Spring flowers macro. Photographing spring flowers - tips and examples. The key to an interesting photograph is the right location and subject.
Macro photo of flowers from photographer Brian Valentine, who publishes his own online under the pseudonym Lord V, filmed by him in his own garden.
About the work of Brian Valentine
Briand lives in the town of Worthing, Sussex, on the south coast of Great Britain. A retired doctor of microbiology decided to take up photography and achieved considerable success. as you can see for yourself.
Macro photography is the main direction in the photographic work of Lord V. In his garden, he deliberately does not use any insecticides for a long time in order to have more interesting “models” for shooting. He started shooting macro photography in 2004 using a Canon 300D camera with a Sigma 105mm Ex macro lens. Later acquired Canon camera 20D and the best among macro lenses Canon MPE-65.
The pseudonym Lord V has its roots in the work of writer Terry Pratchett, who wrote the huge fantasy saga Discworld. One of his heroes, the brilliant patrician and mayor of the city of Ankh-Morpork, Lord Havelock Vetinari, delighted Brian Valentine so much that he decided to take the same nickname for himself online. Later, when too many Lords Vetinari appeared on the Internet with the growing popularity of Discworld, Briand decided to shorten his nickname to Lord V.
If you also decide take up macro photography, inspired macro photo Brian Valentine flowers, then you will need some useful tips on macro photography:
- use protective filters. At macro photography you often bring the camera very close to the subjects you are shooting. Flowers can leave their pollen on the lens lens, and insects, especially ants, can “spit” their juice into it, which can corrode the anti-reflective coating of the lens. These filters are inexpensive and can extend the life of your lens for many years.
- use a lens hood. Macro photography is best taken in sunny weather, when the objects being photographed can produce a lot of bright reflections. To avoid taking overexposed pictures, use a lens hood.
- pay attention to focus. When photographing insects at close range, a shallow depth of field is used. This is fraught with the fact that when there is a slight breeze or the movement of an insect, a “stir” appears in the frame, i.e. blurry image. Therefore, it is recommended to focus on stationary objects using manual focusing.
- Don't take pictures close to the subject. It's better to take a macro photo from a short distance and then trim off unnecessary edges. This will give you clearer details of your entire subject.
- take photos in sunny weather. This way you can take much brighter and more saturated photos.
You can find beautiful flowers in a botanical garden or greenhouse. For macro photography, the composition of the bouquet is not the main thing, so you can save on decoration.
How to photograph spring flowers correctly
Those who love to photograph nature know that non-studio photographs often turn out not as bright, rich and real as we would like. Therefore, you need to know and follow some rules landscape photography, which a beginner often forgets or simply ignores. So we decided to tell you a few secrets of photographing flowers and nature in the spring.
Spring flower photography is somewhat different from usual and has its own characteristics. Eg, in early spring There is not much greenery yet, so you need to think carefully about the composition of the frame so that the resulting photo does not look empty. Below we present 5 basic rules for spring photography.
1. The key to an interesting photograph is the right location and subject.
In early spring, landscapes can be especially interesting, as nature awakens from sleep, playing with new colors every day. First of all, you should look for the first spring flowers in the forest, in the fields, outside the city. At the edge of the forest you will find everything you are looking for - breaking through the snow, the first green grass under your feet, reflected in a puddle.
In the urban environment you can also find interesting subjects for photography: cherry blossoms against the backdrop of skyscrapers, drops of dew on a head in a city park, a shop window flower shop with a whole fireworks display of spring colors.
2. Remember: spring should be spring!
Show in the frame that you are photographing spring. For example, catch the sun's rays and glare playing on the gentle ones, play with the shadow. The mood of the photograph should radiate the joy of awakening, warmth, and movement towards the sun.
3. Don't take photos during the day
Proper photographic lighting without the help of special equipment can only be achieved in the early morning or at sunset. It is at this time that the sunlight falls on the subject softly, evenly, without sharp transitions. In addition, at dawn you can try to catch drops of dew on a flower, and before sunset - the glare of the sun.
4. A little more about light
If the light falls directly on the flower and it is fully illuminated, then the color and shape of the flower will be conveyed clearly and correctly. But, on the contrary, lighting at an angle will add volume to the frame. The effect of transparency of the petals, tenderness and airiness can be achieved using backlighting, when the light source is behind the flower.
5. Use different lenses
Flowers are most often photographed close-up, trying to convey the shape. The best way to do this is to use a macro lens. For a more natural picture, focus on the center of the flower if you are photographing at a right angle, and on the nearest petals if you are photographing from the side. If you can't afford an additional lens, be sure to at least switch your DSLR to Macro mode.
Here are not all the secrets of a successful spring photo shoot of flowers, but we decided not to overwhelm you with theory, but advise you to go into nature and try to take photographs, using the knowledge you have already acquired. You will see that the quality of your photos will improve significantly. In the meantime, we invite you to look at photographs of spring flowers from Taiwanese photographer Lucia Lin for inspiration.
Spring is coming - probably the brightest and most colorful time of year on our planet. It is in the spring that the leaves on the trees begin to appear and bloom. spring flowers. for a photographer this is a real paradise: here the sun shines brighter for you, i.e. excellent illumination, and richer, and there are more than enough objects to photograph! If you love shooting still lifes, then this article will help you improve your technique and give you some fresh ideas.
In order to bring back plenty of decent spring flower shots from your walk, you will need several lenses: a macro lens, a telephoto lens, and wide angle lenses. A semi-professional ultra-zoom camera can be a very convenient option. It will save you the hassle of changing lenses and save a lot of time.
Shooting in macro mode you will be able to reflect the beauty of the bud with its petals, pistils and stamens. To increase depth of field, shoot at a larger aperture of F10-12, but remember that the larger the aperture, the darker your photo will become.
Long focal length lenses allow you to take photographs spring flowers that appear high on tree branches. Using a long zoom lens will give you a clear shot of a flower with a beautifully blurred background.
A wide-angle lens will give you a shot that enhances spatial perspective. In addition to your subject, you can capture many objects around it.
When photographing spring flowers, do not exclude tree branches from the frame. By combining the flowers and the pattern of branches in the background, you will get a very expressive photo. Using backlight you can also achieve very beautiful silhouette shots of spring flowers. Watch the lighting of the flowers in the frame. If you need to show the color and shape of a flower as accurately as possible, then use direct rays that fully illuminate it and minimize the number of shadows.
Side lighting will give spring flowers volume. If there is not enough light, it is recommended to compensate for the exposure by setting the compensation value to +0.5 EV.
Shoot spring flowers from different angles. In the process of processing images, you will be able to choose the most successful one and will not regret the time spent.
Finally, I invite you to enjoy the beauty of spring flowers. On the blog I can’t post large ones in which these flowers look simply irresistible, so I decided to attach an archive with photos of spring and autumn flowers. You can download it at: http://shurl.ru/gzt. You can also use them as desktop wallpaper. For mine, I chose the photo that is located in the header.
