Daisy Squared - a photo on Flickriver

Daisy Squared

This is a concept that I had been meaning to explore more of, if just for the fun “bending reality” aspect of shaped bokeh. This was made with a little contraption I’ll be detailing below, but you can find a longer tutorial in my upcoming book: www.kickstarter.com/projects/donkom/macro-photography

Normally, “bokeh” is the word used to describe the quality of an out of focus background in a photograph – though it can also refer to foregrounds too. This can be an element of control for photographers of every genre, but in macro photography we have a few tricks to make it a stronger element in the image. So, how is it so strong and why is it a bunch of squares?

The strength of the bokeh comes in two parts: the lens you’re using and the qualities of the subject. This image was shot with a vintage optical formula that originally dates back to 1916, but it was popularized by the Meyer Optik Trioplan 100. This was shot with a modern revival of that lens, marketed primarily for its “soap bubble” bokeh. Notice how the outer edge of the shapes in the background is brighter than the inner areas? This helps define the shapes. Meyer Optik went bankrupt but the name and assets went to one of their creditors and apparently the lens is being reborn yet again with a version “II” coming soon, or so says B&H Photo where you can pre-order a copy: www.bhphotovideo.com/c/buy/Trioplan_100/Ntt/Trioplan%2B10...

But really, where do these shapes come from? The key is understanding specular highlights – direct reflections from a light source. In this case, I have a bright LED flashlight placed behind the flower, as well as one in front to fill in the scene. The back flashlight is shining through a bunch of blades of grass that are covered with water droplets a few inches behind the flower. Each of those droplets has a “catch light”, a term normally referring to the sparkle in someone’s eye – which is a type of specular reflection. When those bright points of light become out of focus, they take on the shape of the aperture of the lens. If your lens has a six-blade aperture, you’d see hexagonal bokeh as an example.

So, why square? Simply put, I placed a piece of cardboard with a square cut out of it in front of my lens! With the lens’ “main” aperture set to wide open, I can use a secondary aperture of my own design in front of the objective lens, and whatever shape I choose is the shape it takes on. I’m actively prototyping a more advanced design that will allow you to drop in custom-cut apertures that are printed on sheets of overhead projector material that can be incredibly complex, more than just a cut-out. The total bill of parts will likely be less than $15 or so, and detailed instructions will be in my new book. If you haven’t checked it out, it’ll be “THE” resource for macro photographers: www.kickstarter.com/projects/donkom/macro-photography/

Bonus: bokeh in the foreground will always be different than bokeh in the background. Notice the difference on the front petals vs. the back!

Taken on: June 30, 2019

Tags:

flower

daisy

macro

floral

bokeh

trioplan

nature

lumix

S1R

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Groups appears in: • Canadian Beauty • Wildflowers more » • Ontario: Yours to Discover • Garden Flowers • PHOTOGRAPHERS OF CANADA • Tips from the Top Floor Podcast (tfttf) • Ontario Wild Flowers • Beautiful Ontario • Canada Nature & Wildlife • The World Up-Close (Nature Macro) • Science! • Canada from Sea to Sea to Sea • DIYPhotography • Liquid Metal (Macro Water Drops) • HIDDEN WORLD. • This Week in Photo • SLR Macro Photography • Simcoe Country, Ontario • CANADA >>> 1 Million Canadian Photos (56,062 Photos) • Meyer-Optik Görlitz Trioplan 2.8/100 • I am Canadian! • ***All beautiful shots and many more. • ***Flickr Global • DPExperience • Natur und Umwelt • The Nature Photography « less

Camera: Panasonic DC-S1R, 1/1000 sec, ISO 100 (more info) (hide info)

Camera:	Panasonic DC-S1R
Exposure Time:	0.001 sec (1/1000)
ISO:	100
Exposure Bias:	-0.66 EV
Flash:	Off, Did not fire
Exposure Program:	Aperture-priority AE
Exposure Mode:	Auto
Metering Mode:	Multi-segment
White Balance:	Auto
Sharpness:	Hard
Color Space:	sRGB
Software:	Adobe Photoshop CC 2019 (Windows)
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