28. February 2012 by Friedhelm.

I used a 50mm lens at f1.4 to create this image. Wide open lenses give you a narrow depth of field and you are able to create very interesting images by emphasizing you subject and blurring the background.

Enjoy and keep on photographing!

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17. February 2012 by Friedhelm.

The last week I went several time out to Rahilly park in Merced, CA, photographing and observing the light at the blossoms of an Almond tree. I photographed them several times and yesterday I went out again. This time I took besides the tripod a second light stand and a strobe light with me. I wanted to mix natural with artificial light. I took several shots to find the best camera setting. If you use not enough strobe light the blossoms look too dark and if you use too much strobe light they really look “artificial.”

After I got the right mixture I create several images out of one camera raw file and edited the images in Photomatix pro to get this HDR image. Enjoy and have a great week-end!

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9. February 2012 by Friedhelm.

I photographed this Azalea at the UC Berkeley botanical garden. I like the black-white contrast as much as I do the dark - green and light green - purple contrast in this image.

Enjoy and keep on photographing!

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7. February 2012 by Friedhelm.

Photographing flowers outside can be very challenging. When you are in a botanical garden you are restricted to the pathways and you are not allowed to use any photographic accessories inside the flower beds. That is fine with me since I want future generations to enjoy these plants as well, but it can be still a challenge. The second challenge is people, especially when you are photographing on a narrow path and they have to walk around you and your camera tripod. The third challenge is wind. Since there was a light breeze I had to crank up my ISO setting and I took several shot to make sure I got a clear image.

Enjoy this beautiful flower from Japan and keep on photographing!

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6. February 2012 by Friedhelm.

If you want to get inspired in your photography, go to the local zoo or botanical garden. You will find many intriguing subjects and as a bonus, you don’t need a model release! David drove to the zoo in Fresno and I decided to buy an annual ticket at the UC botanical garden in Berkeley, CA. I discovered this beautiful Spiral Aloe, a prime candidate for black and white photography. Camera setting, 28mm focal length, f20, 0.4sec. at ISO 100, tripod mounted.

Enjoy and have a great week.

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31. December 2011 by David.

Not too many of my gifts were as photogenic as this orchid.

I hosted Christmas at my house this year, a rare occasion. My sister Annette brought me this orchid. I decided to photograph it with my Christmas tree as a background.

Keep clicking

Dave

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26. December 2011 by Friedhelm.

I photographed these Milkweed seeds in Yosemite Valley. It is amazing to me how these seeds are carried by the wind and how they prepare themselves for a new blooming season.

I used a 180mm macro lens to create this image. I took several shot  trying to find the right depth of field. I settled for f8, 0.3sec., ISO 100, tripod mounted.

Enjoy and happy photographing!

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7. December 2011 by Friedhelm.

I used a 180mm macro lens, camera with attached cable release and a heavy tripod to create this image. Camera setting: f25, 1.6 sec., ISO 100.

Enjoy and keep on photographing!

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15. October 2011 by David.

Fall will be in full swing over the next few weeks

While the deep fall colors are not here they are just around the corner, my favorite time of the year. One of the things I like about this photo is the background and the contrast between it and the leaves. Pumpkin patches, colored leaves, crisp mornings, OH MY!

Keep clicking

Dave

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10. September 2011 by David.

With emotions running high this weekend I thought I’d keep it simple.

Keep clicking

Dave

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