Spring leaves
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Kev
Registered: February 2008
Posts: 2,722
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Sat March 21, 2009 4:57pm
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Rating: 6.00
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Spring leaves??? 
Those are Forsythia flowers - mate!
This shot is a common result for a flower pic of this type that has a very low dynamic mid-tone range. Ie: muddy, as you put it.
First, you need to use a tripod and get a decent DOF...altho the blooms themselves are quite small...the overall plant has a deep field (ie" several feet) and from this distance you need to use at least an f/16.
Secondly, the D-lighting mid-tone range needs enhancing with a combination of shadow protection and highlight retention.
I normally would shoot this on a bright cloudy day for optimal staturation and luminosit balance. However, so long as you can keep it in the shade...it might look good against a nice blue sky too.
Here's a basic (hand-held) Forsythia shot I took early last year. I didn't have my tripod with me at the time.
http://kvincentphotography.ca/springtimeblooms/h2c4a7de3#h2c4a7de3
Hence, it's just passable.
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Sares
Registered: February 2009
Posts: 56
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Sun March 22, 2009 3:21pm
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Ah, well, you can tell I'm not a botanist [sheepish expression]. I'm also not used to having flowers on trees in March. British weather is much warmer than where I hail from.
I did use a tripod, but there was a very slight breeze, which was probably my undoing. My camera won't do f/16- only f/8 (it's a compact)- if I move farther away then that would make less of a difference I think.
Could you explain what you mean by enhancing the D-lighting mid-tone range, please? The original central exposure is actually much harsher than this, but also less muddy, and sharper.
For your Forsythia shot, is it in the shade? The sky is very blue so it doesn't look overcast.
Thanks for your help.
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Kev
Registered: February 2008
Posts: 2,722
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Sun March 22, 2009 5:52pm
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Where are you from originally - Siberia? 
Active D-Lighting settings on a camera allow you to bring out the mid-tone shadows whilst taking the shot...D-Lighting enhancement enables you to do the same...after the shot via software.
Technically, D-Lighting is a gamma correction, or dynamic range compression to preserve image contrast.
By applying a D-Lighting adjustment in software one brightens the hidden shadows and creates a better mid-tone balance.
It's a very simply step in Photoshop, Elements or Capture NX2.
Yes, for my Forsythia pic the entire bush was in the shade...however, it was in fact a sunny day...so the sky was blue. I wanted it that way for a decent contrast. I will take another shot of the same bush soon, when it's fully in bloom - again with a blue sky background.
On rare occasions I will shoot blooms on a sunny day...ie: when I want blue sky as the background.
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Sares
Registered: February 2009
Posts: 56
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Tue March 24, 2009 9:06am
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I'm originally from Nova Scotia, Canada, where they still have a foot of snow on the ground.
Thanks for explaining the D-lighting. I will look for that in the photo editting software and give it a try.
The only way I could get my forsythia in the shade would be perhaps very early in the morning, but my baby daughter wakes up about 4:30 or 5 am so I'm awake then anyway!
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Kev
Registered: February 2008
Posts: 2,722
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Tue March 24, 2009 5:58pm
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Hey Sares, so you are from Nova Scotia - almost a Newfie
Yes, I'm very familiar with eastern Canadian weather - I'm a fellow Canuk myself.
How come you moved across the pond? Just to get flowers in March?
It's actually warmer/milder than the UK over here on southern Vancouver Island. The climate here is the same as south-western France...with very dry, sunny warm summers...and snow is rare during the winter.
Here's a winter flower gallery that I took last year in Jan/Feb...
(all shots are hand held...I didn't have a decent tripod with me at the time)
http://kvincentphotography.ca/winterflowers
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Sares
Registered: February 2009
Posts: 56
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Sun March 29, 2009 10:49am
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I moved across because I met an Englishman. I like the milder weather mostly but miss the snow every now & then.
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