Hello folks. Long time, no see? It was a hectic week and there was lot of activity going around in town but worry not here is your weekly quota of lessons back in action. As a bonus, I have decided to go more practical rather than boring yet very much required lessons on the basics. Consider this a little advanced so please go through our earlier lessons in the section.
(This article also has a link to the Wishesh-special section of our articles. Go through them, read the interesting ones as you scout for the Camera-Wishesh articles.)
So photographing flowers, easy job. A cakewalk. Nothing can be easier. You are utterly wrong, ladies and gentlemen. Photographing flowers is an art that is tough to master. Your photos of flowers may all be technically correct and yet not have any amount of interest in them. Capturing details might be easy but there are too many details that a flower has. Which one to concentrate on?
Like always, look at an intuitive angle to picture flowers rather than just go with the over the head shot showing a flower like in an elementary school textbook. Try isolating a single flower or a tuft of flowers and do not hesitate to show a large field of flowers at once. Finally it comes down to your choice of including a large group of elements in the photo out of focus and your flower in focus or you may choose to fill the frame with just the flower.
Flower photography also has additional elements like the bees that come in for the nectar or butterflies for the same reason. Make them your subjects and try to find a balace in the colors. Eliminate distractions.
Photograph flowers but not compelete flowers at times to add drama. Again remember to eliminate distractions.
Take care how the flower is illuminated by natural light, try to use the natural light to your advantage. Capture details with the light or create silhouttes.
Dealing with distractions:
1. Most of them can be moved. Do try to move them without breaking any rules of the location though.
2. Find different angles.
3. Take a picture and crop it later to eliminate the disturbing elements.
4. Narrower the depth of field, more the concentration on your subject.
Creative Ideas
1. Not just fresh flower, dying or rotting flowers also make great subjects with lot of drama. Wilting flowers show sorrow better than any other subject.
2. Focus on the minutest detail that you can expect.
3. Instead of the flower itself try to photograph the geometry and the pattern of the flower for an abstract view.
Photography Tip of the day: Lighting is your most important weapon when you are trying to get tack sharp images.
(AW- Anil)
