This shot of a dahlia was taken in natural light conditions. The flower was picked and stood in a glass of water indoors and lit by window light. The flower itself and one of the leaves have been caught in the strongly directional light from the right and behind, whilst the stem, though just visible, is in the shadow of the flower, giving a contrasty light-and-shade image. Black backdrop used for background. There was no tripod available so I used an ironing board to steady the camera for this 1/15 sec exposure.
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Nikon D300; 105 mm non-digital Nikkor lens. Exposure: Aperture priority set at ƒ10; shutter speed 1/15 sec.; Exposure bias: -0.67 (2/3 of a stop underexposed to prevent burn-out on the upper petals (unadjusted exposure would have made the stem more distinct but simultaneously overexposed the flower); Date/time/place:11 Oct 2009; 10:51:19; Hoyland, Barnsley, South Yorkshire (on a brief visit to England)
