Yesterday after the rain I found this line of droplets on a bloodroot leaf. They were relatively precarious and every breeze threatened their arrangement. I got lucky though and managed to put this together.
Specific Feedback Requested
Whatever comes to mind to make it better.
Technical Details
Is this a composite: No
Lumix G9
Leica DG 45mm f/2.8 macro
f/11 | 1/15 sec | ISO 200
Tripod
6-image stack
Used Lr, Zerene & Photoshop to produce this final. A few TK masks to really pull the tonalities apart after converting to monochrome. Some cloning. Some dodging & burning. A lot of retouching in Zerene. Some sharpening & clarity as well.
Kristen,
Lovely image of seemingly uninteresting leaf. The water drops make it a great image. Stacking done well. Stacking is often hard if there is a breeze, but you have handled it well. Monochrome works well for this. There is adequate detail in the leaves and the I like the composition as well.
Kris, what is there to not like about this image. I love that you were able to capture the droplets in line. Nice lines and shapes of the leaves as well. The choice of B&W really works well for this I think.
Thanks @Vanessa_Hill, @David_Leroy & @Bill_Fach - bloodroot grows all over the woodsy part of the yard, but this is an outlying colony in my landscaped bit of yard. The leaves are so gorgeous I leave them even though they arenât where they should be.
Funny story, when I lived in NH, I was dying to shoot bloodroot. When a guy I knew, shot with and liked posted a picture of some, I asked where he found them. He refused to tell me. As if Iâd go trample them or something. So while wandering a trail very near my house I found some gorgeous plants. No flowers, so I had no idea what they were and couldnât ID. I processed all the raindrop-covered leaves in B&W. The next spring I went back earlier and discovered it was bloodroot. Masses of it, 5-minutes from my house. Too funny. Now they cover my yard in WI. Even funnier.
I really like this. Yes, its a âfloraâ image, but the water droplets makes it so much more. Monochrome is good for patters like this. My only recommendation is maybe for a bit more vignette around the droplets to put them in the spotlight more. If some of those middle grays go a bit darker in the process, that might actually enhance the patters in the leaves.
Itâs funny you say that - I did darken the leaf a bit, but it could have stood more. I always err on the side of ârealityâ which is odd considering itâs B&W, but you know what I mean. Have reposted a new version. Let me know what you think. Thanks for taking the time, Tony.
Glad you saw this small scene. Having the droplets cradled by the curve of the leaf increases the interest in the design. The tonal range works for me.
