Common Vetch

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Common Vetch
Photo Information
Copyright: howard shirley (gerbilratz) Gold Star Critiquer/Gold Note Writer [C: 353 W: 0 N: 916] (2938)
Genre: Plants
Medium: Color
Date Taken: 2008-05-10
Categories: Flowers
Camera: Canon EOS 350D, Sigma 105mm F2.8 DG macro, Tiffen 58mm UV PROTECTOR USA
Exposure: f/11, 1/200 seconds
Details: Tripod: Yes
Photo Version: Original Version
Theme(s): Wild Flowers, Flower(purple/violet)III [view contributor(s)]
Date Submitted: 2008-05-11 10:01
Viewed: 370
Points: 32
[Note Guidelines] Photographer's Note
Common Vetch, Vicia sativa. member of the Pea family of plants.

Weak little plant, quite miserable in some ways, not really self supporting either. The flower (from a distance) looks a miserable little thing until you get some close up images of it and see the subtle beauty of this flower. This is only about 1-1.5 cm long from nose to tail, but it has a lovely shape and form to it.

The flowers are solitary, on fine tendrils, the leaves are dark and pinnate, they can sometimes hide the flower. They vary from pink to pinkish - violet with paler shades on the calyx and corolla. they can thrive in quite shady areas, but can also tolerate poor conditions.

The usual flowering season is July to September, bit early, but the very warm weather has helped to "bolt" them into flowering. They are found on paths and agricultural fields, this one was found in the "rough" on the local golf course.

This plant has been and is still used as a fodder crop for farm animals.

This plant was hidden near a gorse bush, good general light, but it was shaded, so, I opened up the ISO a bit to negate the use of flash and use as much natural light as possible, whilst getting as much definition as I can. I was getting a bit of over-exposure at ISO 800, but ISO400 seemed a good compromise.

ISO 400
Shutter speed 1/200
F-stop f/11

Mirror lock, remote shutter, tripod used, manual focus.
This was virtually 1:1. Shot in RAW- No PP apart from slight cropping and a touch of "clarity" added in the RAW to help define the veins and lines on the petals.

Sized and saved to jpeg for upload.

I have been getting virtually a new plant every day for uploading on my Theme of "British Wild Flowers" since early this year. The main reason is I am doing a survey of the varieties and species of plants in my immediate area to see the bio diversity and range of plants found here. Basically each flower uploaded has been found, imaged and uploaded at the "upload" date. I am now getting several plants each day, so some plants may be a "few days old" before the upload.

I have also started to get images of insects and beetles as part of this survey, so, I intend to vary the uploads. Hopefully, I should have enough images of the flora and fauna to last through the year until next spring.

Any comments, views or critiques would be more than welcome, the points are unimportant to me, comments and words are far more important. I may even switch off my points so people may not feel obliged to only critique with a smiley!!
boreocypriensis, nglen, eqshannon, gracious, marhowie, nirmalroberts, goldyrs, bahadir, Argus has marked this note useful
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Discussions
ThreadThread Starter Messages Updated
To warnzy: common vetchgerbilratz 2 05-12 07:43
To marhowie: common vetchgerbilratz 1 05-11 14:31
To eqshannon: vetchgerbilratz 4 05-11 14:13
To gracious: common vetchgerbilratz 1 05-11 11:58
To boreocypriensis: vetchgerbilratz 1 05-11 10:43
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Critiques [Translate]

  • Great 
  • mariki Gold Star Critiquer/Gold Star Workshop Editor/Gold Note Writer [C: 847 W: 70 N: 1578] (6903)
  • [2008-05-11 10:24]

Hello Howard,

Excellent presentation of this common vetch. Textures are very well reproduced. Wonderful light and colours. Good composition, the flower looks like lips :-).
Cheers,
Mariki

  • Great 
  • nglen Gold Star Critiquer/Gold Note Writer [C: 1864 W: 2 N: 4738] (18250)
  • [2008-05-11 10:36]

Hi Mr Wild flower man. This is a very good close up of the Vetch. You have captured fine detail and natural colours.You have used the light so well.a nice POV/DOH. well done Howard TFS.
Nick..
PS Thanks for your kind comments.

Hello Howard,

Razor sharp with lots of details and beautiful colours.
Nice BG.

Gert

Well in my neighborhood, the vetch I had last year is now gone. A U Haul Truck Rental outfit now stores their trucks there...I think I liked the weeds better. Amazing colours one can get from weeds eh? As to my settings...If I do that high ISO with the Leica it is so very noisy. I have not tried it wit the D50..Don't know how high it goes...I think 400...perhaps 800 but it also is nosy..the Fuji DSLR uses the same lens as the Nikon but it doesn't have the noise problem..makes me think twice about the good electronics in Fuji cameras!!!
Bob

Hello Howard,
You got the best exposure and focus in this fine macro shot of such small flower in the plant!
the f/11 really done a good job for you to achieve this excellent result! I loved it
the image is sharp with good colour and so much details to enjoy!
many thanks indeed
cheers
Tony

Hello Howard (I'm talking to myself again) ;}
Very good detail, DOF, color, and light..
I think your chosen POV has shown the vetch in one of the best possible ways..
Of course, there are other possiblities..And what would life be without them?? :)
Well done,
Howard

  • Great 
  • lousat Gold Star Critiquer/Gold Note Writer [C: 794 W: 5 N: 2035] (7703)
  • [2008-05-11 15:39]

Hi Howard,this is so little!!!What a fantastic macro,incredible quality,i know this flowers and i know hoe isn't easy to take so perfectly because are very very littles,my best compliments,Luciano

Hi Howard, splendid macro capture of this beautiful Common Vetch my friend with nice POV and framing, but I can say that the base of the flower is a bit out of the depth of the field my friend. I think that f/11 stop value selection is not proper to take overall sharp image in macros. A solution (according to me): the providing an exact parallism to long axis of the flower:) Just an idea:) Your capture is excellent to me as usual. TFS. Cheers,

Bayram

Hi Howard,
Excellent macro of this beautiful flower.
TFS.
- Nirmal

  • Great 
  • Jamesp Gold Star Critiquer/Gold Note Writer [C: 1223 W: 0 N: 4446] (13284)
  • [2008-05-12 3:04]

Hi Howard

Great macro once again. Wonderful colours and spot-on detail.

James

PS just remembered your msg - yes there is loads on indicator plants - I used them as primary indicators when doing historical-geography fieldwork. I see what I can dig out.

;) L8r

This is an excellent capture.Very sharp, and detailed.The flower is especially very detailed.
Cheers!
Goldy

Hi Howard, wonderful close-up shot of this beauty. TFS. Regards,
Bahadır

Hi Howard,

You have done your subject proud. I've been doing some macro photography, and it's not as easy as it looks. I'll post my forget-me-not later today. I know that you lock your mirror, but do you use a remote trigger too? Your detail is better than mine, although I've shooting at a much, much slower shutter speed - 1/30 typically. I'd welcome any tips.

Mike

  • Great 
  • Argus Gold Star Critiquer/Gold Star Workshop Editor/Gold Note Writer [C: 2413 W: 132 N: 6649] (20861)
  • [2008-05-12 7:09]

Hello Howard,
If you say that this flower of the Common Vetch isn't much to look at then you have taken a superb macro that shows it at its best in superb lighting and with great sharpness.
The POV and composition are excellent too.
TFS this beauty,
Regards, Ivan

Thanks also for your kind words on my G-V White image!

Hi Howard, splendid flower with fantastic colors, good details and great sharpness, I like a lot, ciao Silvio

  • Great 
  • arfer Gold Star Critiquer [C: 2726 W: 0 N: 0] (0)
  • [2008-05-16 22:08]

Hello Howard

It might be common but it is very beautiful looking at it through your perspective.
Wonderful attention to detail and texture.
The lighting has produced wonderful,vivid colours.
The POV is excellent.
Great macro work.
TFS

Rob

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