This morning I was thrilled to see Kim used my Instagram photo for the “Bottles and Twine” prompt for the Studio Online! Thank you Kim! :)

I was so thrilled, it caused me to write a blog post (he he) …

A few days ago I was so overwhelmed with the explosion of peonies in my garden, I decided to keep things simple and focus on one small bloom. So I grabbed my little glass jar with the rusty handle, and for some reason decided to tie it to a chair. Probably because, somewhere in the dark recesses of my mind, I remembered something Kim had taught us!

With my pretty white dining room curtains as a backdrop, and kk_Softhaze for processing, the background blew out and left the peony, jar, and chair in sharp focus. I then brought back some blacks, and whites, and upped the clarity. I also sharpened the overall image.

Camera Settings:

• Early afternoon light (bright, warm)
• D750
• 24-120mm lens at 48mm
• 1/50 sec at f/4.5 (on a tripod, and using a timer)
• ISO 400

Now I’m inspired to see what else I can come up with for this lesson …