Motif: "My Turning Point" - #1

I thought that letting you guys create your own motif for this week would be neat and kind of fun for everyone.
Thing is, ........ I had no idea what I could do for a motif! :roll:

I was moving along through all of the images that I had, both new ones and old ones, and trying to figure out what I could show for this motif.
I thought that maybe I could show those images that I have created since switching over to digital, those that captured my attention and my imagination and really got the creative juices flowing, always looking for something new and different and those that I just may not have attempted if still shooting film.

Shooting digital has allowed me a little more freedom, letting me get by with some of those extreme experiments that I enjoy doing, and experimenting is so important to me!
From using the older zoom lens with a diopter, the reversed 50mm macro attached to the 100mm macro, to using paper plates and mirrors for lighting, I have enjoyed them all.
Also, I have found myself looking for more unusual compositions that still appeals to my eyes, and to have a background that has as much of an impact as the main subject.

Digital has allowed me to get to that turning point that I have longed for in photography, where I now seek the more dramatic and beautiful light, the unusual compositions, and those much sought after details in the world of macro.

The shots that I will show over the next 6 days, many of you have already seen.
Hope you don't mind me showing them again.
This shot with the Canon Rebel allowed me to shoot and to view what I was coming up with as far as the depth was concerned.
I really wanted to show a smooth yet colorful background and with the one highlight only showing that was coming from some moisture on the tall grasses. I tried to get it to look like something similar to a sun, and to keep it in that same plane of soft focus as the rest of the background. Then, the two strands of grass leading out to the right to show more detail but still have a smooth/blended feel to it. Then of course, the stem with the spent seed head with detail. Using digital allowed me to get it just like I wanted it, without much fuss.

While getting just what I wanted as far as the depth and the composition, I played with the lighting.
I used one reflector but needed another one. I left the second one at home. (I'm good at doing stuff like that!)
Although I had used them before, this was the first time that I used "paper plates" so extensively for my reflected light.
I placed the larger reflector right below the lens, and attached two paper plates to Wimberly plamps, placing those plates on each side of what you see here, right out of view of the lens.
To add just a bit more light to the seed head, I used a small mirror to direct a bit of a spotlight right onto the seed head. Works well when you want to add some punch to a certain area.
And of course, the late evening sun coming from behind the scene really helped.

Canon Rebel 300D
Canon 75-300mm lens
Tripod, 3 reflectors, 1 mirror
1/400 sec. @ f5.6
ISO 400

Again, I do not know if I would have attempted "so much" as I did here while shooting with film. Probably would have, and probably would have been only half as excited with the outcome as I am with what you see right here.

My turning point in photography happened in 2004.
Man, ............. I am truly excited with what I have learned and the images created in the past year, but I am more excited than ever with what I am feeling inside!

The shot that I will post tomorrow and in the coming days will not have as much writing within the post as I have written here, but will show you some things that are different and has me very excited about what is ahead.

Enough rambling!
Thanks for looking and listening gang. Hope you like them!
Mike