Flora & Macro Gallery - Image of the Year

In autumn, I like wandering in the woodlands looking for amazing subjects like mushrooms. When I find one of them I try to free my imagination, walking around my mushroom, thinking which is the best technique I can use to do stunning shots. In this case I decided to simulate a raining day at sunset with warm light of the sun into my subject. I prepared the set by first putting the D300 on my tripod, one flash behind the subject with warm filter, one for the background and another one in front of it. In the left side I put a reflecting panel for opening shadows. The flash behind had to illuminate the “rain and the mushroom.” Each of my three SB-800 flashes was equipped with a radio receiver in M mode, and I had another radio commander for shutter. The really difficult aspect has been finding the right size of the falling drops with my self made spray device. I tried for ten minutes with minimal regulations before to find the drop size I wanted. The satisfation has been great!! This shot was taken in Aveto valley, a beautiful place just an hour by car from my house.

Equipment Used: Nikon D300, Micro Nikkor 200mm f4 at f/4.2, 1/20 sec, ISO 200.

About the Photographer: I started to photograph in 2006 with basic course, advanced course, and macrophotography workshops that gave me the knowledge to become a nature photographer. Before go to photograph, I study my subjects for weeks. My preferred subjects are amphibians, reptiles, high altitude flowers, mushrooms and insects. In these last two years I’m looking for and exploring a lot of abandoned mines near I live, in Graveglia Valley, I’m preparing several Naturals Photographic Reports about these fascinating places!

Since 2009 you can see my nature adventures on my web site www.claudiopia.it.