The Smiling Droplet!

Photographs of plants and flowers shot early in the morning or just after a shower of rain take on a special quality. The droplets that cling to their surface contribute considerably to the overall beauty of the frame.

Recently one evening I had a couple of hours to kill and I decided to pull out the camera and experiment with the ‘water droplets on a leaf’ theme.

This was one of the first few images that I got.

The stretched, membrane-like quality that the surface tension of the water imparts to its surface as it defies gravity to maintain its shape can be seen in the central droplet. ( This can be better appreciated by clicking on the image and viewing it in full resolution.)

The fact that the image managed to capture texture of the water’s surface earned it a place in my ‘favorite images’ folder.

It was late evening and the light was fading.

Attempts to retake more images became increasingly difficult. The flutter of the leaf in the slight breeze resulted in a loss of sharpness when taken at slower shutter speeds.

So out came the flash and, in an attempt to bounce the flash beam, I directed it against a sheet of white A4 sized paper which I held a couple of feet away.

This was the result.

You can clearly see the reflection of the sheet of paper and my fingers in the droplets!

My first impression on seeing the results: Hell, I screwed up the shot!

My next thought: Let’s try to make the best of a bad situation.

(Well, actually it was: When rape is inevitable try and lie back and make the best of it.

But considering the recent spate of despicable events in this part of the world, I felt it was inappropriate and went for the less controversial option.)

Be that as it may, I made a few modifications to the sheet of paper and retook the shot.

This was the result…

…And, for a completely different reason, added yet another image to my ‘favourite images’ folder!