So with another break in the rain today, I decided to take the camera and my new flash (more on that soon) and flash bracket out and see what else I could get. I find tulips hard to shoot singly as their size proportions just make them difficult to capture. So I decided to aim the flash flight inside the flower and work on a macro view.

Technical Data: Canon EOS 7D, Canon EF 100mm f/2.8L Macro IS USM, 1/13 sec at f/16. Canon Speedlight 580EX II flash in auto mode and wireless control. Image Stabilization on. ISO 200. RAW processing in Adobe Camera Raw.

Why This Photo: Honestly, I was just playing with the new flash in wireless mode and seeing how well the flash bracket worked. Well, that and what I said above about tulips being hard to shoot.

What Works: The bright colors seem to pop, and the placement of the stigma and stamen off-center is nice. The focus resting right on those pollen covered stamen provides a good counter balance with their rough surface compared to the smooth petals of the tulip.

What Doesn't Work: Because of the flash, the reflection of the red color from the flower is picked up on the stigma (the center piece of the flower). Additionally, the right edge of the frame has part of the petal curling back into the shot - with the depth of field it is fairly blurred, but still is a little distracting.

Drop me a line and let me know what you think.

- Bill