Minutiae - Backlit Foliage

Minutiae - Backlit Foliage

I took the camera with me on the evening walk through the forest with the dog today... days are getting longer, and it was a warm and sunny friday (feeling comfortable with a polo & jeans at half past six in the evening, woo-hoo, thats really nice!).

I thought I might try some detail-though-not-macro photos of liverleaf in the evening light. Actually, I had the idea a couple of days ago. I think it is good to have ideas beforehand, then think about it in theory, before actually going somewhere and taking photos. Having a goal, to say so. I still end up taking photos of other things anyway. :-)

Theory - good. Practice - hmmmm! I underestimated how thin the DOF is with the 70-300mm telezoom - even at f/11 if you're really close... (see above). So, none of the "planned" shots really worked. Nice blurry background, good bokeh, but not enough DOF for the entire liverleaf flower, and that didn't look good. Lesson learned. :-/

Then I ran straight into these beautifully backlit leafs from last year that still stuck to some bushes. The polarizer took the reflection off their surface so the pure color remained in all its beauty. And again, this shot could be better, too - it would've been ideal if the bent rim of the leaf in focus would've been entirely sharp, and I was already using f/11 - but at 300mm and close to the minimum distance to focus (150cm), the DOF is only about 1cm (yikes!)... oh yes, its good to play with the numbers in theory with DOFmaster again and again. Just to remember these things.

Music for the Moment: Pan Electric & Ishq - "About Time" (this album is almost too good to be true, really!)