Sun Catcher, photo by Harold Davis. View this photograph larger.

When I take one of these extreme close-up high depth-of-field water drop images, it’s really hard to see what the photo will come out like from the camera viewfinder. Even the depth-of-field preview doesn’t tell me that much, because at small apertures like f/40 with a bright sun I can’t really see much. Also, the effects of sunlight on the water drops are very unpredictable.

I can tell a little bit more–but not much more–from the LCD viewer after I’ve taken the photo. The problem here is partly that in bright sunlight it is hard to see it, and partly that at the LCD size the difference between almost in focus and crystal, laser sharp isn’t readily apparent.

So I was delighted to see the way this one came out when I opened it in Photoshop. Create sun rays, nice luminosity on the freesia bud, and very sharp water drops. Yes!