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This image was created at the Beatrix Pavilion at Keukenhof, Lisse, Holland with the tripod-mounted Canon Telephoto EF 180mm f/3.5L macro lens, a Canon Extension Tube EF 25 II, and the Canon EOS 5D Mark III Digital camera body. ISO 400. Evaluative metering +1 1/3 stops: 2.5 seconds at f/32 in Manual mode. Manual focus on the base of the the pistil. Click on the image to enjoy a larger size. |
Centers of Attraction
On our first day at Keukenhof we spent most of our time in the Willem-Alexander Pavilion with the amazing tulips. We did make one brief foray over to the Beatrix Pavilion to check out the orchids. Though the orchids were beautiful, I was so captivated by the tulips that we soon headed back to Willem-Alexander. The center of the Dehoog orchid above however did catch my attention.
This image required one layer of NIK’s Detail Extractor painted in selectively via a Hide-All Mask at 33% on the WHITEs and a separate layer of Detail Extractor on the purples and the pistil also via a Hide All Mask. My usual 50/50 combo would not have worked well with this image.
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This image was created at the Beatrix Pavilion at Keukenhof, Lisse, Holland with the tripod-mounted Canon Telephoto EF 180mm f/3.5L Macro USM Autofocus lens and the and the Canon EOS-5D Mark III. ISO 800. Evaluative metering +2/3 stop: 1/25 sec. at f/8 in Av mode. Central sensor AI Servo/Rear Focus on the closest large tulip petal on the left and re-compose. Click here if you missed the Rear Focus Tutorial. Click on the image to see a larger version. |
Sensor Cleaning and Dust Spotting
Even though I have been using my Sensor Scope and Lens Pen religiously with good success (see here for details), do understand that when working at f/22 or f/32 that microscopic dust will be a problem. My dust spotting techniques are detailed in Digital Basics, a PDF sent via e-mail. DB includes my complete digital workflow, dozens of great Photoshop tips, all of my time-saving keyboard shortcuts, and free updates.
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This image was also created at the Beatrix Pavilion at Keukenhof, Lisse, Holland this one with the tripod-mounted Canon Telephoto EF 180mm f/3.5L macro lens, Canon 1.4x EF tele-extender III, and the Canon EOS 5D Mark III Digital camera body. ISO 400. Evaluative metering +1 stop: 1/13 sec. at f/11 in Av mode. Manual focus on the base of the the pistil. Click on the image to enjoy a larger size. |
Flower Sharpness Techniques
For virtually all of my flower images I activated Live View and set the 2-Second Timer. Live View gives you mirror lock and, if you press the info button once or twice, a live histogram. The latter lets you avoid clipping the RED channel by adjusting your exposure compensation as needed. The 2-second timer gives the rig a chance to settle down after you press the shutter button. Note: I do not compose the images using Live View. At times, however, I may bend the lens to make miniscule adjustments in framing after pressing the shutter button. Once you practice doing this it can actually help you to create sharper images with exposures in the 1/30 to 1/4 sec. range.
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This image was created at the Beatrix Pavilion at Keukenhof, Lisse, Holland with the tripod-mounted Canon Telephoto EF 180mm f/3.5L macro lens, a Canon Extension Tube EF 25 II, and the Canon EOS 5D Mark III Digital camera body. ISO 100. Evaluative metering +1 2/3 stops: 2 seconds at f/32 in Av mode. Manual focus 2/5ths of the way up from the bottom. Click on the image to enjoy a larger size. |
Photograph Me!
Though we were concentrating on photographing the centers of most of the orchids, the pattern of the rays on the back side of this orchid petal attracted lots of folks. Several of us including co-leader Denise Ippolito and participant Pat Lillich, made similar images. In this rare instance no image sharing was involved as each of us proceeded unbeknownst to the others.
The back of this flower simply screamed, photograph me!
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This image was also created at the Beatrix Pavilion at Keukenhof, Lisse, Holland with the tripod-mounted Canon Telephoto EF 180mm f/3.5L macro lens, a Canon Extension Tube EF 25 II, and the Canon EOS 5D Mark III Digital camera body. ISO 100. Evaluative metering +1 stop: 2.5 seconds at f/22 in Av mode. Manual focus on the distal tip of the pistil. Click on the image to enjoy a larger size. |
Next Year
Despite a 100-year record cold spring with very few tulip fields in bloom this trip has been a spectacular success. The colors and variety of tulips at Keukenhof simply stun the mind and the senses. As we get ready to head off to Texel for a week of bird photography, we are planning our Holland trip for next year: the Keukenhof Creative Tulip IPT with a Touch of Holland. If you are a Happy Camper who is interested in joining us, please shoot me an e-mail. If you have never been on an IPT or a Creative Adventure Photography Tour, do know that preference will be given to those who have.
Your Favorite?
Take a moment to leave a comment and let us know which of the five images above is your favorite. And why.
Like Flower Photography?
If you like photographing flowers, be sure to see the “Creative Flower Photography: blog post here.
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All images courtesy of and copyright 2012: Denise Ippolito. Click for a larger version. |
A Creative Adventure/BIRDS AS ART Swan Island Dahlia Farm Instructional Photo-Tour, September 11-15, 2013: 5 FULL DAYS: $1649
Join Denise Ippolito and Arthur Morris at the Swan Island Dahlia Farm in Canby, Oregon (just south of Portland) for a great learning and photography experience. Swan Island features more than 40 acres with over 350 varieties of dahlias in a plethora of colors, shapes and sizes, making it one of the largest growers in the United States.
Daily Photo Schedule
We will enjoy four morning (7:00am till 10:30am) and five afternoon (3:30pm till 6pm) photography sessions. While we will do most of our photography at the Swan Island Dahlia Farm, we will also visit the Portland Rose Garden and/or the Portland Japanese Garden on this IPT. The in-the-field instruction will include seeing the situation, the use of selective focus, creative use of depth of field, histogram and exposure guidance, designing creative images, choosing your background, isolating your subject, lens options, and the use of reflectors and diffusers. Our field sessions will include challenging photography assignments geared to make you think creatively. Both personalized and small group instruction will be provided. All times are tentative and subject to change based on the weather and on local conditions.
Seminar Morning: Friday, September 13: 8:30am till 12:30pm
Denise will begin by presenting her “Bloomin’ Ideas” program, an overview of the in-the-field and post-processing techniques that she has used and developed over the past few years to create her signature look. Artie will follow with a Photoshop session that will be geared towards all levels. He’ll be sharing some of his favorite techniques and tips while working on images from the first two days of the IPT. Denise will conclude the seminar portion of the IPT with a Photoshop demo; she will share her creative workflow using a variety of Photoshop filters and effects. The entire morning is designed to give you a peek into the minds of two very skilled and creative folks.
The group will have lunch together daily. All are invited to bring their laptops for image sharing. We hope that you can join us for an intense five days of learning and some of the best flower photography to be had in North America.
Deposit Info and Cancellation Policies:
A $449 non-refundable deposit is required to hold your slot for this IPT. Your balance is due 4 months before the date of the IPT and is also non-refundable. If the trip fills, we will be glad to apply a credit applicable to a future IPT for the full amount less a $100 processing fee. If we do not receive your check for the balance on or before the due date we will try to fill your spot from the waiting list. If your spot is filled, you will lose your deposit. If not, you can secure your spot by paying your balance.
Please print, complete, and sign the form that is linked to here and shoot it to us along with your deposit check (made out to “Arthur Morris.”) You can also leave your deposit with a credit card by calling the office at 863-692-0906. We will be short-handed in the office until January 21 so please leave a message and we will call you back. If you register by phone, please print, complete and sign the form as noted above and either mail it to us or e-mail the scan.
If you have any questions, please feel free to contact me via e-mail
Pavilion
Thanks to the many folks who politely let us know of typos and cut and paste errors via either and e-mail or by leaving a comment. Do note that thousands of us missed my misspelling of pavilion (immediately above). The is just one “l.”
Typos
On all blog posts, feel free to e-mail or leave a comment regarding any typos, wrong words, misspellings, omissions, or grammatical errors. Just be right. 🙂
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LensCoats. I have a LensCoat on each of my big lenses to protect them from nicks and thus increase their re-sales value. All my big lens LensCoat stuff is in Hardwood Snow pattern.
LegCoat Tripod Leg Covers. I have four tripods active and each has a Hardwood Snow LegCoat on it to help prevent further damage to my tender shoulders 🙂 And you will love them in mega-cold weather....
Gitzo GT3532 LS CF Tripod. This one replaces the GT3530LS Tripod and will last you a lifetime. Learn more about this great tripod here.
Mongoose M3.6 Tripod Head. Right now this is the best tripod head around for use with lenses that weigh less than 9 pounds. For heavier lenses, check out the Wimberley V2 head.
Double Bubble Level. You will find one in my camera's hot shoe whenever I am not using flash.
The Lens Align Mark II. I use the Lens Align Mark II pretty much religiously to micro-adjust all of my gear an average of once a month and always before a major trip. Enjoy our free comprehensive tutorial here.
BreezeBrowser. I do not see how any digital photographer can exist without this program.
Delkin Flash Cards. I use and depend on Delkin compact Flash Cards and card readers most every day. Learn more about their great 700X and 1000X cards here or about my favorite Delkin card here.
I just showed Nana all your posts from this trip and she enjoyed them!! -Lis
Thanks Lissy! Lof u. Kiss the boys for me. Daddy-O
Totally blown away by the green & white image! All the images are full of rich color and textures. Every day must be sensory overload! The last one looks like a pink Rorschach test!
The flowers would be a perfect subject for using the focus stacking technique now available in Photoshop. I stacked 5 images of an orchid with different focus points and it was fantastic. Took about 10 seconds using a simple action I created.
Fantastic – I could just lose myself in those photos.
My favorite is the Sion image.