2 1/4 Flowers by Yashica A TLR (c. 200k)

[Rockford]

I am spending too much time on the web.  Craig's fault.  Great forum.  I shot a test roll with a Yashica A (which I have decided to keep).  For these four shots I hand held some close-up lenses designed for a Contaflex in front of the lenses.  Parallex was handled by some marks on my tripod.  I tried some backlighting (rarely did this on flower pics), some side-lighting, and as per suggestions by Carlos E & Mike Kovacs, jetisoned my fill flash for a white card.  Not much crop, here, but I did saturate the Reala in Photoshop, and I did some curves adjustments to get the shadows & highlights I wanted.  Oh---second photo has drybush filter applied to conceal missed focus. Oops.   By the way, after this, I am giving up posting my own pics for Lent.  I will be here to enjoy yours.  Indeed, I enjoy the pics more than anything.  Keep 'em coming.  

[connealy]

Shooting at large apertures with a tlr is a good thing because you get a real preview in the viewfinder of what you will get on film.  The shallow depth of field also works very nicely with the muted tones and colors of these pictures.  They suggest a quiet, private, solitary place: a refuge.  I particularly like the last picture because the background echoes the foreground and reinforces the idea of a community of plants.

[Tom Hildreth]

Is that parallax that cause the flowers to be near the bottom of the frame on 3 of the 4 shots?

[Rockford]

The low position was my choice. I tried cropping to avoid the low flowers---the scan was plenty big enough, but I just liked the whole frame better.  When I composed I was trying to get in the fork of the tree.  I am still trying to decide if it works.  I like the pic for what connealy observed---the echo's in background/foreground, but am a a bit uncomfortable with the flowers creeping almost out of the frame.It is just a little too low to be really comfortable in viewing.  One inch would have made a difference.

[jcapodiferro]

I really like the last frame.  It is by far, the strongest in composition.

Jay

[nelsonfoto]

Good on ya, Rock.

[Wayne]

Very nice stuff. The first and last ones do it for me, the shallow depth of field looks great. I like the tips of foliage being in focus in the first one (as well as the flower) and the wide angle effect in the last one. Good job handholding the lenses, correcting parallax, etc - must have been a bit of a juggling act!

Cheers
Wayne