focal length: 105 mm
shutter speed: 1/160
aperture: f/8.0
ISO: 1250
flash: none

I entered this photo in Aimee’s Greeblepix for January. I like the angle, something I don’t usually do, and the cute little green leaves that look like they’ve been dipped in ice crystals. I got up before the baby a couple mornings ago, looked at the frost covered ground outside, swapped my usual lens for my macro and headed outside to see what I could find. This little half alive, half dying twig was wedged up against my front step among a family of weeds and grasses that are growing where they shouldn’t be growing. That day, I didn’t mind them so much and was intrigued to find these adorable little leaves that are smaller than my pinky nail.

Because they are so tiny and I was so close to them, I had to use a small aperture to widen my depth of field. f/8.0 was decent but that also meant I was letting less light in, which caused me to increase the ISO to 1250. I can’t remember if I had the vibration reduction (VR) on but I think my shutter speed of 1/160 should’ve been fast enough for this focal length. Shooting in manual mode keeps me thinking constantly about how each setting affects the other. It’s a good exercise for my mind.

What are your thought processes when you shoot?

Laura is a Vancouver wedding and portrait photographer. Visit laurahana.com.