Fern Collection

[Second Hand Pat]

Found this little gem this morning. It is a Resurrection Fern. It is a native Florida fern that generally grows in Oak trees. It looks dead until you get a good rain or two. I thought it looked pretty cool growing on the stack of brick but the pictures are not all that outstanding...but the fern is cool :D


https://farm9.staticflickr.com/8779/17180601925_c3135279b5_c.jpg (https://flic.kr/p/sbc5oz)DSC_8080 (https://flic.kr/p/sbc5oz)[/url]
https://farm9.staticflickr.com/8811/17180031981_c2c0e50c4d_c.jpg (https://www.flickr.com/people/129594174@N08/)DSC_8070 (https://flic.kr/p/sb99XX)
https://farm8.staticflickr.com/7646/17180040181_6cbd8cbf27_c.jpg (https://www.flickr.com/people/129594174@N08/)DSC_8064 (https://flic.kr/p/sb9cpk)[url=https://www.flickr.com/people/129594174@N08/]

[Phillydubs]

That's really cool! Thanks for sharing !

[brewmaster15]

Pat what a great photo op...thats really unusual with that fern . But ferns do love brick...probably because they hold moisture. I used to grow ferns on bricks from spores as a culture.

I really like the look of ferns on brick walls...really nice find and pics as well!..i like the composition!

[Second Hand Pat]

That's really cool! Thanks for sharing !

It is a cool little fern and to see an oak tree draped in it is really cool. Thanks Phil :D
Pat

[Second Hand Pat]

Pat what a great photo op...thats really unusual with that fern . But ferns do love brick...probably because they hold moisture. I used to grow ferns on bricks from spores as a culture.

I really like the look of ferns on brick walls...really nice find and pics as well!..i like the composition!

I saw this Al and just had to take it's picture. I actually took two separate series of photos. You can see that if you note the different angles in the pictures above. I plan on featuring a couple of native Florida ferns in this thread so will be looking for some more cool shots :D
Pat

[brewmaster15]

Cool..sneak in a few bromeliads and orchids..oh an dont forget sundews,bladderwort,pitcher plants,butterworts!

Oh wait thats my list for my next florida trip!:)

[Second Hand Pat]

Cool..sneak in a few bromeliads and orchids..oh an dont forget sundews,bladderwort,pitcher plants,butterworts!

Oh wait thats my list for my next florida trip!:)

I will see what I can do. I may be able to find you some sundews if you end up in my nick of the woods. Need to find a nice cypress head for some of those.
Pat

[rickztahone]

That first shot made me do a double take. I was about to reply, "Pat, your first shot uploaded incorrectly" till I realized that the fern wasn't growing on floor level, lol. The first one is my favorite here and exposure is absolutely spot on here.

[Second Hand Pat]

That first shot made me do a double take. I was about to reply, "Pat, your first shot uploaded incorrectly" till I realized that the fern wasn't growing on floor level, lol. The first one is my favorite here and exposure is absolutely spot on here.

Thanks Ricardo, I had to lay on the ground for that first shot.
Pat

[Second Hand Pat]

A few flowers from today.

https://farm8.staticflickr.com/7591/17180843426_8de40f945d_c.jpg (https://flic.kr/p/sbdjbo)DSC_8090 (https://flic.kr/p/sbdjbo)[/url]
https://farm8.staticflickr.com/7620/17206774815_e10f1016d2_c.jpg (https://www.flickr.com/people/129594174@N08/)DSC_8106 (https://flic.kr/p/sdvdFi)
https://farm8.staticflickr.com/7628/16999341047_c0570241d2_c.jpg (https://www.flickr.com/people/129594174@N08/)DSC_8093 (https://flic.kr/p/rUb4R2)[url=https://www.flickr.com/people/129594174@N08/]

[SMB2]

Really like the last one, because of the background. Maybe if you moved just a smidgen to the right the three flowers in the front would be separated from the one back on the right.That would help the subject flowers stand out.
Love the color, lighting and DOF.
You might crop the 1st one as a square to exclude the sky, and have just the uniform off-white background.

[Second Hand Pat]

Really like the last one, because of the background. Maybe if you moved just a smidgen to the right the three flowers in the front would be separated from the one back on the right.That would help the subject flowers stand out.
Love the color, lighting and DOF.
You might crop the 1st one as a square to exclude the sky, and have just the uniform off-white background.

A bit better Stan?

https://farm9.staticflickr.com/8712/17181176426_c268a9148c_c.jpg (https://flic.kr/p/sbf2aL)DSC_8092 (https://flic.kr/p/sbf2aL)

[SMB2]

Now you're talkin'. No distractions in the background and a pleasing diagonal presentation.
Another little trick would be to add a touch of darkening vignette (at the corners), this will pop the flowers.
Nice.

[Second Hand Pat]

Now you're talkin'. No distractions in the background and a pleasing diagonal presentation.
Another little trick would be to add a touch of darkening vignette (at the corners), this will pop the flowers.
Nice.

Thanks Stan, if I knew how to do that I would. The only PP tool I have is Gimp. Perhaps Al can make some suggestions.
Pat

[blueluv]

A bit better Stan?

https://farm9.staticflickr.com/8712/17181176426_c268a9148c_c.jpg (https://flic.kr/p/sbf2aL)DSC_8092 (https://flic.kr/p/sbf2aL)

Beautiful picture. Is this a desert rose plant ?

[Second Hand Pat]

Beautiful picture. Is this a desert rose plant ?

Yes Chris and the plant was covered in blossoms so it was not easy to separate a group of flowers.
Pat

[rickztahone]

A few flowers from today.

https://farm8.staticflickr.com/7591/17180843426_8de40f945d_c.jpg (https://flic.kr/p/sbdjbo)DSC_8090 (https://flic.kr/p/sbdjbo)[/url]
https://farm8.staticflickr.com/7620/17206774815_e10f1016d2_c.jpg (https://www.flickr.com/people/129594174@N08/)DSC_8106 (https://flic.kr/p/sdvdFi)
https://farm8.staticflickr.com/7628/16999341047_c0570241d2_c.jpg (https://www.flickr.com/people/129594174@N08/)DSC_8093 (https://flic.kr/p/rUb4R2)[url=https://www.flickr.com/people/129594174@N08/]

Very nice Pat! I hadn't seen these. The first one is a bit underexposed to my eye, but it is a lovely shot. 3 is my pick of the 2 though. Love the depth of field. You did something a few friends and I like to call, "tree coming out of the head". This plainly means that in the background, there is something "coming out" of the main subject that is distracting. In this case, it is another flower, but in all honesty, it isn't too much of a distraction. That is only me telling you what could have made the shot better. The second shot is beautiful. Love the composition as well (yay! not centered!) and nicely exposed.

Great job Pat!

[Second Hand Pat]

Thanks Ricardo, in the third picture the right most flower is a bit distracting. I was working on composition and a non-distracting background. Seems like it would be easy but it's not especially when you are limited to what the plant and it's surrounding have to offer.

[dagray]

Pat,
That fern is a great shot.

Dave

[Second Hand Pat]

Pat,
That fern is a great shot.

Dave

Thanks Dave, a lucky find on my part. I am going to see if I can get some shots in the afternoon with a little sunlight on it just to see the differences.
Pat

[dagray]

Pat,
When you do shoot in RAW or RAW+ (one RAW file, plus one JPEG file), underexpose just a hair according to your camera's light meter (you can bring the exposure back in post processing/editing).

Dave

[SMB2]

Just added a bit of vignette and removed the dark edge.

86548

From:

86549

[Second Hand Pat]

Just added a bit of vignette and removed the dark edge.

86548

From:

86549

Nice Stan and now that you removed the dark edges it is rather amazing how noticeable it was. Thanks for that. :)
Pat

[alron2]

Are we still talking about ferns?
Ron

[Second Hand Pat]

Are we still talking about ferns?
Ron

Yup but could call it ferns and flowers if confusing :)
Pat

[Second Hand Pat]

and air plants...which have blooms. I have been working with this silly plant all day but can not seem to make it work. I love the oak as the background but perhaps not enough contrast between the two.

https://farm8.staticflickr.com/7650/17202147696_6c231f63f4_c.jpg (https://flic.kr/p/sd6vco)DSC_8188 (https://flic.kr/p/sd6vco)
(https://www.flickr.com/people/129594174@N08/)

and then there is Gypsy

https://farm9.staticflickr.com/8770/17202136916_160a33ac80_c.jpg (https://flic.kr/p/sd6rZw)DSC_8195 (https://flic.kr/p/sd6rZw)

[blueluv]

Pat. Do you have a picture of a staghorn fern ?

[dagray]

Pat,
Here is a quick edit I performed on your flower. I hope you don't mind.

http://i211.photobucket.com/albums/bb277/lizardman_u/Pats%20flower_zpsywuw1dvz.jpg (http://s211.photobucket.com/user/lizardman_u/media/Pats%20flower_zpsywuw1dvz.jpg.html)

I sharpened it a bit, adjusted color balance, adjusted contrast and brightness, dodged a couple of the hot spots (real bright areas distracting from the flower). The previous adjustments were in Photoshop, and then I took it to Topaz Labs "Topaz Adjust" and used the "spicify" filter and the denoise filter.

Total time including saving your photo where it could be edited six minutes :)

One of the tricks I have learned is to underexpose just a hair from what the camera tells you in order to get all of the detail so that you can bring it back the way you saw it when you do your post processing.

[rickztahone]

and air plants...which have blooms. I have been working with this silly plant all day but can not seem to make it work. I love the oak as the background but perhaps not enough contrast between the two.

https://farm8.staticflickr.com/7650/17202147696_6c231f63f4_c.jpg (https://flic.kr/p/sd6vco)DSC_8188 (https://flic.kr/p/sd6vco)
(https://www.flickr.com/people/129594174@N08/)

and then there is Gypsy

https://farm9.staticflickr.com/8770/17202136916_160a33ac80_c.jpg (https://flic.kr/p/sd6rZw)DSC_8195 (https://flic.kr/p/sd6rZw)

One of the reasons you were having a difficult time is because there was very spotty lighting. In situations like these, I do one of two things typically, walk away, or, take out the reflector and use the diffusion panel and block out the direct sunlight. Then, if I need to, I will use off camera flash to key light it or fill light the subject. You have to be careful when diffusing. Many times, if your diffuser isn't large enough, you can see its shadow in the shot which makes for a bad natural shot.

[rickztahone]

Oh, and cutie dog :)

[Second Hand Pat]

Pat. Do you have a picture of a staghorn fern ?

I don't Chris but have two here on the property.
Pat

[Second Hand Pat]

Pat,
Here is a quick edit I performed on your flower. I hope you don't mind.

http://i211.photobucket.com/albums/bb277/lizardman_u/Pats%20flower_zpsywuw1dvz.jpg (http://s211.photobucket.com/user/lizardman_u/media/Pats%20flower_zpsywuw1dvz.jpg.html)

I sharpened it a bit, adjusted color balance, adjusted contrast and brightness, dodged a couple of the hot spots (real bright areas distracting from the flower). The previous adjustments were in Photoshop, and then I took it to Topaz Labs "Topaz Adjust" and used the "spicify" filter and the denoise filter.

Total time including saving your photo where it could be edited six minutes :)

One of the tricks I have learned is to underexpose just a hair from what the camera tells you in order to get all of the detail so that you can bring it back the way you saw it when you do your post processing.

Thanks Dave, I am trying to avoid a lot of post processing. Your edits do help to highlight the flowers :)
Pat

[Second Hand Pat]

One of the reasons you were having a difficult time is because there was very spotty lighting. In situations like these, I do one of two things typically, walk away, or, take out the reflector and use the diffusion panel and block out the direct sunlight. Then, if I need to, I will use off camera flash to key light it or fill light the subject. You have to be careful when diffusing. Many times, if your diffuser isn't large enough, you can see its shadow in the shot which makes for a bad natural shot.

Thanks Ricardo, this picture supports what you are saying. This picture is a bit out of focus but the lighting is pretty even and the flowers show up much better.

https://farm9.staticflickr.com/8802/17042548299_64d69cc492_c.jpg (https://flic.kr/p/rXZvRD)DSC_8167 (https://flic.kr/p/rXZvRD)

[rickztahone]

Thanks Ricardo, this picture supports what you are saying. This picture is a bit out of focus but the lighting is pretty even and the flowers show up much better.

https://farm9.staticflickr.com/8802/17042548299_64d69cc492_c.jpg (https://flic.kr/p/rXZvRD)DSC_8167 (https://flic.kr/p/rXZvRD)

yeah, good eye. Here is when Macro photography can come in to play. With macro photography, the closer you get to your subject, the more narrow your DOF becomes and the faster your background will become blurry. I'll say it again because it is very important:
The closer you get to your subject, the more narrow your DOF and your background goes out of focus much quicker.

So, when you get really close to a subject, say the fern in the upper right third quadrant, you can lessen the distraction of the rear element, in this case, the tree trunk. I only mention this because you mentioned that there wasn't enough contrast between the fern and the oak, which is true, good eye. So, if you either open up your aperture more, or get closer (and lower your exposure, this one was hot), then you would get a shot that has more contrast amongst these two objects.

[Second Hand Pat]

I need to be careful Ricardo as I am not working with a macro lens. If I get to close I exceed the lens ability to focus. I think I need to find Paul's post on his recommendations on macro lens.

[rickztahone]

I need to be careful Ricardo as I am not working with a macro lens. If I get to close I exceed the lens ability to focus. I think I need to find Paul's post on his recommendations on macro lens.

You can get something like this:
http://www.amazon.com/Meike-Metal-Mount-Focus-Extension/dp/B007CU0MLS/ref=sr_1_4?ie=UTF8&qid=1429663868&sr=8-4&keywords=nikon+F+mount+extension+tubes

which may be a cheaper way to get your macro on :). I have both the tubes with the metal pins and without. There really is no reason to get the ones with pins, but that one was a gift from my wife so I didn't have the heart to tell her. The pins are to keep your zoom capability as well as some exif info. Exif info on its own may be a good reason to get them, but many don't really care. Make sure you get them in your proper mount, and the cheap ones without the pins you can have for less than 20 bucks.

It is a good way to get in to macro without investing a ton of money.

[Second Hand Pat]

Ricardo, I presume it fits between the camera body and the lens itself? The description indicates "Compatible with: Nikon F mount DSLR/SLR and Nikkor AF, AF-S, D, G and VR lens series" and the lens I am currently using is a AF-S so seems like it should work?
Pat

[rickztahone]

Ricardo, I presume it fits between the camera body and the lens itself? The description indicates "Compatible with: Nikon F mount DSLR/SLR and Nikkor AF, AF-S, D, G and VR lens series" and the lens I am currently using is a AF-S so seems like it should work?
Pat

Correct. You would mount one/two/three stacked tubes on the body. You would then mount the lens to the tubes (a prime lens is preferable IME). Then, switch the lens/body to manual and shoot away.

[Second Hand Pat]

Oh boy, another play toy :D:D
Thanks Ricardo.

[dagray]

Pat,
Keh.com extension tubes and bellows for your Nikon https://www.keh.com/search/list?pmnt=Nikon+F&category[]=Bellows&&category[]=Close-Up+Accessories

one set of extension tubes is made by Vivitar and is only $19.00

[Second Hand Pat]

Pat,
Keh.com extension tubes and bellows for your Nikon https://www.keh.com/search/list?pmnt=Nikon+F&category[]=Bellows&&category[]=Close-Up+Accessories

one set of extension tubes is made by Vivitar and is only $19.00

Thanks Dave :)

[Second Hand Pat]

Went to my parents house today and they had an absolutely gorgeous orchid so playing with background and compositions and yes, a couple are "centered" :(

https://farm9.staticflickr.com/8713/17224292436_7eea62b591_c.jpg (https://flic.kr/p/sf414f)DSC_8222 (https://flic.kr/p/sf414f)[/url]

Might be best to clone out the lower stem.
https://farm8.staticflickr.com/7707/17250277785_53187c1f51_c.jpg (https://www.flickr.com/people/129594174@N08/)DSC_8225 (https://flic.kr/p/shmbAv)

and this one clone out the pool drain on the right

https://farm9.staticflickr.com/8727/17250324805_684d839bf3_c.jpg (https://www.flickr.com/people/129594174@N08/)DSC_8234 (https://flic.kr/p/shmqzc)[url=https://www.flickr.com/people/129594174@N08/]

[rickztahone]

Here's one thing I hadn't taught you Pat. When you are exposing your image, you can actually change which part of the image you are exposing. On most cameras, the option looks like a small rectangle with a dot in the middle. You can change this to wide, it takes the whole scene in to consideration. Zone, it tries to only get a portion of the whole scene and expose for that and finally, spot. Spot basically correctly exposes the only thing within that dot. In the case of your first 2 shots, because there is so much white in the overall pic, the exposure meter is telling you to dial down your exposure. Had you put it on spot, and aimed directly at your subject, it would have given you a different reading. Try it next time when shooting a subject like this with an overall encroaching background.

The last one is my favorite. First because that color background contrasts so beautfully with the orchids, and second, because it is nicely exposed. I would have shot just a little more wide open, but yours works well as well. If it was my file, I probably would have cloned a lot of stuff out of the background for less distraction.

[Second Hand Pat]

I see exactly what you mean Ricardo in the first two.

[rickztahone]

I see exactly what you mean Ricardo in the first two.

Do you know the fastest way to correct this? Google the term "chimping" lol.

[Second Hand Pat]

I did but need to wear glasses lol

[rickztahone]

I did but need to wear glasses lol

Well then, I need you to google the word "camera diopter adjustment"