I’m not really sure what to think about this one. On one hand, it’s kind of a neat picture of a red leaf in the middle of a sea of yellow and orange, but on the other hand it really wasn’t anything special when I shot the photo. It was just a plant I happened to walk by on campus one day, and since I had my camera and 85mm f/1.8 lens I figured I might as well try to take a picture. I knew I wanted the red leaf to be sharp and focused, but it was really tricky to nail down because of a stiff breeze that kept confounding matters.
I usually just shoot through the viewfinder on my DSLRs because it just works well, and I don’t need a live histogram or focus peaking or other benefits that you get when shooting Live View. Not to mention Live View on my D7100 (which I used to take this picture) is pretty spotty. It’s slow to activate and the screen has a noticeable jelly effect where the image kind of wobbles around, much like you would find on an old cell phone. Which kind of makes sense considering the D7100 came out in 2013 :)
Anyway, I did actually need Live View here because nailing focus was so tricky. With all the various leaves in the picture swaying back and forth my camera had trouble nailing and locking focus. I switched to Live View, nailed focus as best I could, and fired off a few frames. If you zoom in really close you’ll see that the red leaf is juuuuuust a little blurry but it’s nothing that would ruin the image, and in the end I got a picture that I’m pretty happy with despite a few imperfections.
Tom J Frye says
I have a challenge for you, Simon of the Ring. Since you live in Oklahoma, this should be a cinch, but may take you out in the country. Find me a compelling windmill to match my poem:
Strong winds have blown the grain away,
taking it drifting down into the vale,
while that tired old windmill watches it,
swirling over the fields beyond.
A guardian, it has stood long years,
greeting the farmer who comes each dawn,
passing by on his tractor,
to plow the North 40.
A landmark that windmill has been,
nigh on 60 years,
standing on that hill like a beacon,
not for ships in the night,
but as a reminder to that farmer,
that all his work is not futile,
as he leaves the dust of grain behind,
and a few small kernels of corn.
(C) Copyright 2019 by Tom Frye
Simon says
Tom, if I can ever take a photo to do justice to your words, I will gladly do it.