss the beautiful Northwest!
Canon 7D, EF70-200mm f/2.8L IS @ 78mm, f/16, 1/25 sec, ISO 400
Looking back at images from last summer, I recall taking this photo with a thought of peacefulness. We were on San Juan Island near the Limekiln Lighthouse waiting for Orca’s to come by. While waiting, I looked up at the hillside above me and saw this scraggly pine and white daisies. It was quiet and peaceful. All I wanted to do was sit and enjoy the moment.
In processing this image, I added a little contrast and graduated fog to enhance the peaceful feeling I had. It was a beautiful day and moment.