Poppies growing at a roadside verge on the D740, near to the centre of the town of Ruffec in the Charente, France.
Behind them the roadsside ditch falls away sharply and beyond this trees rising from the steep ditch, forming a tall hedge-like barrier cast shadow, create a dark background - a perfect backdrop for these beauties, transformed into glowing gems by the afternoon sunlight filtering through gaps in the hedge from behind and above them, and exploiting the translucence of their papery petals. Focus was on the nearer flower, at an aperture of ƒ9 to throw the further flower slightly out of focus and so draw the eye to the main subject. May 23rd 2011; 13:02.
Nikon D300; AF Nikkor 105 mm ƒ2.8 lens set in aperture priority at ƒ9. ISO seting 640. Shutter speed 1/1600 sec. - necessary as the flowers were being rocked by gusts of air as cars sped by. Exposure compensation -2 stops to darken background further.
Loading contexts...