Patience



Gerbera Drop, photo by Harold Davis. View this image larger.

It rained overnight, rare for around here in July. We were in a cloud in the morning. Wisps of fog, and natural water drops in the garden. Conditions were perfect for water drop photography: overcast but bright, and periods without wind.

I photographed the reflection of a Gerbera daisy in a drop of water on a Gerbera petal using my 200mm f/4 lens, a 36mm extension tube, and the Nikon 6T closeup filter.

The photography took a bit of time. This is precise work, and the exposure can only be taken at the right instant. I had the mirror locked up, and it was hard to tell whether the water drop was still enough, and how well the framing worked. I had a hand blocking the viewfinder to keep backlight from creeping in and spoiling the exposure.

I considered: what was the most important skill for this kind of photography? Patience.

If you look carefully in the reflections in the large drop on the petal (not the one with the Gerbera reflected, try the larger size), you can see two lumps. These lumps are myself and Julian. Julian was sitting with me on the wet grass in our garden. Waiting for me to finish photographing. Waiting for me to play a game of chess with him. Another kind of patience.

This Post Has 7 Comments

  1. texbrandt

    18 Jul 2007

    When I first looked at your work particularly the landscapes I was envious, because I thought to myself “I am stuck here in the middle of Texas.” Then I looked at some of your water drop pictures and realized that there is an exciting world just outside my back door. Not to mention the creek that meanders down through the neighborhood. My daughter after looking at some of the flower close ups from the backyard wants copies for use in teaching her elementary school science class.

    Me, I just marvel at the wonders of a world I hadn’t really looked at before. There is an amazing artistry in the micro cosmos around us.

    regards
    Robert

  2. sowcow50

    19 Jul 2007

    Hi Harold – I have been reading your site for about 2-3 months now. Love the landscape and night photography photos! This is one of the first close-up photos that I have seen, and I am truly amazed! I absolutely love this photo. Do you sell higher-res versions of your photos? I would love to have this picture printed and frames!

    You should be able to find my email address in my profile.

    Jeff

  3. Harold Davis

    19 Jul 2007

    Hi Jeff –

    Thanks for your email, I enjoyed looking at your blog and reading about how you met Sarah.

    I do sell high-res prints of my photos (as well as license high-res versions for publication etc). I make these prints myself, they are on archival paper using K3 archival inks, so they should last a while. Here’s a price list for my prints.

    Thanks for reading my blog.

    Best wishes,

    Harold

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