[BrianR]

I'm always afraid it's just a lack of imagination cop-out to toss an object on a simplistic background and I do it pretty often so I'm looking for any general feedback here. Is it an interesting enough object to stand out of context from nature? Does it give a sense of exploding? Does the tone of the backdrop compliment the pod well? Does the floating nature feel just strange?

Thanks for any input.

It's from common milkweed, Asclepias syriaca, a host plant for Monarch butterflies when they're larva (and a few other things).

[Bryce K]

I like it personally and great sharpness. One question: have you tried photographing the pod while on the plant and what were the results? As it is right here it not only looks cool it makes me want to say "what is it?" (had you not explained).

[cybertaff]

love this, have tried a similer approach with blooms, very cool indeed

[BrianR]

love this, have tried a similer approach with blooms, very cool indeed

Thanks! They're neat plants, plenty of photo ops.

I like it personally and great sharpness. One question: have you tried photographing the pod while on the plant and what were the results? As it is right here it not only looks cool it makes me want to say "what is it?" (had you not explained).

I've taken many pictures of the pods at various stages out in the field. A mass of them can looks pretty neat but the finer details don't show up as well compared to an isolated shot and I generally end up with something that looks like any of the milkweed pod pictures I've seen before (not that this one is necessarily unique). The ones I'm usually happiest with are intact pods being gnawed upon by something to give a little more life. I've also never found one outside that had 'exploded' in such an organized way, the wind usually starts sending the seeds flying as soon as they expand (I brought this one indoors yesterday when all the seeds were still tightly packed like the bundle near the top).

I always take a "what is it?" reaction as a win.

Thanks for commenting, I appreciate people taking the time to share their perspectives.

[gildedfool]

That is a seriously amazing image. You obviously invested a great deal of time and effort into it, well done! I'm curious to learn more about your lighting technique, as well as how the pod is mounted so that it seems to levitate. All very fantastic.

[BrianR]

Thanks for the kind words! I included a bit of lighting info on flickr, I'll repeat it here with a few more details and I'd be happy to elaborate on anything you like:

Lighting info:
-Sunpak 433d camera right and in front in small homemade softbox (~8"x9") for key light (this is a very large light source up close).
-Sunpak 433d camera right and behind in snoot for a rim light (this is backlighting the dried up pod).
-Triggered with rf602's (wireless radio triggers).
-Background lit by key, but the background was curved to get the gradient on it- the middle part of the background is closer to the key and perpendicular to it so it ends up brightest. A small amount of dodging was also used to darken the bottom right corner a smidgen.

I 'cheated' for the levitation, it was hung with fishing line then cloned in post. In this case I tied a loop around the stem of the pod as it was the simplest approach and I wanted to minimize handling the pod (the seeds really wanted to float away). If it was more durable I would have superglued the line somewhere on the back. The main goal is to minimize the amount of detailed visible parts in the picture that the line runs in front of to make the cloning easier.

[gildedfool]

Excellent! Thank you so much for sharing that info! Happy hunting.

[joip]

A beautiful shot of one of my favorites. I have Asclepias Tuberosa in my garden and right now the pods are starting to open. I take them and plant them in other areas of my garden to increase the monarch habitat. The detail in your shot is just amazing! Love it.

[gor80]

yes it is a good photo, it would be even more interesting when there bokeh

[Canada_Rockies]

I like it as is.

[bobD]

Great shot, wonderfully found subject, excellent lighting.

The challenge is to change it from a 'static' pose to something active...

The seeds disperse...this is their story.

Even just one seed separated from the mass as though it is the first to depart...

Would need something like your nylon super-glued to the seed (and cloned out later) as you have done to hang the pod.
You could even take a longer exposure and move only the nylon attached to the seed to give the impression of it blowing away...

[gildedfool]

Great shot, wonderfully found subject, excellent lighting.

The challenge is to change it from a 'static' pose to something active...

The seeds disperse...this is their story.

Even just one seed separated from the mass as though it is the first to depart...

Would need something like your nylon super-glued to the seed (and cloned out later) as you have done to hang the pod.
You could even take a longer exposure and move only the nylon attached to the seed to give the impression of it blowing away...

Interesting development. Do you have any examples?

[ROBEFFY]

Thanks for the kind words! I included a bit of lighting info on flickr, I'll repeat it here with a few more details and I'd be happy to elaborate on anything you like:

Lighting info:
-Sunpak 433d camera right and in front in small homemade softbox (~8"x9") for key light (this is a very large light source up close).
-Sunpak 433d camera right and behind in snoot for a rim light (this is backlighting the dried up pod).
-Triggered with rf602's (wireless radio triggers).
-Background lit by key, but the background was curved to get the gradient on it- the middle part of the background is closer to the key and perpendicular to it so it ends up brightest. A small amount of dodging was also used to darken the bottom right corner a smidgen.

I 'cheated' for the levitation, it was hung with fishing line then cloned in post. In this case I tied a loop around the stem of the pod as it was the simplest approach and I wanted to minimize handling the pod (the seeds really wanted to float away). If it was more durable I would have superglued the line somewhere on the back. The main goal is to minimize the amount of detailed visible parts in the picture that the line runs in front of to make the cloning easier.

I like it!
My first thought was wonderful lighting.
Next was "what is it?"
Next was how did you suspend it?
Intriguing, excellent shot!

[Weevil]

Yes... very well rendered !

[axelm7]

On the lighting and background: if you wanted to convey a stronger sense of that "explosion" I think you could have used the same kind of framing, with stronger flash on one side to create deep shadows on one side, maybe with a strong continuous light behind (but not directly behind) the pod to create some light fringing. Play with strong shadows and contrast if you're unsure of how to approach it more creatively, as your current rendition may seem a bit too evenly lit for the concept you were going for.

The floating effect is perfect for it, though, as the purpose of those seeds is to spread floating through the breeze.