An awkward cold got the better of me, so I decided to be wise for once and get some rest during the weekend. I did not go out to photograph, hence I present an image I shot some three weeks ago. Spoon-leafed Sundew (Drosera intermedia, Kleine Zonnedauw) are interesting little plants. Not only because of their meat-eating lifestyle, but also for the photographer. The sticky moisture on their leaves is always present, it has nothing to do with dew or rain. The fluid is used to catch insects and damselflies. With a macrolens, extension tubes and converters, you can obtain enormous magnification, and with the right kind of light, the droplets create wonderful shapes.
I played around with a single plant for an hour or so and tried to photograph it from every angle possible. A bit of backlight from a hazy sun appeared to be perfect, as the out of focus donuts then really come to life with a beautiful sparkle. Getting an interesting composition is not easy and the slightest movement of the lens gets you completely different results everytime. In the end, I settled on this composition, with nothing really in sharp focus, but just focussing on the shapes, forms and colors created by this little, inconspicious, plant.
Spoon-leafed Sundew; Canon 5D Mark II w. 150/2.8 macro, extension tube and EF 1.4x; 1/30s at F2.8 and ISO 400; handheld with elbow suport
