Lessons with Paul #1

For my birthday, Andy arranged several photo lessons with Paul d’Andrea.  I really love his photography, so it is cools to be able to spend some time with him.  

His flower and nature photos are some of my favorite, so I thought we would start there.

There are so many variables, ISO ( light sensitivity) shutter speed, aperture, and exposure just for starters. To keep from being completely overwhelmed, Paul suggested I hold a few things constant.  These two images are part of a series where I experimented with finding the perfect balance of how close to stand, how much to zoom.  And playing with the aperture to bring the flowers really into focus and letting the background dissolve.

I have, on occasion created some beautiful effects quite by accident.  Now I have an idea how to do some of those things on purpose.