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10 Techniques: Creative Floral Photography
Use
Back Lighting
Perhaps the most striking photographic technique for any type of
subject is back lighting. If the subject is translucent, such as
leaves on a tree, the colour and shape will be enriched by the high
contrast. Autumn leaves make a great subject when trying out this
technique. Use a telezoom lens to isolate an interesting clump of
leaves. A cameras exposure meter will usually take an average reading
of the light and dark areas in the image. It should be able to cope
with this and render the background very dark, however you may need
to use your cameras exposure compensation to underexpose the image
between half to a full stop if the subject is slightly too bright.
This will also add colour saturation to the subject.
Panning
A technique often used with moving subjects can also be used for
static ones. It may seem like a strange technique to use for wildlife
photography nut panning can produce some great results. For the
best effects, find a colourful subject set against a contrasting
background. The contrast in colours is essential to provide plenty
of impact. When composing your picture, remember to allow room for
an area around the subject as this may well be included in the final
image as the camera pans. Select a shutter speed around 1/8th second
to begin with, pan the camera in a downwards or sideways action
and, as you do, press the shutter release to take the picture. This
will blur the subject and also the background. Whether you are shooting
film or digital, take several pictures as they will all be different
and one will always be better than the others!
Freeze
Your Subject
Floral subjects such as leaves and flower heads covered in frost
or trapped in icy puddles make great images. However, if you don’t
want nature to take its course, you can always create your own frozen
still life. Just find a colourful selection of flowers or leaves,
place them in a small plastic dish full of water and put it in the
freezer overnight. By morning they’ll be trapped in a block
of ice ready to be photographed. The compositions of the photograph
is made when arranging the subject in water so take your time to
get this right. To add interest, scratch the surface with sandpaper
or drop hot water over the ice to remove ice crystals and crack
the ice slightly. Set up your camera equipment prior to removing
the ice from the freezer as it thaws surprisingly quickly.
Use
A Slow Shutter Speed
On a windy day, creative photography can be had by generally not
doing much in the creative department. Simply mount the camera on
a tripod, select an interesting subject which is blowing freely
in the wind and shoot away. The shutter speed you require will depend
on the strength of the wind. In very strong winds, 1/8th to ¼
second should be enough, but if there’s just a light breeze,
you may need an exposure of 1 to 2 seconds. The key is not to overdo
it – too much movement and the subject will just be a smudge
of colour with no shape. It’s another technique where lots
of pictures are essential as the results will vary considerably.
Soft
Focus
The technique of soft focus will add a dreamy feel to your pictures,
especially if they are backlit or set on a dark background, so the
soft focus creates a halo effect around the subject. The easiest
way to do this is by using a purpose made soft focus or diffusion
filter. Alternatively, create your own by breathing on the front
element of the lens or using the multiple exposure technique as
mentioned earlier.
Multiple
Exposures
A great technique to try with colourful flowers and foliage, this
is where several pictures are recorded on the same frame, creating
a montage of overlapping images. A popular technique is to record
two exposures at the same time, one sharply exposed and the other
slightly out of focus, creating a dreamy soft focus effect. Another
technique is to photograph the same subject 3, 4 or 5 times, creating
a montage effect. When taking multiple exposures, it’s important
to underexpose each image as the frame is being exposed to light
for a longer period than it would normally. The amount of underexposure
depends on haw many images you plan to take. The general rule for
exposure is as follows:
-2 exposures underexpose by
1 stop
-3 exposures underexpose by
1.5 stops
-4 exposures underexpose by
2 stops
-5 exposures underexpose by
2.25 stops
-6 exposures underexpose by
2.5 stops
Add
Water Droplets
Raindrops, dew and condensation add interest to close-ups of flowers
and leaves, so early morning or after a rain shower tends to be
a good time to photograph them outdoors. It is also possible to
add your own water drops using a spray bottle if necessary. Side
lighting is the most effective way to highlight water droplets,
a torch or reflector can be used to control the direction of light
quite easily.
Use
Vaseline
By placing a tiny amount of Vaseline on an old skylight or UV filter
and placing that in front of the lens, a soft focus effect can be
created like no other purpose built soft focus filter can. By smudging
the Vaseline in different directions and over different areas of
the filter, completely different effects can be created. Don’t
put the Vaseline directly on the lens as this could permanently
damage the front element.
Reflections
An alternative way to photograph vivid colours is by looking for
abstract reflections in water. Tree-lined rivers and streams, lakes
and ponds can be a great source for reflections. The best results
are to be had in bright, sunny conditions as this creates strong
colour and contrast. Use a telezoom lens to home in on the most
colourful reflections and remember to focus on the reflection itself
rather than the water. Don’t worry if there’s a breeze
ruffling the surface of the water - this will break up the reflection
so your pictures become abstract rather than realistic.
Go
Ultra-Wide
Small subjects tend to be photographed close-up. For creative photography,
however, ultra-wide angle lenses can give a unique perspective.
Get down really low – the lower the better – so that
the subject close to the camera appears large in the foreground
but the background is tiny by comparison. It is perhaps harder to
photograph with ultra-wide angle lenses as the area included in
the photograph is so vast. When composing the photograph, pay as
much attention to the background as you do the foreground.
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