Although
flower photography is basic close-up photography, quality can
improve
with
the right technique and equipment.
Much
of the photography I do of our own orchids is done with digital
cameras these days.
The
advantage of being able to instantly preview the image on the
LCD is a definite
plus.
Post-exposure image editing gives me the opportunity to fine
tune an image
and
remove any distracting elements that cannot otherwise be
removed. Keep in
mind
that the principals for posing and lighting an orchid are the
same for both
film
and digital photography.
Today's
films are much improved over films of even ten years ago and 100
speed
films
are very sharp and fine-grained. Some slide films have enhanced
color
palettes
which produce inaccurate representation of subtle orchid colors.
I
prefer
the more neutral color balance of a file like Fuji Provia 100F
for
slides.
For print film films with speeds up to 400 can produce excellent
prints
up
to and beyond 8x10. These faster films generally have a less
saturated, more
natural
color balance and allow a faster shutter speed that will
mitigate
subject
or camera movement.
Below
you will find suggestions to improve the quality of your own
orchid
photos.
Point and shoot cameras are not very suitable for orchid
photography and will
only leave you feeling frustrated with your results. A
single lens reflex is
the proper tool.
You can't take beautiful photos of mediocre flowers. Look
at the blooms,
select only fully opened, flawless flowers.
Tie distracting elements out of picture, using masking
tape or twist tie.
Remove stakes or cut them short enough that they're out
of the picture area.
Lighting is a main ingredient of all good photography,
look for either window
light of good quality, bright open shade such as the
shady side of a building,
or modified flash. Avoid dense shade such as under a
tree.
A strobe (electronic flash) is a convenient, portable
light source, however
pictures can turn out harsh and contrasty. Try modifying
the light output by
diffusion or bounce (Strobe must be able to tilt up for
bounce.) A white
handerchief used to cover the flash lens with a
rubberband can substantially
improve light quality. A piece of white foamcore can be
easily fashioned into
a bounce reflector or you can buy one ready-made. Even a
white file card and
rubber band can be used for bounce flash.Click here to
see examples.
If shooting outdoors find sheltered location, out of
wind, to avoid flower
movement.
Use plain background of neutral color (poster board or
mat board is good).
Muted earth tones set off the flowers well without being
distracting. Try
colors like charcoal, olive green, brown, dull blue and
of course, black. If
using flash, place background at least 2 ft. behind
flowers to avoid shadows.
If you have designs on producing studio-quality flower
pictures but can't
quite justify the cost of studio lights here's a great
way to do it using a
couple of card tables and a white bedsheet.
If using auto-exposure and you have the choice; select
aperature priority and
use a small f.-stop (aperture setting) for maximum depth
of field. The larger
the f. number, the smaller the aperture. Keep in mind
that as you decrease the
aperture you will increase the exposure time. Unless you
have very steady
hands always use a tripod for exposures longer than 125th
sec. If your camera
has a self-timer use it to fire the shutter when using a
tripod to avoid
shake.
If using an auto focus camera, visually check focus
before shooting and
correct if necessary.
If shooting slide film, be sure to "bracket"
exposures, i.e., shoot at normal
exposure, 1 stop under exposed, and 1 stop over exposed.
When shooting color print film keep in mind that the lab
technicians don't
know what color your orchids are. It often helps to
include a familiar object
in the first frame of a sequence of pictures shot under
the same light...film
boxes work well.
Close-up lenses are an inexpensive way to focus closer.
They come in various
strengths, +1 to +4 and screw into a lens just like a
filter does.
Everybody loves a black background for flower
pictures...well almost
everybody. Here's a great way to make an isolation
background for isolating a
single flower.
Greg
Allikas
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