Lake Park in the Wind

Image by Rusty Russ
What a beautiful spot. I found it difficult to photograph and capture the essence rather than the detail. A lot of post processing went into restoring the colors and trying to recreate the beauty. And yes, it was wonderfully windy there but the grand trees didn’t show it

Oliver Von Peoples

Image by donaldmctim
canon 40d 24-70mm 1:2.8 L USM
ab400 w/beauty dish full power
camera left

Tripod Shoot – Behind the Scenes

Image by fensterbme
Here is the photo of how I setup these tripod photos, they were taken on my kitchen island. Click Here to see the results of this setup.

Lighting Setup: Lighting provided by two White Lighting X1600 strobes, one to camera right difused into a softbox the other difused into a beauty dish. Lights were placed at a 90 degree angle from the camera (mostly, I would move the camera a bit to the left for some shots, with the light on the left with the beauty dish then being the key light). Additional light bounced in with a 42" Westcott Silver reflector mounted to an arm and light stand (FWIW: DON’T Buy Interfit reflector arms, they break easily, spend more for a better arm), this was above for some shots and to camera right for others, depending on where I needed fill light. I also used my Lastolite Grey/White card to throw a bit of light into a few of the close up shots. Click Here to see this photo larger to give more detail…

The backdrop is simply black matte finish foam core (back and bottom) with some clear plexi to provide a reflective surface (that I didn’t even end up using on these shots).

Other Stuff: Photos taken with a Canon 5D and either 24-70mm f/2.8L or 100mm f/2.8 macro lens (although this shot was taken with the Canon 16-35mm f/2.8L MkII ultrawide, since it’s not a huge space). Lighting triggered by Pocket Wizard PlusII’s, exposures checked with a Sekonic L-358 and I used a Lastolite Grey card to get my balance values (although I purposely toned these shots about 400 degrees cooler which I thought gave it a better look).

NOTE: This photo made it into Flickr’s ‘Explore" as one of the top five hundred most interesting photos on a particular day. You can see all of my photo’s that have made it into the Flickr Explore pages here.

Mike

Image by joshuahoffmanphoto
X1600 in beauty dish above model
X1600 with 20 degree grid back left
X1600 with 20 degree grid back right

Let me hear your thoughts!

Leonardslee Gardens, West Sussex, England, UK | Yellow azalea growing out of ancient decaying tree stump (15 0f 23)

Image by ukgardenphotos
Leonardslee Gardens: Woodland Walks

For a few weeks in May of each year, Leonardslee Gardens in West Sussex, UK, erupt into a spectacular display of the most amazing color combinations of flowering rhododendrons and azaleas. The green, wooded valley gardens then turn into a place of vibrant colors and outstanding natural beauty. Filled with the scent of the massed azalea plantings the whole area becomes a forest paradise. Visitors have often described its beauty and tranquility as being like ‘heaven on earth’.

This photograph depicts regeneration and new life as a new yellow azalea emerges from an ancient decaying stump of a fallen tree at Leonardslee gardens.

For many years, tens of thousands of visitors have enjoyed the picture-postcard qualities of this Grade 1 historic garden. Unfortunately, the gardens are now closed to the public as they have been sold to an international businessman.

Details: Leonardslee Gardens is a truly outstanding English landscape garden having a Grade 1 Historic Garden status (English Heritage Register). It covers about 240 acres (97 Hectares) in a wooded valley, contains seven lakes and is extensively planted with azaleas, ancient rhododendrons (some well over 100 years old), acers and camellias – all with a delightful under planting of bluebells in spring.

The great Victorian plant collector, Sir Edmund Loder (who gave his name to the large flowered and scented Loderi Rhododendron Hybrids) purchased the estate in 1889 and planted large numbers of Rhododendrons there. Sir Giles Loder later planted an extensive collection of camellias at Leonardslee. The estate remained in the hands of five generations of the Loder family until 2010 when it was sold to an international businessman. However, the Loder Rhododendron nursery was not sold and is still in business.

Location: Leonardslee Gardens, Lower Beeding, Horsham, West Sussex, England, RH13 6PP, UK. UK Map references: OSGB36 Grid ref:: TQ220259: Map tile ref: TQ22NW40

Links: A more detailed history of Leonardslee Gardens is available on Wikipedia. Leonardslee nursery is still run by Chris Loder and his website contains useful information on Rhododendron Loderi, its varieties and hybrids.

© 2011 ukgardenphotos

Beauty

Image by !” † evil empire † “!
They say that the human beings, independent of being man or woman, love to receive flowers, but attractive it is to perceive the beauty in that is not more perfect.

(photo made with my first camera, a compact one at the time)

—————
Dizem que os seres humanos, independentes de ser homem ou mulher, amam receber flores, mas atraente mesmo é perceber a beleza no que já não é mais perfeito.

Mikey Portrait

Image by Ben Chau
AB800 shot through beauty dish camera right
AB400 bare behind Mikey
Fired with CyberSyncs

View On Black

Myriah & Russell

Image by Ben Chau
Bartlesville High School 2009 Prom

Strobist Info
B800 through beauty dish above camera
Fired by CyberSyncs

that gentle joy

Image by k-girl
it’s strange … but i was having nightmares about taking pictures for this wedding (i’m VERY new to photography and certainly had never taken pictures at a wedding before!), but this was the last image i saw before i woke up (well, I almost managed to replicate it!) What struck me in the image was the beauty of the bride’s brown eyes against a brown background.

i hope the image conveys something of the happy calm that it gave me when i saw it in my sleep!

los Angeles Trip – April 18 – May 3, 2011

Image by Rockin Robin
Poppy Flower – Associated symbolism is beauty, magic, consolation, fertility & eternal life, & denote sleep, rest, & repose. In modern times poppies have been associated with Flanders fields as an emblem of those who died in World War I – 4/25/2011 – Photo by Robin Kanouse

On a Fresh and Rosy Dawn..

Image by -RejiK (busy ….)
“We live in a wonderful world that is full of beauty, charm and adventure. There is no end to the adventures that we can have if only we seek them with our eyes open.”

- Jawaharlal Nehru (Indian Prime Minister. 1889-1964)

Жанжин Д.Сүхбаатарын хөшөө “Mongolian Beauty”

Image by Jargalsaikhan.D | cRazy
Camera model: Canon EOS 450D
Shutter Speed: 30 sec
Lens aperture: F/18
Focal length: 29mm
ISO speed: ISO-100
Metering mode: Pattern
Explosure Programm: Manual

Du Caju (miss Belgian Beauty 2006)

Image by e³°°°

Alexei Alexejewitsch Harlamoff: Portrait of a Young Beauty

Image by freeparking
Harlamoff. Oil painting. Don’t yet have date or dimensions.

One of Madame Tussauds first figures Sleeping Beauty

Image by mharrsch

Dark Angel

Image by Evan Romine
This is Demarie, her and I got together this last weekend to shoot. We’ll be working together again next weekend too, so stay tuned for more from us!

Lighting is a beauty dish, two white fill-cards to either side and a silver reflector below camera.

God’s Handwriting

Image by -RejiK (busy ….)
“Never lose an opportunity of seeing anything that is beautiful; for beauty is God’s handwriting – a wayside sacrament. Welcome it in every fair face, in every fair sky, in every fair flower, and thank God for it as a cup of blessing.”

—Ralph Waldo Emerson (American Poet)

Beauty in My Eyes…

Image by Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ♥M§. яåє♥Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ
Beauty In My Eyes

She’s a beautiful landscape for my eyes to gaze upon
A painting of beauty, delighting my mind and senses
She’s so perfectly conducted as a simple angels song
So soothingly through my lips, to my hearts entrance.

She’s the essence of pure beauty in my eyes presence
Rare as the rose in winter, in it’s most beautiful form
She’s beautiful as the sea, my loving heart sails upon
Sheltering me deeply with her love through the storm.

She’s my constellation, The beauty behind my nights
And the candle, igniting my hearts passionate desires
I see her true beauty, that only few could ever realize
In her precious eyes, I see beauty which God inspires.

She’s beautiful as the clouds shattered across the sky
And her tender lips has the sweetest taste as red wine
She’s the angel whom protects my heart and my soul
It’s in her angelic sweetness, I found a love so divine.

Disneyland at Dusk

Image by rocket.robby
Sleeping Beauty’s Castle

World, here’s Maggie

Image by Evan Romine
This is Maggie, she’s just signed with SIM Agency in Gilbert, she’s 14, 5’10" and already off to a great start. I had the pleasure of shooting a test shoot with her last week and I have to say that she really impressed me. Girls like this don’t have to really do anything at all in front of the camera because of their natural beauty. I just have to make sure she’s in focus.

Lighting was a 60" white-satin umbrella above her head and angled downwards. It’s slightly camera left with a fill-card camera right and a silver reflector about chest-level to the model.

A Higher Destiny Lies Before You

Image by Marxchivist
Illustration by Edmund Dulac from "The Beauty and the Beast." Originally published in 1910.

Fashion Trend?

Image by KM&G-Morris
Beats me what would attract such a beautiful butterfly to the toe of Gene’s shoe! Standing, watching the butterflies, we looked down and noticed one had seated itself firmly on his toe. We patiently waited for it to move and took advantage of the opportunity to photograph the beauty.

40+113 American Beauty Sox

Image by bark
Can one have too many socks?
I think not.

Seen here…http://selfenterpriser.com/info-stuffs/the-good-the-bad-the-ugly-and-socks/

Thou Hast Ravished My Heart, Oh Beauty…..

Image by -RejiK (busy ….)
My soul is dark – Oh! quickly string
The harp I yet can brook to hear;
And let thy gentle fingers fling
Its melting murmurs o’er mine ear.
If in this heart a hope be dear,
That sound shall charm it forth again:
If in these eyes there lurk a tear,
‘Twill flow, and cease to burn my brain.

-Lord Byron