It's "Hey Rick! What's Your F-stop?" Wednesday #2

It's "Hey Rick! What's Your F-Stop?" Wednesday. This series was prompted by the question I get asked most on my workshops.

My response to the question is, of course, "What is your creative vision? That will help you determine your camera settings."

After we discuss that all-important topic, I share my settings.

Hey Rick #2

Photograph: Cabbage white butterfly.

Location: Croton on Hudson, NY.

Camera: Canon 1Ds. (I now use the Canon 5D Mark III).

Lens: Canon 100mm Marco.

Exposure: ISO 100. f/18 @ 1/80th second - with Canon MR 14-EX Ringlight. (If you are into close-up photography, a ringlight is a must.)

Reasoning: Butterflies move very fast, so focus changes fast. Shooting at a small aperture gives you (and me) a much better chance of getting a "flying flower" in focus.

Use a shutter speed enough to blur the action, and use a speedlite to freeze the action . . . in the same photograph.

Concept: Use a combination of daylight and the light from a speedlite to add motion to a still photograph.

Processing: I used Topaz Clarity to add detail to my image. You can get a discount on all Topaz plug-ins on my Play & Save on Plug-ins page.

Like flying flowers? My Flying Flowers wallpaper app is free. See My Apps page for info.

This wallpaper app is filled with my favorite photographs of butterflies – often called flying flowers. They are yours to enjoy on your iPad or iPhone.

Some of the butterflies were photographed in and around my home in Croton–on-Hudson, New York. Others were photographed at Butterfly World in Coconut Creek, Florida.

I hope to see you on one of my workshops. We will be photographing butterflies and birds (and more) on my Digital Delray workshop in January.

Scroll down to find other "Hey Rick!" posts.

Explore the light,
Rick

P.S. My forthcoming Focal Press book, Creative Visualization for Photographers, has an entire "Hey Rick!" chapter – with different photographs.