Waterlily Gala
Florida

20×24″ prints are $1,500
30×40″ prints are $3,000

While Ruth and I were on our 1987 five month photo trip we found ourselves in the south east part of Florida in October. Almost every day we camped out with a small tent, sleeping on the ground. When I got up in this morning I went for a stroll in the area around our campground.

I happened to come across this nearby pond that was filled with wild waterlily leaves that had changed colors in the fall. The water was natural black due to the tannins in the stream water. Hustling back to camp I brought back the 8×10 camera, tripod and the three lenses we used on that trip: a 305mm G-Clarion, a 450mm Nikkor M and a 24” Red Dot Artar.

The 305mm lens was the choice for this photograph and I used the back tilt to bring the plane of focus into alignment with the water. When the back tilt is used it has the effect of slightly stretching the bottom of the image which in this case improved the composition. I made one exposure at f/22 for one second on Fujichrome 50 film.

The film languished in my darkroom for 26 years until I printed it in 2013. The image is incredibly sharp and the 30×40 prints have an amazing level of fine detail resolution. Adjusting the overall color balance is surprisingly touchy due to the multiple opposite colors in play. For me, the Cibachrome prints convey the surprise and wonder I found on my quiet walk that peaceful October morning.