Close-up Photography PHOTO TIPS

                                                                                              by Greg Allikas

 

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