ORDER OUT OF CHAOS

I thought I'd do something different this month. I have chosen beautiful 210-acre Garvan Woodland Gardens (GWG) in Hot Springs, Arkansas as the backdrop for my tips this month. In any gardens like these, it is easy to become overwhelmed. There is so much to see, so many plants, flowers, landscaping, etc. Where do we start? What do we photograph? Where do we aim our camera?

Have you ever felt that way during your travels or weekend getaways? Now this might sound strange, but when it comes to photography, the eyes see too much. We need to reign our eyes in through a technique I call "scanning." I spend a lot of paragraphs on this in my book Right Brain Photography. Today I will just give you an abbreviated version of this approach.

If we try too hard, it will be too hard. By that, I mean there is an easier way. What I do when I encounter those OMG scenarios is to scan the area within my view. At this point, I don't even worry about the entire park or gardens--that's way too much to swallow. I follow my intuition and let it guide me. I don't doubt it; I just follow it. If I sense there might be something over there I simply walk over there and check things out. So, what am I looking for once I get "over there?" I don't photograph subjects. I look for color, shapes, lines, design, and even mood. Sometimes I get certain feelings from a place or a subject I see. The actual scenario or subject(s) become secondary. I obviously see it, but I look much deeper than what the eyes see.

I have been to GWG four times, so far. The following are extracts from those visits.

The first thing I do when I visit a place like this for the first time is to get a map, ask the staff to show me the highlights, and I also ask them if there are any features, displays, or current blooms that are out this time of year. 

One of the highlights in the gardens is this waterfall area. I don't do usually do HDR in nice open areas like this, but this particular day, at this sight, I was getting an extremely wide dynamic range of lighting, more than my camera could handle. My rule of thumb with HDR-created images (combining 2-3 images to create a single image) is to not make them look "HDRed." I don't like that "illustration" or "architectural rendering" look. That's why I never combine more than three images.  

I saw this bridge from several yards away, but didn't like the surroundings I saw from that distance. I kept walking toward it, carefulling seeing how the surrounding environment changed as I walked. I was looking at how the areas to the left, right, and behind the bridge were looking as I got closer. I liked the design of the bridge, but was looking for the best surroundings that complemented the bridge. All of a sudden, there it was! As I got close to the bridge I knew that was my shot. It was like a life metaphor. I like scenarios that give me what I call that "scene from a novel," used by authors to describe a feeling, a goal, a promise. 

A few years ago, the 'Gardens commissioned an architect to design a million-dollar "tree house" would fit in with the theme of the garden. As you can see from the image below, it works. 

All photos I had seen were of the treehouse itself, hovering above the gardens. However, when I saw it, I noticed that the designers had included an engraved space under the treehouse that replicated theme of "tree" house. The walkway I was standing on was too close to the scene. I had to use a 10 mm wide angle lens to capture it all.

This is what I call extracting. I extract something I'm "working on" and eliminate the rest, that is, I ignore everything else in order to better focus on the results I want.  

   

One of the highlights of these gardens is Bridge of the Full Moon. The trick is to find the best perspective. I wanted more than just a "smart phone" picture of it. After scanning the scene, I saw this. It didn't hurt that the scene was sprinkled with spring colors. The "smart phone" picture would have been of, well, just the bridge. However, I wanted to incorporate the essence of the environment in which the bridge was built--the creek, trees, plants, hillsides.   

A Japanese garden is a must for any decent gardens. There is one in Portland, Oregon, in Denver, Colorado, and at Garvan Woodland Gardens. For this scenario, my goal was to capture the garden, the koi and its surroundings. Again, the spring colors added the exclamation point. 

All the principles I use to create my compositions were present that day. However, I had to be patient for some of those principles to come together. I wanted fish to fill in that empty lower right-hand corner (containment). It took several minutes of waiting patiently for the most colorful koi to swim in that specific corner. The other composition principles which I incorporated were: the small green tree on the lower left and the small white trees on the left (containment), the curving stone path (leading line), the big white tree (balances out other areas in the scene. The center of interest was the entire scene.  

You can't visit GWG without at least walking into Anthony Chapel. It is one of three glass chapels in the state. There are two others in the U.S. outside of Arkansas. It is a big chapel, so be sure to take a wide angle lens--at least 18 mm. You will also need a tripod, or a camera that will give you great images at high ISOs. If shooting without a tripod, a lens with vibration reduction will come in handy. 

Not far from the chapel is a beautiful five-story bell tower. In order to amplify it's surreal qualities, I put my camera on the ground and shot straight up at it, then converted the image to B&W. I used a 10mm-24mm lens, set at 10mm.

There is even a little cave you can walk into. Shooting from the inside looking out, you definitely will need some degree of HDR. I used three images to get this one. I wanted to keep the inside darker than the outside to make it look the way it looks and feels when you're in there. 

Photo enthusiasts who have taken my classes or workshops know that I can't be on a photo shoot without creating my right brain photography  During one of my visits to GWG, I saw a section that had an endless sea of colorful tulips. Absolutely beautiful. I created several images that day, but this one gave me the best feel of what if felt like when surrounded by and immersed in color and vibrance. This is an in-camera double exposure.

   

I hope I have given you some ideas, techniques, and approaches to take with you next time you visit a botanical garden, arboretum, or Chinese garden. What I shared with you is a portion of my I.S.E.E. SOMETHING paradigm--use your Intuition, scan, extract, and eliminate everything around you to help you focus. 

Don't get overwhelmed, stay focused, and, most importantly, have fun!

Contact me if you would like a 1-on-1 ZOOM lesson.  

vegaphotoart@gmail.com  

           

SUNSETS & SUNRISES

I think it's safe to say we all like photos of sunsets and sunrises. Here are two key points to remember: 1) The sun doesn't always have to be visible in the scene. The colors, tones, and moods produced are also part of those special life moments. 2) Don't just take a picture of the sun setting or rising. Photograph something at sunset or sunrise. That can be a grouping of trees, structures, a river, a landscape, etc

Composition is always the first on my checklist. I make sure I have the best possible composition, before the sun comes up, or sets. I spend an entire chapter on composition in my book, Right Brain Photography. Without a good composition, I end up with a weak image, which forces me to grab the viewers attention through exaggerated sharpness, off-the-wall colors, and getting the same lighting exposure throughout the image. A viewer not trained in composition can be easily awed by those components. 

 

Speaking of exposure. remember, there is no such thing as the "correct" exposure. There is only the right exposure, and that exposure is based on how you want the image to look. If you want every inch of the image to be equally exposed, that is no shadows or bright areas, you might to apply an HDR approach at the time you take the picture, then make adjustments with your software of choice. However, if you want to create mood, intrigue, or even a spiritual feel to the image, take advantage of the exposure compensation dial on your camera and experiment with it. When you do that, you're creating the right exposure, for you.

As for depth of field, I always want as much depth of field as possible, even though it won't be a major factor with images with large shadow areas. I'd rather have more f/stop than I need--nothing worse than getting an image with "soft" (out of focus) areas. 

Focusing. As a rule of thumb, I usually place my focus point roughly one-third from the bottom of the viewfinder. Depth of field covers roughly one-third in front of and two-thirds behind the focus point, thus my rule of thumb.

If you still need clarification on the points mentioned above, please contact me. In today's "Corona Fog" world, I offer 1-on-1 Zoom lessons. 

Okay then, let's move on to see how all this looks in a real photo. Let's start with this one.

I was at this spot on the Kings River in northern Arkansas thirty minutes before sunrise. I don't use those sunrise/sunset apps. Why? Engineer-driven sunrises are not the same as a photographer's sunrise. 

There is always some fine-tuning after the fact. Cameras, lenses, and light exposure meters are not perfect. For this image, I darkened the bright yellows of the sunrise and let the shadows untouched. When we try too hard to get that "perfect" picture, it ruins the mood, leaving us with a perfectly exposed photo. Obviously, if that is your goal, taking an HDR approach is the way to go. I like mood, feelings. sensations. In addition to satisfying myself, I  want my viewers to experience what I experienced when I was there. I don't want them to simply be impressed with my computer technical skills.   

                               ISO 100; +1/3 overexposure; f/29 gave me a slow shutter speed,
                               which gave a sense of motion in the water     

I had to work fast for this sunrise over the Ozarks. First, I saw the interesting landscape, with the fog hovering over the canyon below--that was my subject. The sun was secondary. 

To darken the image I underexposed the scene by a -1.3. I set my White Balance to florescent to add mood. The placement of the sun and the tree in the foreground was part of my composition, which I explain further in my book.

                     f/25 to get that sunburst; ISO 400 to "freeze" the sun with a shutter speed of 1/1250

This was a sunset, also in Arkansas, atop Petit Jean Mountain. Even though I applied HDR,using only three images, I made sure the scene maintained shadows in order to retain the feeling of awe most of us experience at sunset. My primary reason for applying HDR was to hold back (darken) the exposure in the sky. That V-shape in the upper right hand corner of the scene was actually there. I had never seen that before. 

                               With a wide angle lens (focal length 20mm), all I needed was f/16

There are some cabins west of Eureka Springs, Arkansas. The name of the outfit is Can-U-Canoe. West of these cabins is an awesome view that gives the illusion of an island. Actually, it's just the White River meandering around a large bend, but from that perspective it looks like an island. I got permission from the owner to set up on the deck of one of her cabins. What a view I got that evening right after sunset. 

I could have "stitched" two or three images together, but a 10mm focal length gave me enough of the entire scene. 

                       ISO 100; f/10 (not much needed with a 10mm focal length); -2/3 underexposure 

  

This beautiful historic hotel in Eureka Springs, Arkansas was the setting for this sunrise. Remember that large f/stops (f/20 or larger) give us those cool sunbursts. 

                      ISO 100; f/20; +1 overexposure to keep detail in the hotel and open up shadows)

Let's now go to Texas. I found this cool abandoned ranch house north of Dallas. No, it isn't the same house used for the 1980s TV show "Dallas." It was the perfect subject for a sunset. At the beginning of this blog I advised to photograph something at sunset, rather than use the sunset as the subject. This is what I mean. I used film for this image--no metadata available.

Just a few miles east of Dallas is Fort Worth. That is where I found this early morning scene. This too was with film. That day, I was walking on a dry river bed toward downtown Fort Worth. My main objective was to get a good sunrise shot of the skyline. However, as I always do during my walks and hikes, I like to turn around occasionally to make sure there isn't anything behind me worth a photograph. I did just that when I saw this scene! I used an FLD filter, which I still use today, to alter the color in the scene. 

 

One of the least known canyons in Colorado is Eldorado Canyon near Boulder.Though small, it is worth exploring. I did just that one morning, hoping for a good sunrise. I wasn't disappointed! For this image, unlike others, I made sure I got detail in the awesome mountainsides, which serve as bookends to the flowing creek. 

Ahhh, and sometimes, if we're lucky, we get that alpenglow at sunrise (or sunset) in the mountains! Now, those are the mornings you thank yourself for getting up at 4:30. This image was created at 5:19 am! It was darker than the image appears.

If you ever visit Rocky Mountain National Park in Colorado, add Sprague Lake to your bucket list. 

                   ISO 800 to "freeze" ripples on lake; f/11; underexposed -1 2/3 to keep
                   the scene from being overexposed 

As an overview: Get there thirty minutes before sunrise to get your composition just right.Take advantage of that exposure compensation dial to bracket your shots. Use high f/stops, f/20 or more, to get those sunbursts. Don't worry about the "correct" exposure--get it right, for you! 

Of the nine images I shared, six were created early in the morning. So, for those of you who are not morning people, shake it off and go out and add some gems to your collection. But, if not, there is always late evening. In either case, go out and experiment, explore, be bold, and, most of all, have fun! 

If you need some personal 1-on-1 help and tips, contact me and we'll set up a Zoom chat.

THE 'BULB' SETTING

WHEN & HOW TO USE IT

As far as I know, all cameras are engineered to give us up to a 30" (thirty seconds) exposure. If it is too dark out there, the camera will talk to us and say things like, "Wow! You expect me to take that photo in this darkness? Well, I can, but you better have a tripod and be patient with me because this will require a 10" exposure.....or 20"......or 30." 

That's a great standard feature that most, if not all, DSLRs give us. I have several images in my collection that required 20"-30" exposures. The example below was created with a 25" exposure. That is a long, very long, time in the photography world. If you don't believe me, close your eyes until someone tells you 25" are up. 

I "painted" the underside of Mesa Arch at twilight with a simple large off-road emergency LED flashlight. 

That's great when it is still light enough, even at twilight, for the camera to calculate, on its own,an estimated time, like 25." What happens, however, when it is so dark that the camera's engineering goes beyond it's limit, i.e., it is so dark that it's brain doesn't know how many seconds, or minutes, it takes to give us an adequate photo? Ah, this is where we become the conductor; where we need to tell the camera what we want. We just pat its head and tell it, "Don't worry. I've got this." This is where BULB comes in. 

I don't know why, after all these years, camera manufacturers have kept that terminology, decades after photographers used a large bulb to photograph low-light scenarios, like portraits and such. Wow, that was a long sentence! 

First things first. You might start with your camera manual to find out how to set your camera to BULB. You might try this. Set your camera shooting mode to shutter priority first. Then, turn your command dial until your camera reaches that 30" mark. Then, change your shooting mode to M for Manual. Now, turn the command dial one more notch until you see BULB. Eureka!!!  Again, if that doesn't work, read your manual.

So, you ask, why do we need BULB? We need that setting whenever we want to photograph  subjects late in the evening or at night. Examples include, skylines, bridges at night, etc. We can also use BULB in more creative ways, such as photographing historic buildings, natural rock formations, etc. 

One of my favorite ways is to combine two techniques: BULB, coupled with light painting, like the image above.

Leaving our shutters open for 1-5 minutes, or longer, takes us into that "road less traveled." . To me, it's more creative than technical, meaning that it takes some calculated guesses to get exactly what we want. Left-brain thinkers get bothered by that, however, it is no different than bracketing a shot to make sure we get a really good one, or when we're creating an HDR image. The only difference is that we are bracketing in increments of 10" or more.

Now, are you ready for some examples? 

For this image, I first saw with my imagination. I saw the huge formation in the background and really liked its shape. I then saw the small Juniper in the foreground. I thought it might look cool if I "painted" it. All I did was slowly wave my flashlight at and around the tree for a few seconds. There is always more than one way of doing this. I used a cable release. Once I decided on the best composition, I set the camera on BULB. I clicked the shutter open with my cable release and locked it open. I then walked closer to the tree, making sure I wasn't in view of the viewfinder, and slowly painted it. I then returned to my camera and released the shutter with the cable release. 

In this case, it came out just fine the first time. If it had come out a little too dark, I would have simply repeated the sequence, but maybe painted the tree more slowly, to make sure the light and color registered better on the sensor.      

Someone said it reminded him of the burning bush in the Bible. 

                                                f/25 & approx. 2 2/3 minutes, at twilight 

       

Part of the trick to all this is to see it before you see it, as I explain in my book, Right Brain Photography. I like to explore, and one of my favorite ways to explore is to follow my intuition. When I see a road I haven't been on before, I like to take it just to see what's out there. I did just that one day near Eureka Springs, Arkansas. It was in the middle of the day. It didn't take long before I saw this really cool old red barn! I immediately knew I had to go back someday at twilight and "paint" it. 

I knocked on the house door near the barn . A woman opened the door and told me she and her husband owned the land. I asked her if she would mind if I photographed the old barn someday. She was very obliging. She raised her eyebrows in bewilderment when I told her I wanted to come back some evening after the sun set. She gave me this "Why?" look. I explained.

I went back about a week later. I called her first to give her a heads up. I didn't want her husband to come out with a shotgun that evening! I told her not to worry if she saw lights by the barn; that it would be me photographing it.

I first determined the best composition--that is #1 on my check list when I'm shooting. 
I then locked the shutter open and started painting. I started on the left, making sure I painted that small utility trailer too. I then continued on the wall, from left to right. I literally walked in front of my camera, knowing that my motion would not register on the sensor. I stopped for a short while before I painted the front of the barn, starting with that large door on the left, then continuing with the rest of the facade. I spent a few extra seconds around the inside of the barn where it was darkest. After doing that, I then spent a few more seconds painting around the top of the facade where it appeared that they used to have a light up there. I then went back to my camera and unlocked the cable release. 

This approach, and the same approach I took with the Juniper tree above, is my standard playbook for similar scenarios.  

                                               f/8 and just short of 3 minutes.

Garden of the Gods, Colorado Springs, Colorado. This image is on the cover of Right Brain Photography. This was approximately 5 minutes at f/20. I'd rather have more f/stop reach than necessary, for reassurance.      

         

This scene is also in the second-best city park in the world--Garden of the Gods. I used a wide angle lens and I was several yards away from this formation, called Tower of Babel. In order to pick up the stars, I used f/2.8. F/3.2 could have worked as well. Using BULB, and relying on my mobile phone timer, I left the shutter open for 26 seconds. Some cameras have a built-in timer that counts down the seconds--all you have to do is look at the screen and release the shutter when you're ready. 

This is a beautiful historic bridge north of Eureka Springs, Arkansas. As I did with the photo above, I used f/2.8 to gather enough light to record the stars. The "shutter speed," which is what it really is, was 44 seconds. The white and red colors are cars on the bridge.

I show this last example to demonstrate a different photographic objective conducive to the BULB setting--that of creating light streaks from moving vehicles. It has to be done late in the evening after the sun sets, but not so late that it's pitch dark. Those long streaks came from more than one car. There must have been three or four. If it's dark enough and the cars keep moving, they do not register on the sensors. I've had situations when one or two cars stop or slow down for some reason--not good! I don't want to see any cars in the photo.  

What I look for is a long exposure that will capture several seconds of moving vehicles; long enough to create light streaks from headlights and taillights. I prefer to get both in the photo, but if I can't, I prefer to get taillights.  

This requires a lot of patience. I have been known to stay in one spot for twenty minutes or longer just waiting for the right combinations. I always take several shots because I never know exactly what I'm going to get. It is yet another form of bracketing. I just look at the final images, pick the keepers, and delete the rest. 

                                                             f/18 and 34 seconds

              

   

I find it fun to go out in the evening. Several of my most creative images were created after sunset. By the way, for years now I have made the habit of wearing a bright reflective vest, the kind construction workers wear--it keeps me safe and minimizes suspicion by anyone who might see my body movements at dusk. I also have several pieces of white reflective tape on my tripod to lessen the chances of anyone mistaking it for a weapon. Times have changed and we have become more leery, suspicious, and on the lookout for danger. 

So, once you've taken safety precautions, go out and have fun with your camera and lenses. You will create that level of photography that will make people ask, "How did you do that?"

      

HOW TO PHOTOGRAPH FIREWORKS

Hopefully we will all get a chance to watch fireworks on the 4th of July, 2020.

If you do find a good safe spot to watch them, here are some tips that will help you go home with some great shots you can hang on your wall, share with friends, or share on social media. All you need is a few basic tools.

1) A basic digital camera, on a good sturdy tripod. It doesn't have to be expensive,
   just as long as it has a 'BULB' setting (read your manual).

2) A telephoto focal length for most, not all, shots. 200 mm to 300 mm should be good 

    enough. It will depend on how far you will be from the fireworks.

3) A piece of material big enough to cover the front of your lens. It can be something as 

    simple as a piece of copy paper folded in half, your camera manual, etc.

Now let me show you how they all work together. 

CAMERA:
ISO--I like to set my ISO at 100
F/Stop: My f/stop will be at f/8-f/11. If my images are coming out too bright at f/8, I quickly switch to f/9, f/10, or f/11--whichever is giving me the best exposures. I just experiment with the first 1-3 blasts, check my display screen, and adjust accordingly.
Shutter: I set my camera to BULB. My piece of paper becomes my shutter speed (I'll explain that shortly)
IMAGE FORMAT: I usually shoot JPEG Fine and Vivid, but any format works--TIFF, RAW.

LENS (no need for IS or VR setting):
Focus: I like to shoot most of my fireworks blasts way out high in the sky, when they hit their apex and go "boom." That's when all the cool streams of color begin to flower and open up!

Forget Auto Focus--sorry. I set my focus to near infinity since all fireworks will be several yards away from you, way up in the night sky. That's where f/8-f/11 come in-- if you're a little off on your focus point, f/8-f/11 will cover any margin of error. In other words, that f/stop range will cover several yards closer or farther than the actual fireworks location.

Once you feel that all shots are looking good and not out of focus, stay with that f/stop throughout the 20-30 minute show! The only reason I would change the f/stop is if the images are coming out too bright--then I might switch to f/9--f/11.
TRIPOD: You can't do this without a good sturdy tripod--one that goes up at least to eye level. You can't do this on a mono pod or resting your tripod on a boulder or your car's roof.

PIECE OF PAPER:   Yes, I've used a piece of 81/2 x 11 piece of paper folded in half. As long as the material you're using is opaque so as not to allow light to hit the lens. Besides, there won't be much light hitting the lens when you're aiming at the dark sky. I've used my camera manual or a small piece of cardboard. 

THE PROCESS:  Okay, so I've got all the tools I need, now how do I pull this off? First, I don't expect every single image to be perfect. This is why I just shoot, shoot, shoot as much as I can until the show is over. Some bursts will be out of view; some will be just a flicker;
some will be only partially in the viewfinder. That's okay, I know I will get several great shots during the night. My process has never failed me.

Now, here is the fun part--the process I use during 20-30 minutes of fun colorful bursts.

I place my camera on the tripod and adjust all my settings as mentioned above. I aim my camera toward the general area I believe the bursts will be. I'll adjust later once the fireworks start. I use a wide enough coverage to make sure I will cover most of them. This is an estimate; not science. I know I'll get several chances to get it right. 

I always use my 3-foot cable release so I'll be ready and quick when the show starts. I keep my lens cap on until showtime. I also have my "cover" (piece of paper, cardboard, etc) ready for action. 

When the first burst comes up, I take my lens cap off and aim my camera to where I saw the first burst. I keep it there, with the tripod head loosened. When the next one comes up I keep adjusting both my focusing and focal length until it seems like I'm covering the bursts just about right, knowing that some will still be off to the side, etc. 

When I think I've got my aim just about right, I lock my camera in place and I'm ready to start capturing the fun, knowing that I might make adjustments if necessary. But I have to be quick in making those adjustments. 

So, now I have my lens cap off and cover my lens with my cover (the piece of paper). When the next burst goes up, I quickly release the cover and click my cable release. When the burst starts to dissipate, I quickly cover my lens with my cover, BUT I still have the cable release depressed! In other words, my lens is still open--it's just covered up with my cover.
When the next burst goes up, I then take away the cover again. THEN I release the cable release. In essence, what I've done is taken a double exposure--two bursts on the same image!! 

I continue this process until the show is over. Sometimes I'll do two bursts, then I'll do three, then I'll do just one if it's an awesome one. Back and forth, back and forth. 

At the end of the night I will end up with three bursts on the same image, or two, or just one. 

Now that I have explained at length the tools, techniques, and process I use, let me share some of the results from several 4th of July displays I have photographed. 



This was two bursts on the same image. The fun of it is that you never know exactly what you're going to get, but you know it's going to be fun. But, if we don't plan, we won't get lucky. 

This one was three or four different bursts. I don't want to zoom in too tight. I want to leave myself some breathing room around the edges just in case something like this happens. If the bursts are a little off, I can always crop the image to center them as needed. 

This was a fun one! This also had to be three or four bursts on one image. 

This one was surreal and Star Trekish.

Sometimes I do use a wide angle lens just for something different, as I did for this shot.
You can see fireworks and nearby buildings and structures. The fireworks smoke comes from me doing close to the fireworks platform. It adds to the feel of the image. 

I loved this patriotic red, white, and blue display. Some pyrotechnic companies get very creative. 

If you are lucky to find a fireworks display near a body of water, take advantage of of it! Sometimes, if I think the venue is appropriate, I will get some fireworks vertically.   

These two beauties showed off this particular night. Note the cropping.

You just never know what surprises you're going to get during the night. Just keep shooting--1, 2, 3, or even 4 bursts. I believe this one was 3 different bursts. Sometimes, when you do more than one single burst, they don't even look like fireworks.

As a finale, don't forget to find fireworks displays over a lake if you can--it adds an extra dimension to the excitement of 4th of July. This one looks like a neon palm tree on psychedelic steroids. 

Surely you feel patriotic by now. I hope you get a chance to see some fireworks this July. Copy and paste as much of my blog and take it with you before you leave for your fireworks night show. 

I sure hope we won't have to "ZOOM" our fireworks this year!  😮

      

  

FLORA PHOTOGRAPHY
(Not just pretty pictures of flowers)

Even in spring/summer of 2020, we can find great flowers or plants to photograph while "keeping our distance." We don't have to wear face masks in front of beautiful flowers! 

Flora, or flowers and plants, provide us with some of the most colorful, psychological, and artistic subjects to photograph. Done right, we can bring out their true palettes, make them shower us with differing degrees of feelings and sensations, and create pleasing 

compositions. This is not about masculinity or femininity. It's about art

Some of the key factors I look for when photographing flora are:

1) Lighting. I highly prefer overcast days if they're outside, or indoors with natural side  lighting from nearby windows. If I find a great specimen lit only by artificial lighting, then I change my White Balance to fit the situation. Sometimes AUTO White Balance does a better job than Incandescent/Tungsten or Florescent WB. 

I usually, not always, stay away from bright sunny days. The stark, harsh lighting from sunlight creates deep shadows and sometimes blown-out highlights that usually don't make for an acceptable image. That said, I have at times taking a negative and turned it into a positive. 

2) The specimen itself. I look for a specimen or group of specimens that are fresh and without major flaws. Some minor flaws can be "covered up" with photo editing software.

3) The environment. Sometimes, if the background is too ugly or difficult to handle photographically. I will use my 32" white diffuser as a backdrop. This gives my subject(s) a studio-like appearance, like I photographed it in my studio. Sometimes I will use my large non-reflective black material, which I carry with me when photographing flora. That too gives it a studio-like appearance. My decision to use either my diffuser or black material depends on the subject and its colors. It is strictly a personal choice. 

Sometimes, given the subject and/or how I'm feeling that day, I might go beyond creating a pretty picture of a pretty flower. I like to experiment with various in-camera techniques, like double exposures, my swirling technique, zooming, or moving my camera slightly downward, left-to-right, right-to-left, etc. I prefer these in-the-field photographic challenges to spending hours getting creative with photo editing software. The former requires photography skills; the latter requires computer skills.  

So, with this introduction, let me share a few examples.

This is one of many double exposures in my collection. You can visit my website for more examples. I provide more detail about this in my book, RIGHT BRAIN PHOTOGRAPHY. Basically, the first step is to take a slightly out of focus shot of the subject. I then take an in-focus shot of the same subject, underexposing it by about 2/3 of a stop to make sure the combined image doesn't come out over exposed. It's a really cool technique to practice on.  

For this image I applied my Swirl technique. This is hard to do for a lot of my students, but I have seen several great images created by some of them. It takes practice, persistence, and patience....and persistence. Once you master it, you can't stop! 😉 And, please, for you left brain photographers, don't let perfection be your goal--just loosen up and flow with it. As the artist Jackson Pollock once said, "I like it when I don't have total control."

It usually works better without the tripod; just hand-held. Place your right hand index finger on the shutter button. Your left hand will hold the camera from the bottom of the camera. You are going to swirl the camera without changing the position of your left hand, and just pivot/swirl around that point. You can swirl to your left or to your right, whatever feels more natural to you. I tend to swirl to my left; counter-clockwise. Be careful not to create an arch with your camera; just swirl. Again, it takes practice. Try it. You'll like it, and maybe get hooked on it! 

                                 

I'm sure you can relate to this real life scenario. You come across this beautiful specimen, but no matter where you stand or move, the background is just terrible and distracting. Sometimes, even when you use a wide open aperture (low number f/stop, like f/7.1), it still isn't good enough. What to do? Well, we have a choice of just moving on to something better, or.......

This is what I do. I either use my white diffuser or my large black piece of flannel material and use them as a backdrop. This works amazingly well. It gives my final image that studio-like look. Unless I told you, you would never guess the image was created outdoors in the middle of the day. The diffuser or black material convert my backgrounds to backdrops. 

For this beauty, I used two techniques: a double exposure, and I placed my diffuser behind the subject to eliminate a very busy, ugly, and distracting background. 

                                                             

Oh, by the way, if you just happen to find a great specimen, a great background, but an overly bright sunny day, create your own overcast sky by using your diffuser to diffuse the light hitting your subject. Just place it between the sun and your subject--voila!

White-on-white can create awesome artistic renderings. It can also be black-on-black. When I saw this iris, I knew it would look good with a white background, my diffuser. What happens is that some of the white from the subject simply blends into the background, which gives the image an ethereal feel.

This is how that same flower looked without the diffuser. Big difference, no?

Visit my website to see how images look when I use a black background. I used my black flannel material for "Peppers #1" and "Purple Majesties."  

And, yes, sometimes I do like to photography the subject "as is" However, even then I need to pay attention to the background. In this case, the background was not ugly or busy, but I didn't want it to compete for attention with my center of interest. The easy solution was to,  1) Bring out the 200 mm lens, which inherently has less depth of field, and, 2) Couple that with an f/9 f/stop, which blurred the background nicely. 

     

Plants also provide great opportunities.for photographic ventures. I was attracted to these palms. In real life, they don't seem like much to the naked eye. I was in the middle of a workshop and kept saying to my students to "tighten up" and go for those abstracts. In order to enhance the greens and yellows, I underexposed the scene by a -2/3, which is equivalent to giving the scene 75% less exposure than the camera light meter thought I needed. 

You noticed I did not mention what this subject is. If I label the subject, I confine myself to trying to photograph, in this case, the palms. For this type of subject, I am more interested in the lines, design, lighting, and shapes rather than the subject itself. I don't photograph subjects; I photograph what the subjects give me.

    

Composition applies as well to flowers and plants. Before I even take the camera out of my bag, I spend several seconds or a few minutes looking at my subject and deciding what I am going to include within those four corners and what I am going to leave out; how I am going to position the elements in the scene; whether it would be more effective and more powerful if I create a landscape image or vertical. For this scene I chose vertical. Doing so eliminated several other plants and flowers that weakened these four lilies and the lily pads, which served as the foundation for them. 

I try as much as possible to make the elements in the scene contain the viewers eye within the four corners. Can you see that? It's called composition, the #1 step in every image I create.    

So, keep your distance and go find some great specimens and experiment, explore, and be bold. Don't 'let perfection get in the way. Have fun, and be safe.