When tourists are abjured in the national parks from feeding the wildlife, one slogan notes that “it’s a smart bear that knows where the hotdog ends and the hand begins.” Similarly, it is the smart photographer who knows the difference between a plant and a weed. Why not photograph both?

In this case, Weed in the Light was photographed using the Leica Monochrom M11 equipped with the Macro-Adapter-M (essentially, a variable extension tube) and the inimitable Sadayasu Miyazaki’s MS-Optics ISM 1.0/50. 

I photographed with the lens essentially wide open (f/1.0) and critically focused on the foreground weed. The light refraction in the background was caused by sunlight reflected off passing cars.

The photograph was captured handheld at 1/6,400 of a second and ISO 125, a roughly 2 EV underexposure with the goal of rendering the weed in the light. I brought the refractions out in post-production using a second RAW process, layers, and masking.