Leaf and Parsley 2010

Craig at Craig Corl Photography inspired me again - this time the inspiration was to stay home and do some macro work right outside our front steps!  His advice to get out and capture Spring couldn't have come at a better time.  Time is a rare commodity, so why not explore around and outside the house - no special equipment necessary.  Most point-and-shoot cameras have excellent macro capabilities (use that flower, or parsley, icon).  The parsley was captured using a white reflector about a foot behind the herb to blur the texture of the reflector. In post processing, any off-white distractions from the background can be adjusted through curves to amplify the highlights. A large piece of white (or black, for a different effect) construction paper and a tripod are all you need if a photo-specific reflector is not available.  A 36-46" collapsable reflector is well worth the investment if you want to really get some great family photos (read: future post forthcoming). Ultimately, very little post-processing is needed for a great capture.  The parsley was later added to a killer napolitano red sauce…

The leaf, inches from the parsley was a simple b/w conversion.  My daughter was watering the plants and I thought, nice water droplets!  The sun provided specular highlights in the water, then set minutes after I took the photo.

Canon G11 on a tripod, 1/15@f8.