PhotoNaturalist » Wildflowers

Evolution of a Nature Photograph

Vic Berardi — Tue, 29 Nov 2011 04:11:06 +0000

Fringed Gentian / Photo by Vic Berardi

Sometimes when you come across a subject, you immediately know how to photograph it and create a pleasing image. But, other times (and perhaps, most of the time), it takes some thought and experimenting to find that image you’re looking for. You start off with a basic shot, and continue tweaking or evolving it, until you eventually obtain that image you set out to create.

For example, one day earlier this fall, I set out to photograph one of my favorite fall wildflowers: the Fringed Gentian (Gentiana crinita). They’re generally found in open areas next to higher quality wetlands, and usually grow in clumps of a hundred or more flowering plants.

Photographing them can be challenging since their habit of growing in clumps can make it hard to isolate one or a few of them in an image. Nevertheless, the Fringed Gentian is a beautifully delicate wildflower that deserves the very best attention in depicting that very beauty and fragility.

The first location I chose had numerous plants: well over a hundred. I tried taking a few photos of grouped flowers, but didn’t get the image I was looking for:

Fringed Gentian / Photo by Vic Berardi

This photo is a typical point-and-shoot shot: properly exposed and acceptable sharpness given the limitations on depth-of-field. However, the lighting and composition are questionable. Your eye wanders around from flower to flower trying to get some meaning to the photo. And, the high contrast from the direct sunlight adds harshness where harshness is not characteristic of such a lovely wildflower.

So, next I tried to find an isolated flower with a good background. This was also tough, as you can see in this photo:

Fringed Gentian / Photo by Vic Berardi

This photo follows some of the guidelines of composition and is properly exposed with good sharpness. But, it still lacks intensity and only hints at the beauty of the flower.

Next, I tried a completely different angle, but with the same lighting conditions. I wanted to find the same isolated look and came across a suitable pair of gentians along the trail. I decided to try and photograph this pair straight on, but they were only about 10 inches tall, so I needed to remove the center post on my tripod to get it very low to the ground.

My first attempt produced this photograph:

Fringed Gentian / Photo by Vic Berardi

This shot was taken with my Canon 60D, Canon 300mm f/4 lens with a 12.5mm extension tube, and shot at ISO 200, f/11, 1/100 second.

But, this photo has a distracting background, and too much direct sunlight.

So, I decided to move in a little closer (about a foot or so), to decrease depth of field and get that background a little more out of focus. I used my camera’s depth of field preview button to help determine when I got close enough.

To battle the direct sunlight, I decided to try and add some light by using my Canon 580EX flash unit with a soft box attached to diffuse the harsh flash lighting. I set my flash to a minus 3 EV.

Here’s the photo I got after making these two changes:

Fringed Gentian / Photo by Vic Berardi

This photo shows a much better background along with subtle lighting of the underneath parts of the flower. But, I still wasn’t satisfied with the result. After spending close to five hours photographing this species of flower, I still did not capture the delicacy and beauty these flowers hold in my mind.

As I was thinking of what to do next with the available circumstances and the minimal amount of equipment I carried into the field, I noticed that some very scattered thick cumulus clouds were moving in overhead. Typically, cloud cover creates great lighting for flower photography, but these clouds were thick and blocked out most of the sunlight which would require longer shutter speeds and wouldn’t allow me to use the smaller aperture I needed for depth-of-field. There was also a slight breeze and so I had to wait for that precise moment when the flowers would not wave back and forth to allow for my 1/100 second shutter speed.

What I decided to do was try a shot with my flash at minus 1 EV the moment one of these clouds passed over the flower, darkening almost everything. I fired the shot, looked in my viewfinder and finally saw the image I was trying to get all day!

Fringed Gentian / Photo by Vic Berardi

So, the lesson here is: sometimes it takes some experimenting to get that image you’re looking for. You might start with something basic, but then as you continually make small adjustments, the image will eventually evolve into your original vision.

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About the Author: Vic Berardi is a raptor lover that lives in the Midwest. He is the founder of the Illinois Beach State Park Hawk Watch and every weekend of the year you’ll find him searching for hawks and photographing them. Several of his photographs have been published in a leading raptor journal and in articles he has written. During the year he gives presentations teaching others about hawks and hawk migration. Vic also photographs dragonflies and wild flowers and is always respectful of nature and its creatures.

When NOT to Use Lens Stabilization

Steve Berardi — Wed, 07 Sep 2011 01:18:52 +0000

Many camera lenses come with some kind of lens stabilization technology. It’s usually called something different by every camera manufacturer (e.g. Nikon calls it “vibration reduction” and Canon calls it “image stabilization”), but they all have the same goal: helping to stabilize your lens.

It works great for those times when you’re forced to hand-hold your camera, but you should always make sure to turn it off when your camera is on a tripod.

The stabilization technology works by unlocking part of your lens, which allows the lens to “correct” movements. But, when your camera is sitting still on a tripod, the stabilizer will often look for movement that isn’t there, resulting in a blurry photo.

To illustrate this, take a look at the two photos I shot below. For both shots, my camera was locked onto a stable tripod. In the image on the left, I had the lens stabilization turned OFF. And, then I simply turned it ON for the image on the right.

Both photos above were taken with the same camera, lens, and tripod. The camera’s position did not move between the shots, and the aperture/shutter speed/ISO also stayed the same. The only difference between the two photos is that lens stabilization was turned ON in the photo on the right.

Interestingly, as I shot more photos with the lens stabilization turned ON (and the camera still in the same position locked on a tripod), the images got sharper with each shot. So, it seems like this particular lens was able to “learn” that the camera was on a tripod. But, every lens works differently, so it’s not safe to assume ALL lens stabilization works like this.

Some lenses claim to have the ability to always detect when your camera is on a tripod (and it’ll turn off the stabilization automatically), but I wouldn’t recommend relying on that feature. I’m sure that detection isn’t always 100% accurate (just like your autofocus isn’t always 100% accurate).

Plus, image stabilization uses up your battery. So, keeping it turned off will let you take more photos or shoot more video on one charge.

Btw, the text in the photos above is from the side of one of my favorite photography books: Ansel Adams In The National Parks.

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About the Author: Steve Berardi is a naturalist, photographer, computer scientist, and founder of PhotoNaturalist. You can usually find him hiking in the beautiful mountains and deserts of Southern California.

How Perspective Affects Your Photos

Steve Berardi — Wed, 24 Aug 2011 02:01:05 +0000

Ansel Adams once said, “A good photograph is knowing where to stand.” But, before you know where to stand, it’s important to understand a few concepts about perspective.

I’ve written about perspective here on PhotoNaturalist a few times, but I’ve also written a couple posts about it over at the Digital Photography School (a great blog that covers all types of photography). And, one of those posts was just published today, so I thought it’d be good to put a list together of all the posts I’ve written about perspective:

Sometimes Close-ups Are Better From Far Away – with an example that shows how you get more control of your background if you move farther away from your subject.

Why You Need a Telephoto Lens for Landscape Photography – with an example that shows how you can manipulate the relative sizes of objects in your image, and how those different sizes communicate different feelings.

Understanding Perspective and Focal Length – a short introduction to perspective, and an overview of what types of lenses are generally used to capture different perspectives.

How to Create Intimate Portraits of Nature – with an example of how the height of your camera affects the feeling of your photos.

3 Reasons to Photograph Wildlife at Eye Level – how perspective affects the feeling and background of your wildlife portraits.

Sometimes the View is Better From Above – how the height of your camera affects the feeling you communicate in landscape photographs.

And, for even more information about how perspective affects your photos, I highly recommend reading the chapter “Basic Image Management” in Ansel Adams’ great book, The Camera.

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5 Essential Tools For Closeup Photography

Steve Berardi — Thu, 04 Aug 2011 01:24:52 +0000

Photo by Steve Berardi

As nature photographers, we usually have to limit the amount of gear we carry (and that is certainly a good thing).

But, there’s always that list of “essential” items we bring on a hike, so here’s a little peek at what I carry in my bag when I know I’ll be doing some closeup photography:

#1 – Light Diffuser

Since you won’t always have the most ideal lighting conditions, it’s helpful to carry around some tools to help you control the light. A light diffuser will probably be the one you use the most, because they help balance the light on your subject. You can get a light diffuser at a camera store, or make your own out of a wire clothes hanger and a shower curtain.

#2 – Remote Shutter Release

The remote shutter release prevents you from touching your camera when you snap the photo. And, this is helpful because pressing a button on the camera will cause it to shake a little, and that could potentially result in a less sharp photo.

#3 – Extension Tubes

An extension tube is a hollow tube that attaches to the back of your lens. It allows your lens to focus much closer to your subject, which helps a lot with closeup photography because getting closer will help you fill the frame and get a more out-of-focus background (remember: depth of field decreases as you get closer to your subject).

#4 – Tripod

To ensure you get the sharpest photo possible, it’s important to keep your camera steady. And, nothing will do that better than a tripod. Yeah, they’re heavy and take a lot of time to setup, but you’ll be happy you used one when you’re back home admiring your super sharp photos

#5 – Bean bag or soft cloth

Some of the most interesting subjects in nature are found so low to the ground that a tripod won’t work. So, you’re only option is to rest the camera directly on the ground, but if there’s a bunch of rocks on the ground that could be a problem for your camera. To avoid scratching your camera, it’s helpful to carry around a beanbag or even just an extra bandana so you can rest your camera on it for those super low shots.

What did I miss?

Is there another tool or camera accessory that’s been invaluable to you for closeup photography? Please tell us about it by leaving a comment below! Thanks

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Quick Tip for Identifying Your Unknown Subjects

Steve Berardi — Wed, 27 Jul 2011 00:49:21 +0000

Photo by Steve Berardi

One of the most rewarding parts of nature photography is learning how to identify your subjects. When we place a name on something, it somehow makes us feel more connected to it.

When you first meet someone new, the first thing you tell them is your name.

And, so naturally, when we photograph something we haven’t seen before, we immediately want to know what it is.

But, it’s not always easy to identify your subjects. Sure, you probably know all the common birds and insects of your area, but what if you’re hiking down a trail and see this amazing looking butterfly for the first time?

Well, there’s one thing you can do that’ll make it A LOT easier to identify that butterfly later:

Take photos from lots of different angles

Sometimes all that separates one species from another is a little dot on their back somewhere. And, these key features that help identify your subject are not always visible in the most artistic pose of your subject.

So, when you stumble upon a new subject, take that artistic shot first, but then get some photos from different angles to help you identify your subject later. You won’t always have time to take these “ID photos” (especially if it’s a bird), but always make the effort if you can.

For example, when I first saw the dragonfly pictured above, I had no idea what it was. So, after taking that photo, I also took a shot from above:

Photo by Steve Berardi

This one isn’t very artistic or anything, but it was extremely helpful in identifying the dragonfly because it shows those darker spots on the dragonfly’s wings (see blue arrows). Lots of different dragonflies look similar from the side, so the only way to differentiate some of them is by their wings.

By the way, the dragonfly in the photos above is a female Flame Skimmer (Libellula saturata). I always see lots of males in the summer, but this was the first time I saw a female.

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3 Great Tripod Accessories

Steve Berardi — Thu, 23 Jun 2011 02:47:48 +0000

Sometimes it can be really annoying to get your tripod in the EXACT position you need it. Just when you think you’ve got it set, you lock in the ballhead, and realize your camera just moved down half an inch, which totally ruins your composition.

Well, luckily there are a few accessories that can help make your life easier: an L-bracket, a tripod collar, and a bubble level.

#1 – L-Bracket

The “L” bracket is a special kind of plate for your tripod head. It’s shaped like an “L” and allows you to put your camera in a vertical position, while still keeping it in the center of the three tripod legs (see photo above). With a standard plate, you have to tilt your camera to the side of the tripod if you want to shoot vertically.

It’s important to keep your camera in the center of those legs because that’s where the tripod can best support your camera. And, better support means sharper photos.

The L-bracket also gives you a few more inches of height when you’re shooting in portrait orientation. And, as I’m sure you know, a few inches can definitely matter in a composition.

L-brackets are really only helpful for shorter lenses though (less than 100mm), because longer lenses typically shift the camera’s center of gravity, so they require a special tripod collar (see item #2 below).

Not all tripod heads support L-Brackets, so check the website of your head’s manufacturer. And, the L-brackets are specific to each camera, so make sure you get one that fits!

#2 – Tripod Collar

Have you ever tried mounting your camera on your tripod with a big telephoto lens on it, and then noticed the camera shift down a few inches after locking in the ballhead?

It’s a common problem when using long telephoto lenses (200mm or longer), and it happens because with longer (and heavier) lenses attached to your camera, you’re shifting the camera’s center of gravity.

The best way to prevent this is to use a tripod collar made specifically for your lens. Sometimes these tripod collars come with a telephoto lens, but if you didn’t get one, check the manufacturer’s website. And, make sure you get one that’s made specifically for your lens, because different lenses are different sizes and have different centers of gravity.

#3 – Bubble Level

Your tripod will provide the strongest support when the weight of your camera is evenly distributed between all three legs. And, a bubble level will help tell you when your tripod is balanced like this.

On some tripods, these bubble levels are built-in, so look around for them first. But, if your tripod is missing one, then the manufacturer likely has one available as an accessory. (For example, my Gitzo tripod didn’t come with one built-in, but I got one for about $8 at B&H).

Getting your tripod completely level can definitely take awhile, so using a bubble-level is really only practical when you have time and when you need a really long exposure (like for night time photos).

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The Secret Ingredient to Good Nature Photos

Steve Berardi — Tue, 07 Jun 2011 23:33:32 +0000

Do you ever wish you could add something to your nature photos that would just magically make them all super awesome and fantastic?

Well, guess what? You can!

That secret ingredient is patience.

One of the hardest parts about photographing nature is that nature is filled with uncontrollable subjects.

That flower will grow where it feels like, not where you want it to grow (in front of a beautiful background).

That bird will perch where he or she feels like it, not where you want it to perch (in that perfect light).

That mountain is not moving–regardless of how much you want to put it in front of your favorite lake to create a nice reflection image.

So, the only way to deal with all this uncontrollable chaos is patience.

Here’s a few stories to help illustrate the importance of patience:

Bald Eagle in Flight

Photo by Steve Berardi

To get this photo of a bald eagle in flight, I had to stand in 5 degree weather for about two hours. Although there were a ton of eagles flying around, only occasionally did they fly close enough to photograph (filling at least 20% of the frame). I’d say for the two hours my dad and I were outside, I probably only had a minute or two of pressing the shutter. For the other 118 minutes, we just waited patiently for those birds to fly closer.

Silhouette of a Creosote Branch

Photo by Steve Berardi

To photograph this silhouette of a creosote bush, three things needed to happen: a good sunrise or sunset, low wind, and I needed to find a good branch to photograph.

In the desert, good sunrises and sunsets are pretty common, so that wasn’t much of a problem. But, it’s usually pretty windy, and these creosote bushes really like to bounce in the air (even on the calmest of days), so I had to wait awhile for that calm day.

Lastly, I needed to find a good branch to photograph: one that pointed almost straight up and didn’t bunch up a lot in any part. Creosote branches tend to grow more parallel to the ground, so it took some time to find a nice branch like this.

Chocolate Lily

Photo by Steve Berardi

To get this photo of a Chocolate Lily, I spent hours looking for a flower with a great background (one that was far away and contrasted well with the brown flowers). And, then once I found this specific flower, I waited patiently for about 30 minutes until a cloud came in to block the sun and help balance the light on the flower.

What about you?

If you have a similar story to share about how patience played a big role in one of your photos, please share it with us by leaving a comment below.

Please post a link to your photo too, if possible. Thanks!

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New eBook on Wildflower Photography!

Steve Berardi — Mon, 07 Mar 2011 20:50:34 +0000

Today, I’m happy to announce that the new edition of my eBook on wildflower photography is now available.

The eBook is a complete guide to photographing wildflowers with a digital SLR. It will teach you how to take stunning photos of wildflowers, and how to post-process them in Adobe Photoshop (CS 4 or later and Elements 8 or later).

The first edition was released last spring, and this new edition has been completely revamped with new sections, more example photos, and updated content (based on feedback I received on the first edition).

Here’s a sneak peak of what you’ll learn in this 65-page eBook:

What equipment you need for photographing wildflowers

How to set up your shot to create pleasing compositions

How to choose the right aperture to ensure your flowers are in focus and tack sharp

How to find the perfect exposure by using tools like the RGB histogram

How to maximize sharpness by carefully positioning your camera (NEW for this Edition)

How different lighting conditions affect the look of flowers (NEW for this Edition)

How to create powerful compositions by using color theory (NEW for this Edition)

How to get more depth of field by using focus stacking (NEW for this Edition)

How to post-process your photos with Adobe Photoshop to reduce noise, increase contrast and saturation, make small adjustments to exposure, and make your images super sharp (tutorials apply to both Photoshop CS 4+ and Photoshop Elements 8+)

Learn by example with 12 example photos (five of them are new to this edition). Each example includes the camera settings that were used, as well as a complete story of how the image was made and post-processed in Photoshop.

Photos you’ll learn about in the book

Below are just some of the photographs you’ll learn about in this eBook. And, hopefully by the time you finish reading, you’ll be able to take photos like this too!

What readers have said about the book

“A must have for anyone venturing into flower photography. All sections are well explained, easy to understand and the photographs are excellent examples of these procedures.”
–Rolf Strickland

“This book leads you by the hand with a well chosen equipment list, well chosen examples and some advanced processes for progressing from ‘beginner’ to ‘pretty damned good’ in wildflower photography – all you need to do after reading this is … practice!”
–Shane Kelly / www.shanek54.co.uk

Buy the eBook now for just $14.95!

After paying, make sure you click the “Complete Purchase” button.

The eBook comes in the standard PDF format, which you can view with Adobe’s free Reader software. Feel free to print the eBook, but please do not redistribute copies.

If you experience any problems with payment or downloading the eBook, or would like a refund, please contact me and I’ll get back to you as soon as I can.

How to become an affiliate

If you’d like to tell your friends about this eBook and earn a 50% commission for any sales you refer, then please consider signing up as an affiliate. Here’s how it works:

Sign-up to be an affiliate seller through e-Junkie (the service I use to handle purchases).

You’ll earn a 50% commission on every sale you refer. I pay affiliates within the first week of each month via PayPal.

Feel free to use photos from the book to help with promotion (check out this set on Flickr for higher resolution versions). You may also use any of the banners below (or you can make your own from images in the ebook).

Consider writing a review about the eBook on your blog or share your thoughts on Facebook. But, please do not spam anyone about the book. Nobody likes spam!

If you have any questions, please feel free to contact me.

About the Author: Steve Berardi is a naturalist, photographer, computer scientist, and founder of PhotoNaturalist. You can usually find him hiking in the beautiful mountains and deserts of Southern California. His photographs have been used by Nature Photographer Magazine, the National Wildlife Federation, and the Sierra Club. He’s also written numerous articles for the Digital Photography School and PhotoYou Magazine.

Quick Tip for Getting Sharper Closeup Photos

Steve Berardi — Mon, 25 Oct 2010 02:01:23 +0000

Variegated Meadowhawk (female) / Photo by Steve Berardi

In a previous post, I explained a quick way you can get sharper photos by adjusting the “picture style” on your DSLR (if you’re shooting in JPEG). Well, another small way you can make your closeup photos appear sharper is by photographing your subject in front of a contrasting background.

The photo above is a good example. The dragonfly is pretty bright, but the background is much darker. This strong contrast of brightness helps emphasize the edges, making the outline of the dragonfly appear much sharper.

This is actually how most sharpening algorithms work in post-processing software: by increasing the contrast of brightness between edges it makes those edges stand out more and appear sharper. That’s why oversharpened images have those ugly halos.

Of course, you won’t always be able to do this, but it’s something to keep in mind when you’re photographing more common or controllable subjects (like plants or common insects), where you’ll probably find a lot of different backgrounds available.

But, remember: the sharpest photo isn’t always the best photo. Your creative vision always comes first!

P.S. You may remember me talking about the dragonfly pictured above in a previous post.. Last year I tried to get a shot of a female Variegated Meadowhawk, but failed because of a poor background. I had better luck this year though

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How to Photograph Wildflowers with Flash

Rob Neave — Tue, 05 Oct 2010 01:29:27 +0000

Blue Lechenaultia (Lechenaultia biloba) / Photo by Rob Neave

Note from Steve: This is a guest post written by Rob Neave, of Perth, Western Australia. In this post he talks about an interesting technique for photographing wildflowers with flash.

As always, if youʼre also interested in writing a guest post, please feel free to contact me. Thanks!
________

My state of Western Australia is wildflower central for the known universe. For years, I was entranced by their potential as photographic subjects, but could not figure out how to do it. Eventually I bought a book called “Field Photography” by Alfred A Blaker, which showed me how to get decent shots of wildflowers.

Although the techniques presented in Blaker’s book were originally written for film photography, I have been able to also apply them to digital photography and ETTL flash.

The photo above is an example of what you’ll be able to do with these techniques. The flowers in the photo are Blue Lechenaultia. This image shows the detail and depth of field (DOF) we can get with these techniques. It was shot at f/32 and 1/200 with flash.

This method of photographing wildflowers shares the same objectives as the method described in Steve’s book, but achieves them by a different route. We want photos that reflect the beauty of the flower in its natural state, while eliminating any distracting background clutter.

Advantages of this technique

Large depth of field
Suppressed background
Doesn’t always require a tripod
Independent of ambient lighting
Helps stop motion blurring of subject

Disadvantages

Needs some special equipment
Not much choice in background

Why use a close-up flash?

We need to get a flower subject to fill our frame to get as many useful pixels as possible recorded. When we photograph at high magnification (say 0.2 to 1.0), the depth of field becomes very small and we end up with part of the subject in focus and the rest a blur. The way to overcome this is to shoot with a small aperture. I use f/32 for the closest subjects and a bit wider for subjects further away.

To get enough light into the lens under these conditions, you need to illuminate the subject with flash. The ETTL process will calculate the exposure, and the ambient light will play no part at all.

What equipment do you need?

Single Lens Reflex (SLR) Camera. I have used this technique with film and digital SLRs, and even with a medium-format Mamiya camera. Compact “point and shoot” cameras usually don’t have small enough aperture settings.

Macro Lens. A macro lens is different from the “macro” setting on a zoom lens in that it provides up to lifesize magnification (also known as 1.0x). That means the image on the sensor or film is the same size as the subject. That’s the sort of magnification you need. Personally, I use the Canon 100mm macro lens.

Flash. Now what sort of flash? The key is to have enough power–more is better. Any regular flashgun with ETTL used with an off-camera cord will do the job, as it has far more power than a macro flash, but it’s a bit hard to handle. My choice was the Canon M24 EX macro flash, which has two little flash heads mounted on the front of the lens.

When choosing my flash, I suspected that the ring flash would not have enough power, although I have never tried one. If you do not have enough flash power, you will have to compensate by opening up the aperture. The M24 has the advantage of some separation distance between the flash heads, and the ability to set one brighter than the other. This helps avoid both too much “flatness” in the image, and harsh shadows.

Here’s a photo of the Canon M24 flash that I use:

Canon M24 Flash / Photo by Rob Neave

How to photograph the flower with flash

Set the camera’s shooting mode to Manual (usually marked with an “M”)
Set the aperture to the highest number available (usually f/22 or f/32)
Set the shutter speed to the fastest sync speed of your camera
Set your auto focus to center point only
Compose and focus. If your autofocus has problems, you may need to turn it off and get a sharp focus by moving the camera towards and away from the subject.
Fire a metering flash, choosing a light part of the subject. For the Lechenaultia shot above, I did the metering flash on the white part of the flower.
Final compose, focus, and shoot

When you use flash for a small subject, you almost always need to fire a metering flash, and it should be centred on the part of the subject that is closest to the flash or lightest in colour. This will give correct exposure. Otherwise, your unit will flash its little heart out trying to illuminate the far corners of the universe and your subject will be overexposed.

Remember that you are maximizing depth of field. So, crossing stems and other distractions that do not show up in the viewfinder with the lens wide open, will come out sharply when the lens stops down and if they’re within range of the flash. Sometimes it’s necessary to push some of them aside to get a clean image.

For larger subjects, you will have to get farther back and the flash will have to project farther. After you do the metering flash, your camera will tell you if your aperture is too small. Macro flashes are pretty weak, so it may be necessary to open the aperture a bit to compensate. This is not a big problem because, as you get further away from the subject, you do not need such a radically small aperture as depth of field naturally increases too.

As an example, here’s the setup I used for a larger subject, a Kangaroo Paw:

And here is the result, complete with crossing stems! I guess not every shot can be a winner.

Kangaroo Paw / Photo by Rob Neave

Do you need a tripod?

Many wildflowers grow pretty close to the ground, so a tripod can be both inconvenient and unnecessary for shooting them with this method. If you have your elbows on the ground, your camera is firmly enough supported. The same applies if you sit on the ground with your elbows on your knees.

Composing and focusing is easier without a tripod. Steve has emphasized the need to get down (and often, dirty) and look the subject in the face. He is right. For subjects above sitting height, a tripod is a big help. It is too easy for the shot to go out of focus if you are handholding the camera while standing or kneeling.

A Note on Post Processing…

Sometimes with this method you don’t always get a dark enough background, so try raising the black point with a Levels adjustment to further suppress the background.

Remember to “leave no trace”

All the flowers I photograph are growing in their natural location. None have been picked or relocated. It’s important to leave no trace while photographing wildflowers so others can enjoy them, and so they can return again next year!

In conclusion, I think this little cutie, Rusty Spider Orchid, Caladenia ferruginea illustrates the benefits of the method..

Rusty Spider Orchid / Photo by Rob Neave

If you like these shots, take a look at some more at my Western Australian Wildflowers Lightbox. Another good link is WANOSCG, horrible acronym, but great people and pictures, and the authority on wild orchids.

About the Author: Rob Neave lives in Perth, Western Australia. A keen photographer, he has specialised in imaging the local wildflowers for many years. He has many publication credits both for flower close-ups and for scenic shots. Rob has now retired from a career as an engineer building power stations, to spend more time on grand-parenting and photography.