Dinesh Valke’s Flora Photography

 
 
VoF Week :: DV :: 02 AUG 12 – 0329 :: conical fruited borage at Valley of Flowers: 2 AUG 12
Valley of Flowers … about 10000 ft
Habitat: along forest path on mountain slope
Habit: herb, (seems like a climber) about 1 – 1.5 m high, long and wiry flowering stem rising from axils; flower about 5 – 7 mm across; fruit about 2 – 3 mm across … this fruit bears some resemblance to that posted in https://groups.google.com/d/msg/indiantreepix/brX6eQxilp0/ByngPqTM_BEJ, however, here the soft spines are shorter; the fruit looks conspicuously triangular even from a metre’s distance.

Perhaps Hackelia uncinata

I have done lot of micro and macro photography… but mostly under controlled lights…
out in the open fields often we get sidetracked by the sun… often too bright… creating hard shadows..
and the pictures are not the of the same quality .. in color saturation nor the fidelity of hue as the eyes saw them… unless I bring a helping hand that carries an umbrella to artificially create the overcast sky… often own body’s shadow is not enough or is too obstructive or not appropriate for the lens length….
and a ton of filters to overcome the hues problems..

but .. and this is big but…

in all these pictures from your VoF trip seem to have this quiet dignity, of nicely saturated yet understated hues and no harsh shadows to distract from the flower face we are supposed to view… I marvel that you seem to find the most brightly lit yet “Overcast” atmosphere for your subjects…

MY question to (besides the praise I wanted to convey) is this… and please tell us in some details:
How in the world do you do it? what all (camera+lens + what else????) do you hand hold?
how does the shade happen? and filters, close up diopters, filters????

AND a final question: when you went with this group most of whom were not photographers, how in the world did you stop to take soooo many pictures, most of them of such high quality that must have needed
attention to detail and aligning you lens front at parallel to the flower face etc… not easy to do on the run…

I am sure we all at least myself and … would appreciate knowing your secrets…. I remember him asking during this VoF episode early on… and I have been wondering the same…

Perhaps you dont have time, or you do it so naturally that my question seems idiotic to you, but as I used to tell my residents whom I used to teach (among other more technical things) macro photography … no question is idiotic… so I look forward to your response… take your time ….

How in the world do you do it? |

NO flash | NO Manual settings | ONLY Program or Intelligent Auto | NO post processing
Focus settings:
23 points … for wide | 1 point … for close-up

Metering:
Multi-pattern … for wide | Center-Weighted … for wide / close-up | Spot … for wide / close-up
Summarizing:
For close-up: 1 point focus area | Spot metering | Program Mode or Intelligent Auto
For Wide: 23 point focus area | Multi-pattern or Center-Weighted (in case of too much sun light) metering | Intelligent Auto mode.

what all (camera+lens + what else????) do you hand hold? |

Cameras: Panasonic Lumix DMC G1 and DMC G3 |

Lenses: Lumix G Vario 14-45mm f3.5-5.6 … for wide | Leica DG Macro-Elmarit 45mm f2.8 … for close-up | Lumix G Vario 45-200mm f/4-5.6 … for tele
GPS: Garmin eTrex Vista |
Spares: 8 x 8GB SD cards | 1 x 2GB µSD card | rechargeable cells (1 for G3, 2 for G1, 2 pairs for GPS)
Protection: Camera bag to hold all the above | ziploc bags FOR EACH

how does the shade happen?
and filters, close up diopters, filters????

Default UV filter for every lens | NO other filter
Shade happens with use of Center-Weighted metering with least Focus area (as much as only one area … for wide / one point … for close-up)
AND a final question: when you went with this group most of whom were not photographers,
how in the world did you stop to take soooo many pictures, most of them of such high quality that must have needed attention to detail and aligning you lens front at parallel to the flower face etc… not easy to do on the run…
Everyone carried camera; most captured their friends, themselves, the scenery.
I always lagged behind getting to plants and scenery, the only hurry was to reach before daylight fades.
Camera is not always front / parallel to focussed area, it is a compromise between angle of comfort and the view of object
Thus not all photos are good, only some are.
I am sure we all at least myself and Gurcharanji would appreciate knowing your secrets…. I remember him asking during this VoF episode early on… and I have been wondering the same…
Normally, am selfish – want to put all that was seen at VoF and get the IDs is the goal.
Must have missed on putting star to earlier message.
Perhaps you dont have time, or you do it so naturally that my question seems idiotic to you, but as I used to tell my residents whom I used to teach (among other more technical things) macro photography … no question is idiotic… so I look forward to your response… take your time ….
Many thanks for your appreciation.

oh my god… that was a lot of typing, sorry to have taken you away from your work that you cherish … to put up the VoF pictures…

But this was also a good deal// part of this endeavor ….. nice for me and …
and hopefully the rest of the folks here…

but the quality of pictures from you has consistently been such that a few non-parallel or some such things dont register or stick to the memory…

and this description that you gave goes to show that its not the instrument (though the Leica close up is a superb lens of precision craftsmanship) but the skill and developed eyes of the maker…. ie you, …. thanks for telling it in details… but did you then end up carrying two or more camera bodies? otherwise you would have spent time in changing lenses and so inadvertently got dirt and moisture into the camera innards… i understand it rained…often…

thanks again and let you go back to your heart’s content to the VoF files….
ps just re-read your first response … it says two cameras, so got my answer… be well…

 
 

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