[Keith Alan]

Yesterday the weather was strange--low dark clouds and threats of rain all day but nothing happened.
The forecasters were wrong as usual but it sure looked like a rainy day.

All I shot were flowers, and since I've been playing with off-camera flash lately I thought I would try it on the various spring blooms I found.
There wasn't enough light to shoot them any other way, especially with the wind.

I rather like the way these look, with dark clouds for a background.
The ambient light was set to -2EV and I moved the flash around (on it's too-short cable) with my spare hand.

First is a lemon tree's sweet-smelling flowers, a big hit with the honeybees who were all over the tree:




Next is the Texas State Flower, the Bluebonnet. Obviously it's a lupin.
(Last year's drought meant there were but a handful of these in the area. This year there are untold billions in fields and especially along highways where the state has been seeding them for 40+ years):




Many other wildflowers are added to the mix, so there's an ever-changing variety of color as the season progresses. I don't know what this is, but a splash of yellow is nice amid all the blue:

[smarti77]

Keith - I really like the lighting here. In the second image the grey clouds are a bit plain and lack the tones as in the other two. In the other two the clouds / sky is still quite dark but they still have a range of tones for definition. The lighting has really brought the attention to the bright white and yellow flowers but the dark clouds still really add substance to the images. How far from the camera did you have the flash?

[Irma]

The colors are splendid Keith. Specially the yellow flower, so beautiful texture in the petals. The blue of the flowers is also great, blue is also a difficult color in flowers.
Beautiful all of them.

[Keith Alan]

Thank you.

Smarti, everything was very close together. Lens, subject and flash were within 4 inches of each other on average.


This one was done indoors in much the same way.

[Wedding Shooter]

Love that first image and it really shows how off camera lighting can add to an image.

[shuttertalk]

Nice work Keith, the lighting is very unique. You've taken flower photography to a new level..

[Irma]

The last one is wonderful Keith.
I love the colors, and the detail in the core is perfect, really great light!!.

Now with my little studio I have taken my flower pictures there, and the light is so beautiful, specially because you don't get the blue of the sky in the flower, and you can work better with the highlights and shadows. Just by changing a bit the flash you can get so nice effects.

[Toad]

Great lighting - and your highlights are not blown out - as they might be on a bright day. Well done!

[NT73]

Now, A nice vase to put them in.

[wulinka]

no3 is really nice, I think the flash was best used here, and the complememtary colors are beautiful.

if critique is allowed (?), I would want to say that

-in no 1 I don't think the framing is optimal, and neither is the angle of the light, as you still have the shadows of in the stem and leave region, while the white flower is slightly blown out;

- in no2 I think you could also have chosen a slightly different perspective to see more of the flowers - somehow this one makes me want to see what's behind the area you framed.

I think the indoors one is pretty good. Flash light is definitely something to play around with to learn, I am doing the same

[wulinka]

??



very low quality, just a suggestion:




When we went out for the peach flowers I did some flashing myself. I haven't done much flashing ever and am trying to get the hang of it. it wasn't dark at all, about 10 or 11 in the morning but a very foggy day, so beautiful diffuse light. I covered the flash with a tissue paper.

[navis01]

Have to say that I find #1 really interesting. Almost looks like a product shot in terms of the lighting and definition. Like the suggested crop too. Very nice effect (especially with the great sky as a backdrop), thanks for sharing.

[matthew]

Interesting collection -- with both of us having posts of flower pictures up, it really is a sign that the end of the world is near.

I like the original crop of #1, but find #3 more intriguing. Does your off-camera flash defeat the forced WB? The colour shift to the background is really neat, and looks like daylight shot on tungsten. But, since the flash records as true colour, that can't be the case... very neat.

[Pat]

Beautiful images Keith

[Keith Alan]

Does your off-camera flash defeat the forced WB? The colour shift to the background is really neat, and looks like daylight shot on tungsten. But, since the flash records as true colour, that can't be the case... very neat.

Good eye!
Yes, any flash connected to my camera, via acc port or hotshoe, defeats any white balance choices I might want to make.
I got that effect in Photoshop.