123 | up close

 As I start this post I am waiting for the light to fade, the wind is howling outside and holding an umbrella and a camera is going to be problematic. I still need to invest in a sturdy tripod - so I will be shooting indoors again tonight. I could take the same picture in daylight or just switch on the lights in my apartment, but I won't because there is something about the way a long exposure in the near darkness has a certain richness to it that I like. Tonight I want to get closer and I have a perfectly formed tulip that is just opening. I have focused the camera and taken a few test shots while it was light to get the kind of precision focusing that I want.

I am also going to try white balancing with a grey card (the Whibal card) just to see how that turns out. It works great during the day - when I remember to have it with me but I have no idea whether it is useful with street lighting.

This is a 5 minute exposure shot in near darkness. The Whibal card did a pretty good job of removing the colour cast of the street lighting although I did need to warm it up a bit. Same processing as yesterday.