Posts in Category: mist
8/4/2009
Web in the Dewy Meadow
You see a lot of dewy web shots done with a mist bottle in the studio or against a black backdrop in someone’s yard. This is the the real thing, as provided by the creator’s hand and cool morning breath. Beads of moisture so fine as to be invisible from any distance along each strand of the web, itself all but invisible, catch the light and weave this tapestry in the grasses. You have to stand in the right place, at the right angle to the sun, to bring it to life.
For this shot I backed off to find a sweet spot where the effect was maximized…far enough to need 380mm equivalent to frame the web.
Sony DSC H50 at 380mm equivalent. F4.5 @ 1/400th @ ISO 100. Programed auto.
Cropped top and bottom to isolate the web more effectively in Lightroom. Added Clarity and Vibrance, blackpoint to the right, Landscape sharpen. I boosted the highlights slightly to increase the shimmer of the web.
Look at this closer shot at Original or X3 size by clicking the image and then choosing the larger size at the top on my smugmug site. It looks amazing as an 8.5×11 print! I will have to have one made at 11×14.
Web in the Dew
8/3/2009
Morning Marsh Meadow
Low light. Heavy dew catching the light in tiny star points. Mist closing the distance. It is a mood…a distinctly morning mood, on the marsh, near the sea, where meadow grasses mix with the reeds, and heather, just coming into bloom, mixes its pinky-purple hue.
Sony DSC H50 at about 200mm equivalent. F4.0 @ 1/500th @ ISO 100. Programed auto.
Cropped and straightened in Lightroom. Added Clarity and Vibrance. Blackpoint to the right. Landscape sharpen. Graduated Filter effect from the top to reduce brightness and increase contrast slightly. Graduated filter effect from the bottom to increase brightness, Clarity, and Contrast.
And a close up: same position at 465mm equivalent. Cropped for effect.
Morning Marsh Meadow
8/2/2009
Compound Curves
Happy Sunday. A sunny day picture to celebrate (and, believe me we are celebrating every sunny day in Maine this summer). I was out early to the beach for this shot. By the time I left there was no parking to be had within a mile of here, but it was the light, of course, that brought me out early. Not a perfectly clear day…still lots of mist in the air and a foggy density out over the ocean, but the light was strong enough to penetrate well, and bring the scene to life.
I like the way the curves in this image echo each other…though I can’t say I was conscious of it while framing. The dark, dominant curve of the seaweed intersects the corner of the frame, leading the eye into the image. Sometimes I am very aware of where elements in the image meet the frame, and sometimes my practiced eye for the image just takes care of it without conscious intervention. The practiced eye is a photographer’s most valuable asset.
Sony DSC H50 at full wide. F5.6 @ 1/500th @ ISO 100. Programed auto.
Recovery in Lightroom for the sky. Recovery also has the effect of making mist and fog look more luminous, as it did here, emphasizing the inner light. Blackpoint to the right. Added Clarity and Vibrance. Landscape sharpen.
From Around Home Kennebunk ME.
7/31/2009
Flood Tide and Fog
A different mood at Rachel Carson NWR. The east coast is seeing inexplicably high tides this summer and this flood tide was the highest I have seen at Rachel Carson. Subdued light, reflections, misty distance with interesting play of light, and the gentle curve of the stream…that’s what I see in this image.
Sony DSC H50 at full wide. F5.0 @ 1/250th @ ISO 100. Programed auto.
Cropped slightly from the bottom for composition. Recovery for the sky and mist. Blackpoint moderately well to the right, a touch of fill light for the trees, added Clarity and Vibrance.
From Around Home Kennebunk ME.