Summer is almost over, soon nature will start changing colors and wear beautiful shades of yellows, browns and reds. But still we experience those sudden storms that often happen during the summer. Even though it might not be that true if you are driving back home on the freeway and get caught in it – like it happened last Sunday – I like summer storms. I like the refreshing power of the rain falling heavily and the sound of the thunder shaking the air.
It's good they are usually quick, because such a strength can cause heavy damage, especially when rain is accompanied by hail. That is what happened the other day and it forced us to slow down quite a bit and wait for it to pass before continuing on our way home. Rain was getting thinner as we arrived, and by the time we entered the house the sun was opening its way through the clouds to warm the earth again. Still the air was cool and we decided to go jogging before it decided to change again.
As soon as we got back, I thought that was also the perfect moment to go to the garden and take a few pictures of... snails! What better moment than after a storm? And in fact I immediately found a couple of them. The sun was almost setting and the light was great. Yes, shadows would be harsh, but I wanted to try some more extreme shots hoping to give more visual interest to the composition, with the contrast that lit and dark areas would give to the overall image.
It's good they are usually quick, because such a strength can cause heavy damage, especially when rain is accompanied by hail. That is what happened the other day and it forced us to slow down quite a bit and wait for it to pass before continuing on our way home. Rain was getting thinner as we arrived, and by the time we entered the house the sun was opening its way through the clouds to warm the earth again. Still the air was cool and we decided to go jogging before it decided to change again.
As soon as we got back, I thought that was also the perfect moment to go to the garden and take a few pictures of... snails! What better moment than after a storm? And in fact I immediately found a couple of them. The sun was almost setting and the light was great. Yes, shadows would be harsh, but I wanted to try some more extreme shots hoping to give more visual interest to the composition, with the contrast that lit and dark areas would give to the overall image.
The tough part, shooting a macro of a
snail, is focus. The distance between one element of her body and
another is "enormous". You want to focus the eyes, but they are so far
from the rest of the body! And to make things worst, they are
independent from each other and often move towards opposite
directions...
I tried different depths of field, focusing different parts of the animal, but some angles made it difficult to keep both eyes focused.
Well, until next time, here are a few shots taken the other day... after a summer storm.
Well, until next time, here are a few shots taken the other day... after a summer storm.
Snails are among the oldest creatures on earth. Not the most attractive subject though the pictures are good. Here I have experienced some of the most magical lighting for photography in early to mid morning after a rain shower when the clouds thin out but the sun hasn't broken through yet. The light enhances the colors without the harshness making editing easier for me anyway.
ReplyDeleteThank you for sharing, John! Yes, it's kind of a challenge to shoot snails in an attractive way and as you say light and composition play an important role in the final result. I am looking forward to trying different settings and light conditions and improve my shots!
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