Canon 30DCanon EF 24-70mm f/2.8 L
Shutter Speed 1/1600
Aperture f/11.0
ISO 400
Aperture Priority
Natural Light
When I left for work today with my gear I had a shot in mind that would have been awesome. There is a prairie on my route that is just spectacular, especially with this fall light. The grasses have that beautiful copper color and the seed literally shimmers. It's a breathtaking sight and I'm dying to capture it with a photo. As you can see, I haven't figured out how to get the shot in my head. Instead, as I was walking around muttering, I nearly stepped on this dandelion. Naturally it's a bit more appropriate in the spring and early summer. But here it was on a crisp fall morning and there I was not getting what I wanted. It was fate - we needed each other.
I was ill prepared for this shot. What I tried to do was blow the seed off the stem as I shot. I even got a couple but the focus was way off. You can see from my settings that I used a 400 ISO setting despite the ample light. This allowed me to use both a high shutter speed (hoping to freeze the act of the seed floating away) and a small aperture (increasing my chance for a sharp image. My undoing was the fact that I had to hold the dandelion with one hand and press the remote shutter with the other all while blowing the seed. Translated, I couldn't see what I was shooting and could only guess. I tried setting up as much as possible but the bottom line is I needed another person or a clamp on a tripod.
You can bet I will try this again next spring with better preparation. It's a shot I know I can get. To the dandelion I say thanks for the bailout and I'll see you in the spring! I promise to really make you shine.
I was ill prepared for this shot. What I tried to do was blow the seed off the stem as I shot. I even got a couple but the focus was way off. You can see from my settings that I used a 400 ISO setting despite the ample light. This allowed me to use both a high shutter speed (hoping to freeze the act of the seed floating away) and a small aperture (increasing my chance for a sharp image. My undoing was the fact that I had to hold the dandelion with one hand and press the remote shutter with the other all while blowing the seed. Translated, I couldn't see what I was shooting and could only guess. I tried setting up as much as possible but the bottom line is I needed another person or a clamp on a tripod.
You can bet I will try this again next spring with better preparation. It's a shot I know I can get. To the dandelion I say thanks for the bailout and I'll see you in the spring! I promise to really make you shine.
Scott
