Dance of the callla lily:

Mamiya RB67  105mm normal lens - Ilford HP5+ 120 film  Normally developed. The image is not manipulated on or off computer. Scanned from a print. I know it does not fit the nature category as such, with the exception of the light and the simplified background, everything else is natural. Including the flower!

-- Bahman Farzad (bahman_farzad@spotmetering.com), March 02, 1999

Answers

Wonderful! I love that you kept it all shades of very light grey!

-- Andreas Carl (andreas@physio.unr.edu), March 02, 1999.

Bahman,

As always, I enjoyed your image! Very nice work.

Paul

-- Paul Sedillo (dio@5150.net), March 02, 1999.

Subtle shades of grey. Ethereal and beautiful result. Excellent!

-- Garry Schaefer (schaefer@pangea.ca), March 02, 1999.

Very nice forms and shapes. Though I think I would much prefer the print to the screen with this one.

-- Tait Stangl (taits@usa.net), March 02, 1999.

Mr. Farzad, after so many images of calla lilies set in darker tones and high contrast, this image is just plain a delightful change of pace. I will admit to having to look at it long and carefully and fight with my training to see it dark and contrasty. Actually, your image seems to expand my horizon in a very rewarding way. The treatment of the grays is quite the study for me. Thank you.

-- Joseph P. Blecha (blechajo@libra.unm.edu), March 02, 1999.

The light tones make this a very original shot. With flowers being such an over photographed subject it's nice to see something different.

-- rob dalrymple (robd13@erols.com), March 02, 1999.

Bahman, this would be an interesting picture to discuss your technique a bit. You mention that the light and background are artificial...a neat effect.

-- Andrew Y. Kim (andy_roo@mit.edu), March 02, 1999.

Flat out awesome !!! This is one of the few flower shots that I could color would ruin.

-- Buster Ulmer (BusterFla@aol.com), March 02, 1999.

The vastness of your imagination and the ability to express it in the print is always impressive.

-- Larry Korhnak (lvk@gnv.ifas.ufl.edu), March 03, 1999.

Bahman, Another gorgeous image! I love the simplicity of the b&w and how it emphasizes the form and curving lines of the leaf. I also love how you've composed this, with the stem curving into the frame from the bottom right.

-- Barbara Kelly (kellys@alaska.net), March 06, 1999.

Thanks for your positive comments. They really mean a lot to me. This image is perhaps one of the strongest that I have taken in my life. I hope I can post its dancing partner next week. The image itself is part of a permanent collection. A few years ago it competed with 22 other mediums by 120 artists. The works included oil painting, watercolor, sculpture and so on and it got the top $1000 purchase award. For Andrew Kim who asked for the explanation of the technique, here it is. I hope I do not bore you with it. The technique is loosely edited. Please read between the lines! It also may sound authoritative! Authority, I am NOT. This is how I write. SUMMARY: If you do not want to read the whole thing, this is a summary: Main source of light: In the back, a flash behind a white/milky Plexiglas. In front: A white cardboard used as reflector. DETAILED: 1) To use this technique, choose a translucent or semi-translucent subject. Non-translucent (opaque) subjects will not lend themselves to this technique. Choose a cloudy day or shaded area. Avoid sunlight by all means. Your objective is to reduce contrast as much as possible and shower the flower with a very harsh backlight and softly reflected frontlight. 2) Choose a simple and elegant subject. IMO simplicity is the key. If in doubt, generally the subject should cover no more than = the frame area. The rest must be pure white (the Plexiglas background) 3) Since about = (or more) of the background is white, always use a negative film. For best results, white backgrounds lend themselves naturally to negative film in the same way that subjects with black/dark backgrounds lend themselves naturally to slide film 4) Use a Plexiglas on top of a box or use a light box equipped with a strobe of strong flash (set on Manual) inside. The flash should point to the Plexiglas. Give about 10-12 inches of space between flash and Plexiglas to cover a wider area. Put this setup behind the flower or the subject of interest.. Connect the synch-cord to the flash and the camera 5) get a 16X16 inch (approx.) white cardboard and cut a circular hole through its center. The hole should be small enough to tightly fit on the tip of your lens and should be firmly attached to your lens This works as an on-camera reflector 6) Set your camera on a tripod and focus on the flower. 5) With a flash meter's circular diffuser (white bubble) pointing at your reflector-attached CAMERA and get an exposure reading. 7) With your camera's shutter speed set at 1/60 sec or 'X' shoot the picture. Please make sure that the power of the flash is stronger than the power of ambient light. This means if the ambient light's correct exposure (gray card exposure/incident exposure) for the flower is 1/60@f-5.6, your should read say 1/60@f-11. This means that the flash is controlling the light and not the ambient light. Compensate (increase exposure) about 1/2 stop if your lens is extending beyond its usual limits. With negatives, overexposures of 1/2 to 1 stop will be ok. 8) If you use a Macro lens, please make sure you compensate for the loss of light due to magnification. For this example, assume that the off-camera flashmeter reading is 1/60@f-16. For moderate magnification, open-up by 1 stop (this means 1/60@f-11). Remember, you should not be too close to the subject since the reflector becomes just about ineffective

-- Bahman Farzad (bahman_farzad@spotmetering.com), March 06, 1999.