I've received a few comments (and a DQ request within first 12 hours of voting) on my Purple II entry:
Many were interested in how did I get the vignetting without breaking any rules, basic or advanced (as this is considered a major element in both cases).
Well, simple answer: I used this:
White styrofoam disk with approx 2.5cm hole in the middle. I was about 50-60cm from the flower, and I was shooting through the hole that was half the way in between. The aperture was f/3.2 so the edges of the hole were blurred enough. The fact that it was located outside the lens minimal focal distance helped in blurring, too. (50 f/1.8 II has minimal distance of 45cm I think).
Postprocessing was minuscule- pretty much only some contrast adjustment with an s-curve, and slight color correction (Irises are purple in nature) to quiet down the yellow in the petals.
I love the effect and the creativitiy, but I do have one question. Your notes say that you used a flash. How did you get your flash to the subject without getting harsh shadows on the flower in areas that could be seen? Was this an off camera flash with a cord? I'm just curious cause I like your lighting and wonder how to get that effect with using flash. Thanks
I used the 550ex mounted on camera. The disk is fortunately large enough to provide a diffuser effect in addition to the vignetting effect - it's a dual purpose disk!
