Sometimes photography depends on serendipity. Oh, you can plan what you are going to do and carefully prepare for the photos you want to take. But then again, things may not turn out as you had planned. And sometimes, that is a good thing.
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| Nikkor 40 mm. micro lens, f3.2, 1/1250 second, ISO 400, Nikon D2X handheld. |
This photo of a sunflower blossom beginning to open is a case in point. I mounted a 40 mm. macro lens on my Nikon D2X and set the exposure for f3.2 at 1/1250 second. I wanted to focus on the blossom itself and lose the background sharpness. And I wanted to minimize any unsharpness from camera shake. What I didn't count on, though, is what turned out to be one of the best features of the photo. You see, it was a warm, humid morning when I arrived at the vineyard to make photographs. I had just left my cool house minutes before--the vineyard is nearby. What I noticed as I began to shoot was a thin film of moisture that continually formed on my lens, softening the focus each time I tried to shoot. I would wipe off the lens, take a photo, and wipe the lens again, trying to keep it clear of moisture. Evidently, I missed the moisture when I took this image. And that, I think, is what makes this picture especially interesting--the delicacy imparted by the soft focus that in this case was entirely unplanned.
What started as a mistake turned into one of my favorite photos. It just goes to show, you need to be able to go with the flow and let your photography be whatever it will be.
Norm
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