Cradled

My bit for Remembrance.

I originally wanted to creat a soft glowing poppy with an over exposed white back drop. I had to take the tulip hood off for this, which in turn gave me an idea - so I used the hood to "cradle" the poppy. This, I felt gave this subject a warm, sentimental feel.

Technique - With a tripod. During the shot I de-focused half way through exposure to create the blurred effect while retaining some of the focus. Used a dark plate mat to cover lens to help rid of camera shake while adjusting focusing ring. The overall exposure was about 6sec (plus 4sec with the lens covered). Took a few attempts, but got there in the end. Sounds technical I know, but once you "get it" a whole new world awaits! You can also try the same technique with the zoom ring instead.

And NO Photo Shop!

Enjoy

Great Remembrance pictures everybody.