City - Greenville State - SC Country - United States
About
My trusty black fabric, I carry it everywhere, came in handy again. For those of you who don't know this flower, it's called Selenicereus grandiflorus or Queen of the Night. As the name implies, it only blooms at night, not very often, then dies quickly as soon as the sun comes up. Hence it's very hard to photograph. A white flower taken at night and trying not to blow out the highlights was the first hurdle. My other problem with this was not to let the flash over power the image. I didn't want harsh shadows and that flashy look. So I cheated. I waited until dawn, right when the sun started to hit it, defused the light with a scrim, added a little bounce reflection off a hand held reflector, and of course the black fabric behind it. Whala ! If any of the neighbors saw this it probably looked like a fashion photo shoot. Tell me what you think of this one... I put a lot into it. I hope everyone enjoys. Oh yeah the flower smells like vanilla.
Hi Jeff, Well everything you went through to get this absolutely gorgeous picture was worth it!!!Wonderful clarity and lighting:) and the composition is stunning. Well done!! 7+++++++++ Sylvia
So many times I see similar images of many people trying to get some photo of a beautiful flower, but most of the time it doesn't really work right. But here we have a great example of what it should look like! Just a few main colors, shrpness on the main subject, finest details, and above all: Clear definition of the main subject!
Perhaps not very original, but still brilliant in its clarity of visual and conceptual work!
Fantastic shot, Jeff! Thank you for describing the process. I had never heard of this flower, now I want this plant!! She may have only shown for one night, but you have preserved her in this photograph forever. A very challenging shot, but you made it happen. It is perfect-o! Bravo!
The title reminded me of a cafe here called Queen of the Night. A very beautiful floral shot! Nice contrast and a beautiful capture of the white flower with nice details. Regards, Ahmed
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{K:127263} 7/16/2007
