Imploding Almond Flowers
Posted by Avital Pinnick on February 23, 2011
I needed a break at work, so I took my camera outside and photographed some almond trees lining the parking lot. The first three were regular close-up flower shots. After I got those out of my system, I started doing zoom shots. One tip: zoom shots are not easy to do without a tripod. When I had my old 18-55mm kit lens, they were nearly impossible. The zooming action on my 18-135mm lens is much smoother. So if you’ve tried this in the past and been disappointed with the results, tell yourself: (a) it might be the fault of the lens and (b) digital photography is free. 🙂
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Fran said
Avital – these photos are gorgeous!! You never cease to amaze me!
Avital Pinnick said
Thanks! The light wasn’t great because the trees are on the east side of the building, but I had fun. A woman walked by and said, “You know, the almonds are a lot nicer in Motza.” I’m sure they are but without a car, that’s not too practical! Not on a work day, at least.
livvy30 said
I never knew almonds flowered like this! Very pretty!
sunsetseasoul said
There’s an almond tree a block from my home, and a couple of years ago I took some beautiful shots. Unfortunately last year it didn’t bloom because of the draught.
I love the last shots. How do you do that?
By the way, I’ve been meaning to tell you, I tried what you suggested, shooting in Food Mode instead of Close-up so that I can play with white balance and capture the right colors. I can’t tell you how may of my shots you’ve saved. I’m endlessly grateful.
Avital Pinnick said
I’m so glad that my advice helped! All I did was search for your camera manual on-line and skim through the different modes.
The last shots were done by zooming while shooting with a long exposure. It’s a bit more complicated than that, so I’ll either find a reference or write up a short description. It’s not something you can do with a point-and-shoot, though.
Thing-a-Day, 2011 « This and That said
[…] essay: Imploding Almond Flowers. What a difference a lens can make. I found it impossible to do these zoom effects with the 18-55mm […]