Hurrah for Spring!

It's finally spring in Wisconsin after a very long winter with lots of snow and cold days.  It truly did seem like spring would never get here.  And, compared to other years, the typical harbingers of spring for me, Cardinals and Trilliums (to mention a few), took a little longer to show up.  I can't express how excited I was to see signs of spring.  It's been an incredibly long winter (although winter has it's own incredible beauty), with lots of yearning for spring.

We have a small Trillium patch between our yard and our neighbors.  It's a small patch and the flowers are only in prime condition for only a day or two.  I don't know why but there is something that renews me each year when I see Trilliums.  It's something special.  Causes me to think of spring.  The fragility of the flowers causes me to appreciate their brief appearance even more.  And, perhaps because when I was younger, it was an endangered species, so something that was special and especially fragile. 

So, today, I had a wonderful half hour of photographing Trilliums next to my house.  Here is one of the photos.  This is exactly as I took the photo; NO editing.  And so importantly is what I learned while I took the photo.  This goes beyond the technical aspects, but captures the "soul" of your intent.

PAD May 10 Trillium in our yard

Technical stuff:

I shot this in manual mode on my Canon 5DM3 on a tripod with my Canon 180 macro lens.  I overexposed a bit to bring out the whites and the associated detail.

Now, the important stuff.....the stuff filled with intention and reflection......

What I learned:

• Paying attention to the cues and clues that spring was coming.  I was walking a couple of days ago and I predicted when I thought the Trillium would be at its peak.  Previous years taught me what to look for....what plants flowered first, what birds would be coming to our feeders, and a feeling for the right number of days when the temperature was warm enough.  It's not looking at a date on the calendar.  It's looking at the signals and the succession that occurs going from winter to spring that are the best indicators.
• Knowing my camera and the lenses that I have.  In my mind, I wanted a very pure white, clearing showing the detail of the flower.  Using my tripod, shooting in manual mode, and overexposing a bit gave me the white look
• Paying attention to my depth of field and having enough separation of the "subject" from the background. 
• Looking for a day that had even lighting vs strong shadows and highlights.  I wanted to "show off" the flower.  A day earlier I took some pictures in harsh light with lots of shadows and highlights to manage. No matter what I did, I couldn't find a pleasing image unless I used an umbrella to shade the harsh light.
• The joy I felt when I took the photos.  I was in a zone where my whole being was concentrated on getting an image that represented an image I had pre-visioned.  And having the patience to get the "right image" for me at that time and in that space.