Homework Assignment

[sury]

In Flowers 2010 thread, birma and Greg suggested that I try couple of things. Capture backlit light while lighting the front, get more dof and yet have blurred background. I used Sigma 70-300 apo macro in macro mode on a tripod. Manual focus, f32, shutter was 0.8sec and HVL58 flash. Since I did not have sunshine light the background, I used a led torchlight to "backlight" the flower. Remote commander on 2 sec. It was a learning experience including my Sigma can go to f/32 in macro mode. I had to think through how I would take the shot and am still not sure if I have the right technique. I hope I interpreted the suggestions as they meant.

With best regards,
Sury

[Birma]

Hi Sury - I hope the homework was fun rather than a chore! If I was handing out grades then it would be a B for the first and an A for the second, all IMHO obviously . I think the lighting in the second is absolutely great; the lighting from the front seems perfectly balanced with the back lighting.

[Greg Beetham]

Well imho, as an artistic expression they're fine, if that's what you're after Sury, but as a flower portrait they aren't really wonderful, the backlight is too strong, not only in the first but also in the second as well, only not as much, (sorry to disagree Birma) so there is flare and density loss in the subject, plus too much of the subject is oof, but like I say if that's what you wanted to achieve they are quite ok.
Do you have a flash and a tripod at all Sury?
Greg

[sury]

Gentlemen,
I did have fun and am learning a lot in a bit more structured way. For that I am grateful for your comments and suggestions.
Greg, I do have a tripod and flash (HVL58) and these are taken with the tripod and flash. I also have HVL20 flash and old Metz flash that I can couple through PC sync. When you say density loss, do you mean how much of the image you expect to be focus versus oof? As for light source, as mentioned I used a flashlight (torchlight) to light up the back of the flower.
Birma,
I will take your grades and run with it for it was close to what you were expecting.
Greg,
I think the oof happened because of the macro mode, though aperture was set to f/32. I will try the similar set up with non macro mode so that more of the field in focus. What suggestions you have for me, now that I have a tripod and flash?

I want to reiterate that your comments and observations are taken in the spirit they were intended and am much grateful for taking time to share your views.

With warm regards,
Sury

[Greg Beetham]

Well I'd like you to try this, (if you want to), see if you can put the flowers on a window sill so you have sky down near the horizon, in the background, clouds are ok. The flowers must not be in direct sunlignt and room lights off so you have a silhouette, in effect, You will have to experiment here youself with composure, but I'd try shooting from about 10 feet and maybe a FL somewhere between 100 and 150 should be good, (you're using a FF camera and I'm out of touch with FL's and distances with a FF camera). In A mode f11 ISO 200 (F58 mounted and turned on), set Exposure balance to -1/2 stop (or maybe -2/3 stop, doesn't matter it's only an experiment), set the flash balance to -1/3 stop, and aim the camera at the sky past the flowers and press the AEL button and hold it, then re-aim at the flowers and press the shutter button, for this to work there shouldn't be too many see through gaps in the flowers and ideally you should have spot metering and centre focus, also I'd turn off DRO, it interferes with flash and WB...imho.
Greg

[sury]

Greg,
Thank you. I will give it a try. I have both A700 and A900. The shots previously taken were with A700. I might with both
just for the fun of it and see how they turn out.

Sury