Keith Au
April 2025 - Rain drop on leaf
Original
About the Image(s)
A snapshot taken last Summer in my backyard after a sudden shower.
I noticed some pretty raindrops on the leaves of flower plants. It could be interesting observing the water drop reflections when zoomed in.
ISO value was a bit high as the leaf was not under direct sunlight.
Shooting outdoor handheld, higher shutter speed (1/1250s) was needed. It has resulted to a focal length of f/3.3.. Guess it's okay for a small raindrop?
Any comments / suggestions for improvements are welcome.
Nikon D850 105mm/f2.8 micro lens
1/1250s f/3.3 iso @ 1400
Post-processing: Adobe Camera Raw, and darkened background.
This round’s discussion is now closed!
6 comments posted
Margaret West
Interesting photo. I love raindrops as well. Might crop some to bring out the raindrop more. Nice colors and patterns Posted: 04/04/2025 03:55:31
Keith, I love how the light green veins of the leave add contrast. I have two suggestions. First, if you have not already, try to bring out some detail in the blown out parts of the droplet. Maybe decrease the highlights or dodge that area? Second, consider adding the second droplet shown in your original photo. I played around with zooming a bit on your original photo and really liked the image when including the other droplet and the edge of the leave. Thank you for sharing your expertise and creativity! Posted: 04/08/2025 14:21:37
Welcome back, Keith, after your illness.
Being heavily cropped already, it has taken on an ethereal aspect, which I do like. Alas that has made the droplet a bit unclear.
I would clone out the darker area at the bottom left, and the white dot below the droplet.
Posted: 04/10/2025 08:26:50
Being heavily cropped already, it has taken on an ethereal aspect, which I do like. Alas that has made the droplet a bit unclear.
I would clone out the darker area at the bottom left, and the white dot below the droplet.
Posted: 04/10/2025 08:26:50
Keith, I like your original better than the crop...in cropping in that far, you have lost the details of the drop...eg. the whites appear too blown out, while the drop's edges have lost their definition. I think raindrops are one of the hardest shots, but you certainly would need a macro lens or at least an add-on close-up lens or extension tube to do it justice. A similar thing happens with bugs if you take the shot and then try to crop way in....all the detail gets lost. I do like your original! Posted: 04/10/2025 20:41:15
Hi Keith, I also like the original better, maybe cropping it - to show only the one leaf with the drop. I think you loose too much detail with the close up of the drop. Or you could retake it with a macro lens focusing specifically only on the drop. Posted: 04/19/2025 20:15:37
I like what you are getting at , I love water droplets - background of the leaf is nice - maybe not so blurred? I have played recently with some water and have not submitted because I feel it did not work. I don't have answers. thoughts... might those little drops be harder to photograph with a macro lens, does the diameter of the drop make a difference in being able to see what is being magnified in the drop. long time ago I use a more "normal" lens instead of macro and it came out a little better. too many variable to keep track of at this point. Posted: 04/28/2025 03:52:04