About this time every year, I look forward to the chives in my garden opening. This morning, as I walked around my pond with my morning coffee, I noticed that a beautiful clump of chives had opened. For the first time in several days, the wind has stopped and the morning light was perfect for some photography.

When I shoot flowers and the sun is perhaps a bit harsher than I'd like, I pull out a 5 in 1 diffusion panel. I place the panel as close to my subject as possible, too far away provides only shade. I want the panel to be the light source, the closer you move the panel to your subject the more of a light source the panel becomes.

Here is a quick set up photo of the diffusion panel in place. When I travel on business or vacation, I will always include a diffusion panel in my bag.

I have a Mentor Series Trek coming up this July. I'll be leading a trek to Newport Rhode Island, July 23-25th. I understand their are a few more space available, if your interested in joining me you can find more information HERE. I will also be in Maine at the Maine Media Workshops teaching a lighting workshop called "Lite & Compact Small Strobes on Location" Sept. 12-18th. More information regarding this workshop can be found at their web site.