(Translated from the original article on July 04, 2023)
Hello, this is Inaba.
When I think of flowers during the rainy season, I think of hydrangeas. Instead of going to popular places for hydrangeas, you can often find beautiful hydrangeas in residential areas. This time, I photographed hydrangeas in my neighborhood using various composition options.
GR III Av mode F2.8 SS1/60 ISO100 EV0.0 AWB Standard JPEG Modulated and Cropped
I set the shading to a high level to make the hydrangea flowers stand out. The light colors of the flowers were a bit muted with the default settings, so I increased the saturation later in the in-camera development process. Among the hydrangeas, I especially like the lacecap hydrangea because of the cute little grains in the center.
GR III Av mode F2.8 SS1/30 ISO2500 EV0.0 AWB Vivid JPEG Modulated
I found this hydrangea blooming in a dimly lit corner of the park. Since the flowers were a little brighter, I set the exposure to them. Although the image came out quite dark with shadows, I think I was able to capture them as if they were floating in the air.
GR III Av mode F2.8 SS1/30 ISO800 EV0.0 AWB Vivid JPEG Modulated
Another typical snapshot taken in a residential area. I took this shot because the colors of the hydrangea matched the colors of the setting sun through the clouds in the distance. With the spherical bokeh of the street lamps as an accent, I think I was able to express the hydrangea blooming in a residential area.
GR III Av mode F2.8 SS1/200 ISO400 EV0.0 AWB Standard JPEG Modulated
As you can see, I really like lacecap hydrangeas. This was taken in macro mode. Actually, the picture was taken in the horizontal position, but I thought it would look better in the vertical position, so I rotated it in the camera. With the small grainy flowers well resolved, it is a shot that can be enjoyed even at close range.
GR III Av mode F2.8 SS1/200 ISO400 EV0.0 AWB Standard JPEG Modulated
The last shot is the one I took after the rain, as it was during the rainy season. I tried to get very close to the flowers using macro to capture the water droplets. The shading may be a bit too much, but I think it brings out the shine of the water droplets well. The blur of the hydrangea in the background also came out well.
I published an article about cherry blossoms in spring (see here). It is good to take time to photograph flowers in every season. So, sunflowers are next?
The hydrangea season is almost over. I hope you will try to photograph them as well.
See you soon!
(Inaba)
