PhotoNaturalist » Wildflowers

A Fun Way To Improve Your Wildflower Photography

Vic Berardi — Wed, 14 Mar 2012 02:26:01 +0000

Photo by Vic Berardi

As spring approaches and the dreary overcast days of winter are still upon us, we anxiously await going out in the field for some wildflower photography. But, while you’re waiting for those flowers to pop up, you can still do something to help you prepare for those wildflower photos.

Over the winter, I picked up several excellent flower photography books and a few showed some techniques for indoor photography. So, I thought, why not give this a try and see if I can apply what I learned to outdoor wildflower photography. I didn’t have any studio lighting, so I decided to experiment with what I already had.

In the photo above, you can see my setup: Canon 60D with a Canon 100mm f2.8 macro lens, a trigger release, a Gitzo GT2530 tripod with a Kirk BH-3 ballhead, and on the left is a chair with a colorful fabric draped over it to provide a background for the Phalaenopsis orchid in front of it. These orchids, which are native to much of southeast Asia, can be purchased at many garden centers, even some grocery stores. They provide a perfect subject for experimenting with new techniques.

There are also many other potted flowers you can try and many cut flowers make excellent subjects too. Cut flowers won’t last as long as a potted flower, but they’re also less expensive and available in a larger variety.

Back to my setup above, the only lighting here was provided through the kitchen windows. The sky outside was thinly overcast with glowing bright white light from the mid-afternoon sun. Snow was on the ground too, so overall there was an extremely bright and ideal diffused sunlight. Plus, it helped that the walls in my kitchen are also white and reflected this light over the entire room.

Another important element here is to have some choices in background. I went to a fabric store and bought several square samples of various colors and patterns. It’s important to know about the Color Wheel when selecting contrasting colors for your flower photography.

After some experimentation, here is the photo I created and converted directly from the RAW image with minor adjustments (levels adjustment and slight sharpening.) The camera settings were ISO 400, f/8 at 0.3 seconds.

Photo by Vic Berardi

Although this image is acceptable as is, I went further and applied the Orton Effect to it to bring out the colors more and give it that dreamy look. Here is the same photo with the Orton Effect applied:

Photo by Vic Berardi

Keep in mind, you (as the photographer) have to make the decision on what post processing to utilize and what message you want to send in your photos. More on the Orton Effect can be found from a quick Google search.

The single most important element is the aperture (f-stop) you use. The aperture is what you have to experiment with here and also the distance you have to work with the background. A limited space and overall size of the background have to be considered. As you can see from the setup image above, I had limited space. This is important because of the depth of field: you don’t want the background to overpower your image. It should enhance or complement it only. If your camera has a depth of field preview button, you can use it to see how the background looks at a particular aperture.

If the background becomes an issue, you have two choices that will alleviate the problem.

The first is to take very close shots that eliminate the background altogether. For this you’ll either need a true macro lens or use extension tubes. Cropping is also an option if it doesn’t jeopardize the overall quality of the photo.

Below is an example of a tight closeup of a tulip where the background isn’t a factor. Other than an overhead kitchen light, the only other lighting came from the setting sun as it came through the kitchen window. This sunlight coming at the flower at a right angle really made the bottom of the flower glow. The same camera/tripod setup mentioned above was used. Settings were ISO 100, f/32 at 13 seconds.

Photo by Vic Berardi

The second option you have is to use a black background. In the photo below, of a Sun Lily, I used a piece of black velvet, with the only light coming from an overhead incandescent kitchen light and diffused sunlight coming from the right side of the photo. Settings were the same as the previous photo; ISO 100, f/32 at 13 seconds.

Photo by Vic Berardi

As you can see, no artificial lighting other than an overhead kitchen light was used in these photos. Use of a flash unit may help with fill-light where contrast is an issue and also to achieve other effects. More on the use of flash will be covered in a future post

Perhaps the most rewarding thing about trying this technique is how much you’ll learn. Doing this indoors on a chilly late winter day with a pot of coffee nearby and no outside elements to contend with, offer a relaxed approach to learning more about lighting, depth of field, background and composition. Experimenting with these elements will make you a better wildflower photographer in the long run!

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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.

How to Win the Battle of Close-up Photography

Steve Berardi — Thu, 08 Mar 2012 04:02:40 +0000

Pitcher Sage / Photo by Steve Berardi

In close-up nature photography, there’s a constant battle of trying to find that perfect balance between a sharp subject and an out-of-focus background.

An out-of-focus background is essential to a good close-up photo, because it helps draw attention to your main subject.

But, it’s not always easy to get that nice background. Sometimes the background is just too close, or your subject has a lot of depth (forcing you to try a smaller aperture, which then puts more of the background in focus).

So, how do you deal with this constant battle? Well, here are a few ways:

#1 – Determine the most important part of the image

The first thing you should think about is the most important part of the image. You might think this would always be your main subject, but sometimes the background plays a larger role. Ask yourself what grabbed your attention about this particular flower or insect: did you see the background first? Or, perhaps your subject is extremely rare, so just getting any kind of photo of it is the most important thing.

#2 – Use the depth of field preview button

Once you’ve determined the most important part of your image, then you can start looking for that perfect aperture by using the depth of field preview button. When you set the aperture and then press this button, you can look through your viewfinder to see what the image will look like at that aperture. The button is usually located on the front of your camera, near the lens mount.

#3 – Don’t obsess over sharpness

Sometimes it’s really easy to focus too much on getting the sharpest image possible, because it’s one of the things you can immediately see in a photograph and there are simple rules to follow for getting sharper images. But, good composition is more important than sharpness. Don’t be afraid to sacrifice a little sharpness (by using a wider aperture or moving your camera closer), if it means a better composition.

#4 – Don’t be afraid to keep searching for a better subject

If you’ve tried photographing your subject from a bunch of different angles and apertures, and still can’t find a good balance between an out-of-focus background and a sharp subject, then you may just have to look for another subject. Don’t think of this as a failure, just remember that good nature photos take time.

What did I miss?

If you’ve found another way to help find that perfect balance between an out-of-focus background and a sharp subject, then please tell us about it by leaving a comment below. Thanks!

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

Free eBook on Wildflower Photography

Steve Berardi — Mon, 27 Feb 2012 21:53:04 +0000

With spring beginning here in the southwestern United States, I thought it was time to update our free ebook on wildflower photography. The original version was released about three years ago, so it was due for an update.

Most of the content is the same, but I’ve learned a lot in the last three years, so I’ve updated just about every page in the book, and replaced a few tips with newer articles.

Anyway, here’s a sneak peak of what you’ll learn in this ebook:

How to get perfect light
How to control the light
How to get sharper images
How to get a perfect exposure
How to get a perfect background
How to focus closer
How to make identification easier
How to battle the wind
How to create intimate images
How to leave no trace
How to sharpen your photos in Photoshop
How to darken the background in Photoshop
How to fix underexposed areas in Photoshop

So, what are you waiting for?

The eBook is in Adobe PDF format (which you can view with Adobe’s free reader).

If you enjoy the tips in this eBook, the best way to thank us is to tell your friends about it, or purchase our complete guide to photographing wildflowers

To celebrate the spring season, I’ve also decided to permanently reduce the price of my complete guide to wildflower photography. You can get the ebook now for just $12.00!

If you enjoyed this ebook, and would like receive more great tips on nature photography, then please signup for free updates by email or RSS.

Where to Get Precipitation Data

Steve Berardi — Wed, 08 Feb 2012 03:54:56 +0000

With spring just around the corner here in the southwestern United States, it’s time to start scouting out places for wildflowers. And, one of the best ways to do that is to look at winter precipitation data.

Precipitation isn’t the only thing that affects a good wildflower show, but it can usually be a strong indicator of where the good spots will be (especially in areas that receive little rain to begin with, such as the desert).

So, where do you find all this great precipitation data? Well, there’s two sources I’m relying on this spring:

#1 – National Weather Service (NWS)

The National Weather Service (NWS) has a helpful website where you can check out historical precipitation data. If you set the timeframe to “Archive: month/year” then you can see what the precipitation was like in a specific month. Then, in that “product” list, I usually click on “percent of normal” to pinpoint the areas that got the most precipitation (relative to what they normally get). To zoom in on an area, just click on the map. Unfortunately, you can’t zoom in very far.

As you can see from the image above, we didn’t get much precipitation in California this winter

#2 – Weather Underground

My favorite website for weather forecasts, Weather Underground, just added a new feature to their excellent WunderMaps webapp: the ability to see what the weather was like at any given day in the past (you can even compare different hours of the day). This is helpful because now you can easily track some of the big storms that occurred over the winter. And, in dry places like the desert, sometimes just one storm is enough to create a nice wildflower display.

What did I miss?

If you know of another great source for checking historical precipitation data (especially if you know of a site that lets you zoom in more than the NWS site), please tell us about it by leaving a comment below! Thanks