This is a cactus bloom that only comes out when it’s dark and shrinks up and dies when the sun comes up.
Big flower, about 6" across.
The flash was hand held off to the side a bit. Any suggestions on artistic ways to position the flash?
I only have one.
Canon EOS R6,Canon RF 24-105, 80mm, 1/13 sec,ISO 100, f/11,Godox 685 flash set at 1/128, Tripod.
LR and Topaz Denoise AI for sharpening.
All comments welcome.
Gorgeous subject and nice composition. If there isn’t enough ambient light when the bloom is in its prime, I would hang big diffuser in front of the flash to give a softer look. The closer to the flower the diffuser can be, the nicer the effect. The best result would be with a diffuser that is a lot bigger than the flower. A simple solution is a piece of thin white fabric glued to a dowel bar with another bar on the bottom edge to hold it, and you can roll it up for storage.
Thanks. I did have a soft diffuser over the flash, but still a lot of shadow. A second light would have helped , but just trying to work with one now. Will definitely look at a more portable diffuser for the future.
It takes a good sized diffuser relative to the subject to do softening. The things that fit over the flash head don’t do anything except make catchlights in eyes bigger.
A gorgeous flower very well photographed. The opposing diagonal of flower and stem is very appealing.
I like the image as posted very much, but also wonder if a change in White Balance would make the flower stand out even more. Of course, this is always subjective.
A beautiful flower. I wonder if it attracts moths - or bats? The composition as mentioned is really attractive.
I will get a bigger diffuser. Th bats love these flowers. I have seen pictures of them just entering the flower, but haven’t figured out how and when. I would have to sit in my neighbors front yard and be patient or set up a trigger. I will look into it because I love bat pictures. Thanks.
I love this flower. Have a native Cereus in my backyard that I keep a close eye starting in June. Not experimented using flash with them, but it worked nicely here. I also like the sharp focus across the flower. Nicely done.
Thanks. My neighbor moved but, left me several cutting that I have planted. Hope for the best.
