Greg Molyneux Photography

New Jersey landscape and nature photography

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On Dark Matters of Contrast

April 24, 2020 by Greg Molyneux

100mm macro photo of daffodil stems in abstract low key black and white processing.

On Dark Matters of Contrast — 100mm | f/3.5 | ISO 100 | EXP 1/50

Black, white, and all the shades of gray coloring the in between. Mix in a dash of soft focus and toss with a hit of certainty in a cauldron of abstraction and you have yourself a recipe for creation. While it may not jive with many folks, I love this kind of photograph; varied shades of grayscale values distilled down to abstract forms painting with light and movement.

In this photograph I am making creative use of daffodil stems. Photographed at close range, a distance of about 15 inches, with a 100mm macro lens with an f/3.5 aperture. This arrangement allowed me to execute a shallow depth of field, juxtaposing the foreground of focused daffodil stems flowing free while rendering plenty of bokeh across the photo’s blurred background.

When I look upon this photo my mind sees the flowing movement of long grasses underwater. Submerged and swaying with the rush of the tide. It’s a balanced fluid motion, a soft rocking back and forth carrying us away to far off places. Relaxing spaces full of soft beds, kind hearts, and unbridled hope. Just because a thing is void of color does not mean it is void of life, energy, complexity, and passion. Let this be a lesson in all things.

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Filed Under: Blog Tagged With: 100mm abstract black and white bokeh daffodil film noir flowers low key macro soft focus

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Photos from the archives

A late afternoon macro photograph of a newly blooming quick fire hydrangea. The fresh tender white buds are just set to pop with a soft focus settling around the two open flowers.
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Square format HDR photograph of marsh grass and lake at blue hour
Sunset photograph of frozen bay ice locking in marina posts
Sunset photo burns over summer salt marsh.

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