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Every spring, for a few days only, the grounds in front of the parish church of St Mary in my home town of Mold, North Wales becomes a riot of colour as blossom bursts forth.
Every year I photograph this event, hoping for the right light to bring out the loveliness of the scene.
Not as straightforward as you might think.
Lighing too dull and the scene looks flat and uninteresting.
Lighting too bright and the delicate colours and texture of the blossom is lost in a sea of extreme highlights and shadows.
For this scene the 'Goldilocks' (not too dull, not too bright - just right!) lighting is with the sun shining through a light haze of cloud, providing a delicately directional light but with the harshness of full on sunlight tempered back to preserve details in that lovely blossom.
Finally, in the spring of 2017 I was on-site during the half hour or so that the light was just as I wanted it, so I took full advantage with a bevy of photos of the church and blossom from various directions and angles.
This image was taken in the church grounds, and has a slight air of mystery to it with an old wooden door set into the sandstone wall overhung with blossom, leading who knows where?
Filename - church blossom 02.jpg
Camera - Canon 6D
Lens - 24-105mm zoom @ 84mm
Exposure - 1/50 sec @ f11, ISO400
Filters - Polarising filter used to reduce glare and enhance colours.
Location - St Mary's parish church, Mold, North Wales
This image - 533x800px JPEG
Conversion - Adobe Lightroom and Photoshop
Comments - Handheld exposure with image stabilisation
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