A ROOM.... A LENS.... A FLOWER

Small scale photographic projects for lockdown and beyond

Having previously focused on the Phase One medium-format XF/XT systems.... and it is impressive tech’ with uncompromised quality, I thought about a project on a scale that was very achievable for much of our NZ target audience.  

With my opportunities to see customers around the country on hold until who knows when, working from home is still the norm’ in this region.

My starting point was the small third bedroom I’m working out of, the aim was to create some interesting images using simple tools at hand (exotic garden flora, natural light, a full-frame 35mm mirrorless camera and a Sigma 70mm f/2.8 DG Macro lens). I wanted to put a commercial time limit on it too, so I decided on a one-hour total shoot.

This was about returning to the basic motivation of photographers to create images of what’s around us... taking the small details or large views of life that are sometimes missed and shining a light on them.

As always, after the set-up, I used an X-rite ColorChecker Passport 2 to create a camera/lens profile as there were multiple daylight sources with their own unique qualities.

See my previous blog: https://www.crkennedy.co.nz/blogs/photo-news/2020/Oct/16/color-checker-passport-photo2

What would have made this exercise more efficient and less complicated, is a tether cable.... shooting to a card, using the back screen to check focus on a subject with minimal depth of focus was slightly challenging. Setting the self-timer to ten seconds did help to up the success rate.

Preparation can be your friend....

Once I had the files loaded, had created the colour profile, and corrected the white balance, I found the colour was so powerful that I needed to de-saturate the files. While the flower colour was accurate, the adjustment made the results easier on the eye, related better to the soft, diffused daylight and showed more of the minimal detail.

Tools and props used

Prop: Bird of Paradise flower (Strelitzia reginae)

Colour Management: *https://www.crkennedy.co.nz/products/msccpp-b/x-rite-colorchecker-passport-2----

Lens: https://www.crkennedy.co.nz/products/00zsg70f28dgmcr/sigma-70mm-f-2-8-dg-macro-art-lens

* The X-rite ColorChecker Passport 2 will, in the near future, be replaced by the Calibrite branded version, no change to the specifications, the software or functionality of the item