“The simple gift of light is all the more precious when in the presence of its companion, darkness.” – Ed Lehming 

This tulip blossom has provided me a few interesting images. Considering that the photo was made in early evening, with a room filled with light and simply setting my camera to expose to the brightest part of the flower. The background fades to a deep blue in strong contrast to the yellows and orange of the flower.

It’s that strong contrast that yields the best images, the ones that grab my attention and make me consider why this works so well.

I tend to compose my images intuitively. There are certain elements such as framing and focal point, but a lot of what ends up making the image good is not something I notice consciously when I compose. I simply know it works. It’s not till I sit down and edit the image that the subtleties begin to emerge and the photo tells a bigger story.

For example, when I framed the photo, I instinctively set the base of the blossom as my focal point, making sure it was properly exposed and then tried to get as much of the petal detail in focus while shooting hand-held, so hand movement had some effect as well.

What I did not notice as I composed the image was the almost echoe-like blossom in the background, out of focus and slightly in the shadows.. I also did not notice the interesting shadows inside the flower itself, nor the wonderful yellow brightness of the petals within.

Nikon D800
Tamron SP AF 90mm f/2.8 Di Macro 1:1 (272ENII)@90mm
1/250 sec, f/3.5, ISO 200

For more images like this, please visit my website (images are available for purchase)
http://www.edlehming.com