Remnants of the Rain by stray_shooter

Remnants of the Rain

With fingers crossed we are hopeful that the rains may have finally come to an end in Southern California. The day began with remnants from the previous night's precipitation. I hadn't really intended to capture a 365 photo, but instead was trying various exposure settings to try and figure out why some of my macro shots were not as sharp as desired. But this shot of a sego palm that is in my back yard ended up being kind of interesting. It looks like the reason for nonsharpness was rain on the lens. Go figure.

What I learned in taking this photo: There is no substitute for a tripod. Along with moisture on the lens, some of my problems appear to be associated with camera movement and wind affecting the subjects - even at 1/250. Cranking up the ISO goes against my long ingrained nature, but it's really OK in most cases. I'm not converting these photos to wall sized posters, so unnoticeable noise is not an issue.
Great lines and DoF. I'm not sure what you were going for, so not sure what isn't sharp enough. Your rains ended up passing through tonight (still here in fact) bringing tornado and severe thunderstorm warnings. A great night to stay inside and process photos! Hope things are settling for you all.
March 1st, 2017  
Lovely macro detail considering the needed to crank up to ISO 2,500 and with f22 still maintained a beautiful bokeh background, this shot really works for me Ron:)
March 1st, 2017  
Love the look of this image with it's interesting lines/shapes/colours..
Beautifully composed.. loving the light and the refracted images in the waterdrops.. creamy bokeh too.. gorgeous reds just putting in a slight appearance to support the greens.. you have (very subtle) a rainbow of colours not all bright but still there.
ISO 2500?? wow, i'm impressed.. the highest i've used is a paltry 1000..
in the UK, especially the northern part, we do know about rain - it is the most featured part of 'weather' here. i do hope it ceases for California very soon..
March 1st, 2017  
Looks perfect to me!
March 1st, 2017  
crisp and sharp! awesome dof even for f22. aces? of course!
March 1st, 2017  
I like the photo Ron. You have a good eye. I do have some concern with your other eye though LOL
March 1st, 2017  
Lovely focus and light
March 1st, 2017  
Welll done. Yes, we are drying out. Our back yard was a mess.... Fortunately, most of the "top water" has drained off. Yea! Sun again,, but still cold.
March 1st, 2017  
I like the how the grass lines angle in groups. And of course the pleasant-to-see bokeh. So was a tripod used for this picture?

And yes, I promise, no more hearts.
March 2nd, 2017  
Beautiful image. I pray for a few dry days, Sir.
March 2nd, 2017  
This is an awesome shot Ron. I love the DOF
March 2nd, 2017  
I think this one is where the small Black frame works the best - it enhances the simplicity of the motive.
March 2nd, 2017  
@taffy Thanks Taffy. I was simply trying to get a clear shot of a droplet or two - trying to see if I might have captured any reflected images within the droplets. Still not entirely pleased with it, but maybe I'm expecting too much in the way of clarity.

I saw that there was some pretty good tornado damage around the state there. Brings back some firghtening memories of my time in Indiana. I've seen and experienced every conceivable form of natural disaster and the tornados were by far the most terrifying.
March 4th, 2017  
@pcoulson Thank Peter. Really surprising that the ISO can go that high and still not be too noisy. I was using the 105mm macro and the depth of field, even at f/22 when you're right on top of the subject is still razor thin. Always enjoy hearing your comments.
March 4th, 2017  
@jorlam Thanks so much Jorlam. I will admit to purposely positioning the plant with the red flowers in the background to get some subtle colours. I'm pleased that the detail didn't escape your attention, which is always fascinating. Thanks for the wonderful comments!
March 4th, 2017  
@louannwarren Thanks Lou Ann, but in the style of the Japanese wabi-sabi artist, any depiction that can be construed as perfect would be an attempt to represent the creator. I think I'm safe.
March 4th, 2017  
@summerfield Thanks Vikki. I'm always surprised at how shallow the DoF is using the macro lens, even at an f-stop like f/22. No margin for error!
March 4th, 2017  
@kurtl525 You actually made me LOL there Kurtis! Thanks for coming by to view and comment. I do appreciate it!
March 4th, 2017  
@craftymeg Thanks so much Margaret! I'm happy that you stopped by and commented!
March 4th, 2017  
@aglennc Thanks for coming by Anita. Yes, my place has been quite soggy lately too, but it sure has been nice lately, huh? More rain coming on Sunday though. :-(
March 4th, 2017  
@lyndemc Thank you so much Denise. Yeah, it wouldn't be a Ron photo without a little bokeh. ;-) As for the tripod, no I did not make use of one in this case as I was in reality making test runs. Had I used one I certainly would have brought the iSO down to something a little less than 2500 - and as a result, probably would have gotten a crisper photo. Next time!
March 4th, 2017  
@kevin365 Thanks Kevin - I think your prayers worked. 80 degrees (F) here today and almost a whole week without rain. It returns in a couple of days, but it's not supposed to be as nasty as the past several weeks have been.
March 4th, 2017  
@winshez Thanks Sherrill. That depth of field is all the product of the macro lens. I love that thing!
March 4th, 2017  
@runner365 Thanks Claes. The small inner frame (used judiciously of course) can be very subtle yet very effective. Thanks for noticing and commenting! I do appreciate it.
March 4th, 2017  
@stray_shooter Can't imagine. Thank you for the update!
March 4th, 2017  
@stray_shooter We hope rain on Sunday. Now that our flooded back yard -- well, sort of flooded - has drained. Love the rain.
March 4th, 2017  
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