By Marwan El Hassan.
Macro photography is my ultimate passion, my addiction, and my drive in life. I take all my time to slowly savor every moment when I take photos like this one. I shot this daisy in the botanic gardens in Canberra. Daisies are among my favorite subjects. I love the texture of this particular flower. It talks to me, and it invites to think of the non-ending layers that go deeper and deeper inside the flower. I was lucky that day without any wind (a rare thing in Canberra), so I used only a reflector and natural light. Most often, if I can, I prefer to shoot flowers without using a flash, to maintain the natural look and color. This photo to me has a hint of Zen feeling, with the middle of the flower serving as a point of concentration and meditation. To me at least, the whole process of shooting, processing and looking at this photo is indeed a very meditative experience. My hope is to convey the same perception and feelings to other viewers.
Serenity. By Marwan El Hassan.
Nikon D610; Micro Nikkor 105mm f/2.8 lens; 1/125 at f/7.1; ISO 200
Don’s response
Imagine if photographer Marwan El Hassan had used focus-stacking to obtain complete foreground to background sharpness for her aptly titled study ‘Serenity’. It really wouldn’t have worked would it?
The very shallow plane of focus perfectly aligned with the centre of the flower is just exactly right.
The star-shaped arrangment of the petals, surrounded by the green circle and corona of mauve and cream petals is like a natural mandala. You can easily imagine meditating upon it for hours. Quietly lovely.
