In Arkansas, mimosa trees may not be ubiquitous, but they are also not uncommon. Pretty much anywhere I go, I can find at least one such tree. And, the pink and white colors of its flowers can really make it stand out from its surroundings. I have photographed these trees several times over the years with little success, but I usually give it another try whenever I have the opportunity to do so.
I had spotted this mimosa tree a few weeks before when I had walked the trail. But, it was standing in bright sunlight that was less than ideal for creating a satisfactory image. I was also hot, tired, and ready to go home, so I just didn’t have the desire to try working the scene to find a shot.
Making my way back to my truck after photographing last week’s stand of reeds, I passed by the tree again. This time, it really caught my eye. The position of the sun was such that the tree was well lit, but the background was still in deep shade. I knew these lighting conditions were perfect for the type of image I wanted.
I set up the tripod, attached my 100-400mm lens to the camera, and composed the image. That’s when I noticed. . .the breeze. I hadn’t noticed it before, or, perhaps, I just hadn’t paid much attention to it earlier. But, with my lens set at 400mm, it was there, and it was definitely a problem.
My only choice to deal with the breeze and keep the blossoms sharp was to use a fast shutter speed, but I also needed to maintain sufficient depth of field. I set my shutter speed at 1/400 of a second and the aperture at f/10, which resulted in an ISO 5000. I knew the image would contain more digital noise than I would have wanted, but there was no other option.
When I opened the file on my computer, the noise was what I had expected. I made a few adjustments to enhance the contrast between the blossoms and the background. I then used Lightroom’s Noise Reduction slider to eliminate the noise. In some cases, reducing noise can also reduce the image’s fine detail, but Lightroom was able to get rid of the noise while maintaining the incredible detail in the blossoms.
After years of trying to photograph mimosa trees and having little success, I finally got a shot I’m quite pleased with.