African Violet
I was drawn into it by the likes of Shelley, Jeff, Farrago and many of the motley crew who tote cameras wherever they go. There was something special about these people's shots and I wanted in. So I've done my damndest with a digital (Canon Powershot A520 and S3 IS) since April last year...
I've noted before: you cannot take decent pictures of birds and surf with a digital camera, and that's probably why I've spent so much time trying to do so.
Close on 2,500 snaps later, along comes Johnno and, within weeks, he's whacking out wonderful shots and, before long, delivering weird effects with High Dynamic Range (HDR) imagery.
Bastard.
I'll give him this much, though...he shared the results with us and tried to set me up with the necessary tools. (I am extremly grateful, Johnno; I just don't express myself very well.)
It's been nagging... I like the effects you can get with Photomatix but, at $99.00...forget it. I was reduced to doing private work on CS3 and the effects, to put it politely, were not pleasing. Johnno came in for a beating. "Fucking over-privileged First World white trash," I muttered, surveying the muddy results littering my hard drive.
I was trying to take seascapes using three images (the S3 doesn't do RAW), so I guess I had only myself to blame. The sea just won't stand still, no matter your willing it to do so.
But as I forgive Johnno and all other over-moneyed, neo-liberal, consumer-crazy globalists their imperfections, I trust they will forgive me mine. The above's a first attempt at HDR taken with a mini-tripod and some sunlight. It's an African violet grown in the kitchen. Wendy reared it from a leaf.
The composition's lousy, but so what? You can forgive me that. HDR seems to give it a depth and tonality the single-shot, 8-bit jpeg lacks. I used an aperture of 4 to get depth of field and focus, and used the delayed timer to ensure no shake.
I'm a'gonna stick with this awhile. It seems worthwhile. Thanks to the likes of Shell, Jeff, Farrago, Johnno, et al.
Not to mention Loren Webster. I have it in for Loren. Look at this and you'll understand why.
One day, Loren... One day I too will make such photographs.
Note: I have picked up the yellow cast of the reduced image, the blurring up front, and the need to soften highlights. Hindsight's a great teacher.
