Poppy Core, photo by Harold Davis. View this image larger.

I photographed this poppy core handheld in my garden in the late afternoon. I used my 100mm macro lens at ISO 200, 1/320 of a second, and f/5.6. I took care to hold the camera parallel to the flower, and to focus very precisely. I’ve learned to be patient in this kind of situation, and wait for the moment in which the subject is almost still.

I converted the color version (below) to black and white using the techniques I explain in The Photoshop Darkroom: Creative Digital Post-Processing, published by Focal Press, and due out later this year. I like both the color and black & white versions.

View this image larger.

Related image: Nautilus in Black and White.