The Hanging Seeds
Before / After
Explanation
What makes this image work is the balance between contrast and placement.
The subject sits slightly lower in the frame, giving it weight and immediately pulling the eye in.
Because everything around it is dark, the eye naturally stays on the subject.
The blue bokeh in the background adds just enough interest, especially around the branch, without distracting from the seeds.
The warm tones of the subject against the cooler blue background create a clean separation and help the image feel more dimensional.
The subject sits slightly lower in the frame, giving it weight and immediately pulling the eye in.
Because everything around it is dark, the eye naturally stays on the subject.
The blue bokeh in the background adds just enough interest, especially around the branch, without distracting from the seeds.
The warm tones of the subject against the cooler blue background create a clean separation and help the image feel more dimensional.
Gear Used
– Adaptalux Flexible LED Lights
– Steel wool
– Blue LED light
– Steel wool
– Blue LED light
Settings
Camera: Canon R5
Lens: RF 100mm Macro
Aperture: f/2.8
Focus stacking: ~50 images
Lens: RF 100mm Macro
Aperture: f/2.8
Focus stacking: ~50 images
Breakdown
I started by framing the seeds so they felt suspended, keeping the composition simple and slightly weighted toward the bottom of the frame.
Since the background was already dark, I underexposed by about 2 stops to push it closer to black and give full control over the lighting.
I placed two lights on each side of the subject, slightly from behind, to reveal texture and create a subtle rim around the seeds.
I set the intensity of these lights first to make sure the subject looked right before building the background.
Then I placed steel wool about 4 inches behind the subject and introduced a blue light pointing directly into it.
This created the blue bokeh and added atmosphere without affecting the subject.
Because it was windy, I used a faster shutter speed (1/250s) and waited for moments when the wind died down before capturing the stack.
I shot at f/2.8 to get larger specular highlights and captured around 50 images with a very small focus increment to fully cover the subject.
Since the background was already dark, I underexposed by about 2 stops to push it closer to black and give full control over the lighting.
I placed two lights on each side of the subject, slightly from behind, to reveal texture and create a subtle rim around the seeds.
I set the intensity of these lights first to make sure the subject looked right before building the background.
Then I placed steel wool about 4 inches behind the subject and introduced a blue light pointing directly into it.
This created the blue bokeh and added atmosphere without affecting the subject.
Because it was windy, I used a faster shutter speed (1/250s) and waited for moments when the wind died down before capturing the stack.
I shot at f/2.8 to get larger specular highlights and captured around 50 images with a very small focus increment to fully cover the subject.
Quick Tip
If your subject is moving in the wind, either block it gently or wait for still moments… otherwise your focus stack won’t align properly.
Final Thoughts
Sometimes it’s not about finding something rare…
just something simple, and taking the time to bring it to life with light.
just something simple, and taking the time to bring it to life with light.
