Bird of Paradise Photo

Photographer’s Note

Subject:
The Bird of Paradise is a beautiful flower, native to South Africa. It is a large tropical herb, a member of the banana family. The scientific name is Strelitzia Reginae.

Photo:
The colors of my neighbor's flowers are so vibrant that I decided to experiment with this abstract shot.

To achieve this, I use a 100mm macro lens on a Canon EOS 10D. In reality, a 100mm macro lens has a 1.6x factor FOV on a 10D (because its sensor is not full frame-sized (35 mm equivalent). Therefore, my 100mm macro lens becomes 160mm on a 10D.

I chose to take the picture on a late cloudy afternoon, using a wide-open aparture (f/2.8) and a low shutter speed (1/45) to get extreme shallow depth of field with the help of a tripod for steadiness. I wanted an abstract shot.

a_i_ren, manatee, marianita, ktanska, evanrizo, ydarias, anavazao, pitai, ryno has marked this note useful

Critiques | Translate

ribeiroantonio (21921) 2006-09-11 20:27

You wanted an abstract picture and you got it. The colours are superb and the definition is excellent. Well done.
Antonio

a_i_ren (1315) 2006-09-11 20:41

Hi, Nap,
Excellent quality uncommon image! love an abstract aspect of it! Great colors.
Regards.
Inna

danielswalsh (13324) 2006-09-11 21:23

Nice shot Nap;

I like your choice in the shallow DOF on this tropical flower, making for a very nice bokeh- you have achieved the 'abstract shot' quite well.

I'm really curious what the whole flower looks like, could I suggest maybe posting a more revealing shot of the flower as a workshop?

All the best,
- Dan

marianita (3356) 2006-09-12 3:33

Nap
beautiful flower indeed! i just love the colorus and the close up! great blur. loks like a piece of art
well taken
marianna

manatee (4291) 2006-09-12 3:33

Beauty:
The colors are amazing, even you took this in a cloudy day the effect you get in this is marvelous, specila this blue, looks so brigth and makes this so blur, wow amazing, is wonderful.
You can show this in a museaum of moder art.

Wonderful job

Elias

jean-marie (3088) 2006-09-12 5:41

Hello Nap,
Quelle belle photo. on dirait presque une peinture.
Merci du partage
Amicalement
Jean-Marie

ktanska (16585) 2006-09-12 8:49

Hi Nap,
I'd say strelitzia is still recognizable. So you have managed to get both great flower and abstact shot. Well chosen background. Could have worked also with smaller aperture.
Kari

evanrizo (456) 2006-09-12 11:52

Nice and impressive image!

ydarias (657) 2006-09-12 16:42

Hello Nap. Usually I prefer less abstract photos, but in this case the photo is very good. Spectacular use of the macro, and the colors are superb. Good job.

Yeray

mouzakof (396) 2006-09-13 13:43

this shot is amazing!!!!

i love this colourful miracle.... thanks for sharing

gramma (3519) 2006-09-13 15:19

Hello Nap,

This test was dared but it's a success. These splendid colors spout out of nowhere.
Cheer !

Christophe

anavazao (5592) 2006-09-16 16:57

Hi,
this is a wonderful macro. excellent details and such lovely colors. DOF and POV make up a wonderful composition!
Thanks Ana:)

marietom (31974) 2006-09-20 11:30

wouaw, tout en douceur, c'est splendide !
Marie

pitai (3925) 2006-09-24 9:09

Hello Nap, what a wonderful composition. I just can use one word to describe it: VIBRANT. I think you captured the soul of the flower and the abstract mood in a brillant way. Congrats for the good work. Gabriel

donluicu (23927) 2006-09-26 11:15

superbe
this macro shot is so xtreme that this image is transformed into a colorful abstract compo..!
i like it very much!

regards

mrcrow (3989) 2007-01-03 9:38

next time i see strelitzia i will think of this...a great treatment and also suited to trek lens forum
graphic and dominant colours defy the shapes
cheers
geof

ryno (4607) 2007-01-04 12:13

Hi Nap, as a South African I was very pleased to see this excellent photo of our national flower. This really is a very imaginative and original view of this beautiful flower. Wonderful deep, lustrous colours. Excellent work! Regards,
Ryno

Photo Information

Copyright: Nap Niyomtham (napdsp) (732)
Genre: Places
Medium: Color
Date Taken: 2004-10-01
Categories: Nature
Camera: Canon EOS 10D, Canon EF 100mm f/2.8 Macro USM, RAW @ ISO 100, Canon 77mm UV L-39
Exposure: f/2.8, 1/45 seconds
Details: Tripod: Yes (Fill) Flash: Yes
Photo Version: Original Version, Workshop
Date Submitted: 2006-09-11 19:36
Favorites: 2 [view]