High Key and Low Key

A couple of days ago I walked past the Gladiolas blooming in the garden and I thought to myself. I 'd really like to photograph them. Early this evening Lenore and I went to harvest some greens for breakfast tomorrow. AsI walked past the glads I noticed that they are already starting to wilt. I knew it was now or never1 I clipped the freshest looking pink one that I could find. Tonight at home I set up a piece of white foamcore with the Gladiola directly in front of it. I placed an AlienBees 1600 Studio light with a small soft box right behind everything. I hand held another Alien Bee 1600 from slightly above and to the right from the front. I tried several exposure settings to get what I was looking for. I uploaded the image and I was blown away by the details of the flower from the light passing through it. then I took Badger the Wonder Dog for a walk. As we walked I thought of a set up to rephotograph the Gladiola on a black background. This time I used a piece of black foamcore with the flower in front of it. I used the same studio lights except I set up the softbox from the right side with a grid to stop any light spilling onto the background. Once again I handheld the other Alien bees light though this time it was from slightly behind and from the left. I was really happy with how the images came out. Both images were created with a Canon EOS 7D MKII camera and a Tamron 28-200mm lens. The camera settings used were M mode, ISO 100, F 5.0 and F 9.0 at 1/160th of a sec. lighting was provided by two Alien Bees 1600 Studio lights. God's blessings upon your weekend, chris

Praying for the Return of the Fog

When I first moved to the Redwoods just inland from the North Coast of California in 1989 I remember the fog rolling in from the ocean at least three to four times a week. It's beautiful to behold and it provides nourishment for the Redwood trees to be healthy through the summer. The incoming marine layer hits the tall trees and ridges causing fog drip that falls like rain around the bases of the trees. Within the last five years or so I have noticed the fog rolling in less and less. Now it seems like the fog only comes in three or four times a month robbing the redwoods and the rest of the forest of the moisture that it needs to be healthy. I wondered if my empirical record keeping had any validity? Today I did a little research and there are plenty of studies that show this to be true. The lack of fog is impacting the health of the Redwoods in California in a negative way. Hopefully the last few weeks mark the beginning of a change in the fog patterns. The marine layer has been rolling in almost every night as of late. That would be a wondrous change and something good we can pray for. God's love and blessings to all, chris This image wascreated with a Canon 7D MkII camera and a Tamron 18-200mm lens, #TeamCanon, #WithMyTamron