A little light, a spritz of water, and some basic dodging and burning is all it took to capture this beautiful image of a rose: an Editors’ Choice pick that’s earned over 12K views and nearly 800 likes.
It’s easy to see why this striking photo is so popular, but what’s not as obvious is how simple it was to capture. Amateur photographer and 500pxer Jonathan Schraysshuen shot the image using just his Canon 60D, 18-55mm kit lens, and a ring flash.
As he revealed to Practical Photography magazine in their March issue:
I had a bouquet of flowers on the table in my living room, and when I walked past them I spotted this beautiful rose. It instantly struck me that I should capture its beauty.
So he sprayed some water on the petals, grabbed his ring flash, cranked the aperture all the way down to f/25, and fired off the shot:
The rest was mostly simple dodge and burn to highlight pattern and detail. “My aim was to bring out as much detail as possible,” explains Jonathan, so he dodged the light areas, burned the shadows, made some minor adjustments to color & contrast, sharpened the image, and added a quick vignette.
That’s it!
Amazing results don’t always require “pro” gear or hours in Photoshop. Particularly when we’re talking about still life, a beautiful photo of a beautiful flower is sometimes waiting for you right on your living room table… you just have to see it.
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