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Pic of the Week #36

on Jul 28, 2017

Calabash Vine

Sheldon Hooper Calabash Final

This twisting Calabash vine caught my eye as it was framed by a small ray of light filtering through the dense canopy setting it apart from the deep dark brooding background. When out in the bush we do not look only for the big animals but also for these small things of beauty and interest. These are what hold the bush together and if not pointed out they will never be appreciated.

Equipment used

  • Camera – Canon 7Dmkii
  • Lens and Focal length – Sigma 150-600mm f5-6.3 DG OS HSM Contemporary

Settings used to capture this image

  • ISO 2000 – This was late in the evening and not much light was around so I waited for the perfect moment when a small shaft of sunlight hit this vine. It was very subdued light though and so I had to substitute this for a higher ISO.
  • Aperture f/(6.3) – The smallest possible aperture on this lens and I used this so as to blur out the background as much as possible to focus entirely on the subject in the foreground.
  • Shutter 1/400 – There was a slight breeze blowing this vine around so I had to make sure that it would not blur by using a relatively fast shutter. This was as slow as I was willing to go for the compromise on ISO.

Editing used on this image

This Image I dropped the whites and blacks as well as raised the shadows and highlights slightly to make the vine pop forward. Clarity and sharpening were added in small amounts and I created a small S curve on my tonal graph so as to increase contrast.

  • Pic of the week by Sheldon Hooper (Bush Lodge Ranger)
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