AUSTRALIAN PHOTOGRAPHY + DIGITAL SEPTEMBER 2015 AUSTRALIANPHOTOGRAPHY.COM 81
Is it the lens?
Trish Neil found these miniature
tea trees growing on a rock platform
near where she lives and was
fascinated by their mystery and
otherworldly atmosphere.
“I used off-camera f lash set up some
distance away, which accentuated
the white stems of the trees and the
glowing green of the moss,” she writes.
Well, I have to say your subject
matter has lovely colour with nice
shapes and textures. The shame
is that it’s not at all sharp in that
mossy area – and elsewhere. It may
be down to camera shake or even
lens aberration. It’s worth checking
online with photo forums to see if
other users have had issues with the
lens you’re using. If it’s a kit lens,
don’t assume it’s a premium lens
because it comes from a ‘name’
brand like Nikon. Some of the lenses
are priced as low as $100. If price is
your main priority, you can’t expect
the best quality. If the problem
doesn’t appear to be the lens, then
it’s bound to be ‘photographer error’.
SA I M A’S T I P: For good online
information about cameras and lenses,
a website like http://www.kenrockwell.com
has a lot to offer.
TITLE: Bush bonsai
PHOTOGRAPHER: Trish Neil
DETAILS: Nikon D90, 18-55mm lens @
48mm, 1/100s at f/11, ISO 200. Nikon
Speedlight with extra long extension
cord, small adjustments in Photoshop
Camera Raw; increased clarity and
contrast, a small crop of some bright
sky at top and dropped exposure by 0.3.
Consider ring flash
Kevin Palmer says, “this cicada image
was an early attempt with back lighting
and one of three quick ‘grab’ photos.
Starting head on, I took one step to the
right each time. Then he was gone.
The location was O’Reilly’s car park at
Lamington National Park in NSW.”
The understatement in such a subtle
image is quite pleasant, but this is an
example of top lighting rather than
back lighting. In this sort of grab
situation lighting can be a bit of pot
luck, and the shot really needs a bit
more illumination to better show up
that little creature. The lack of light
in this case means that the edge of
the wing bottom has disappeared
into the darkness. A ring f lash would
have been a big bonus in getting that
extra lighting. An added issue is that a
shutter speed of 1/200s is just not fast
enough for the 200mm focal length so
the subject is not as sharp as it should
be. A sharp subject is critical in such a
minimalist shot.
SA I M A’S T I P: An inexpensive ‘no-
name’ LED ring f lash can provide
continuous lighting and shadowless
illumination for close-up shots.
TITLE: Cicada
PHOTOGRAPHER: Kevin Palmer
DETAILS: Nikon D90, 55-200mm lens
@ 200mm, 1/200s @ f/5.6, 400 ISO, 0.07
EV, shutter priority, spot metered. No
software changes, converted from RAW
with View Nx2.
