Tag: floral

It’s a Small World. . .

by karenulvestad, posted in Instruction, Tips

Macro photography is the art of seeing the small.  It is taking the miniscule, and making it the subject of a photograph.  The subject could be printed larger than life-size, and it’s details could be tack-sharp.  It requires a macro lens or extension tubes for true macro photography.  These tools allow the lens to be closer to the subject, thus magnifying the subject in the photograph.  Subjects for macro photography are as varied, though flowers or insects seem to be a favorite subject among photographers.

Close-up photography can be done with a macro lens or a short focal length lens (such as a 17-40mm).  It is different from macro, because of the difference in magnification of the subject.  Another difference is the lens “sees” the subject differently.  It can feel more “sweeping” in perspective than a standard macro lens.

The pink image below was taken with a 100mm Macro lens.  The photograph is a pink rose.  The sweeping lines of the petals create an abstract pattern in pink.  This rose was about 3-4 inches in diameter, and this is a small portion of the rose.

The lighting was a big factor in this image.  It was a bright sunny day, around mid-day.  I looked for a flower that was in the shade, so the lighting would be more uniform across the entire flower.  It the flower had been in direct sunlight, there would have been a difference of exposure exceeding 2 stops of light.  Translated this means that either the shadows would have been black, or the highlights would be white.

copyright Karen Ulvestad

Close-up photographs can reveal the hidden beauty of the subject.  The photograph below shows the subtle color changes and details of a succulent.  The focus is on the tight grouping of new leaves in the center, and this is controlled by the Aperture.  The Aperture is the Depth of Field (DOF).  In close-up images, the DOF is more noticeable than a sweeping landscape, because the camera/lens is so close to the subject.

This image was taken with a 17-40mm lens at 40mm.  Shorter focal length lenses allow the camera/lens to focus closer the subject.  The DOF was f4.0.

copyright Karen Ulvestad

The image below is of one of my favorites.  Water droplets act like a fish-eye lens, and show everything behind them within.  This was taken with a 100mm macro lens at f4.0.  There is a noticeable difference in the DOF between the succulent above and the fir needles and water droplets below.  Each lens and technique give the photograph a different feel.

One additional note is to remember to use a tripod with Macro and Close-up photography.  The slightest shake is magnified in this type of photography.

More Later & Happy Shooting. . .Karen

copyright Karen Ulvestad

Small Things in a Big Way. . .

by karenulvestad, posted in Instruction

copyright Karen UlvestadMacro is taking something very tiny, and composing a complete photographic image from the subject.  I love macro.  It helps change my perspective of all the “big” things that I photograph, such as birds, people, landscapes and. . .

Macros are mini landscapes.  The composition comes from the lines, shapes, colors and textures.  It becomes a focus on the minute.

The idea of exposure changes.  The photograph shown here has a large depth of field (DOF).  I used F32.  The reason for the large DOF is that the closeness of the lens to the subject.

The most important tool for macro is a good tripod to hold the camera steady.  This shot at a long shutter speed, and could not be hand-held.  Also, a slight blur is more noticeable in macro due to the magnification of the subject.

More later. . .Karen

 

Quality of Light

by karenulvestad, posted in Instruction
copyright Karen Ulvestad
This photo was shot indoors under tungsten/incandescent light. The background was a window, backlight with daylight. I shot this with my camera set on incandescent WB.

The quality of light will affect the colors in a photograph.  Our eyes adapt to the light without us knowing it.  We see sunlight and artificial light as similar, when they are very different on the color spectrum.

Our cameras are programmed to see light as daylight.  In the film world, we needed to purchase daylight film or tungsten film.  It depended on our needs.  So, what is the difference?

Put simply, tungsten/incandescent film or setting on the camera color correct the photograph for this artificial light.  Used in daylight, it turns the photograph a beautiful blue.  Under tungsten/incandescent light, it color correct the photograph to the colors our eyes see.  By the same idea, daylight film or setting on the camera sees tungsten/incandescent light with a yellow-orange cast.

Our digital cameras allow us to shoot on AUTO or select a White Balance (WB).  By knowing how the settings will affect the photograph, the photographer can enhance the colors in their images.

More later. . .Karen

Spring on the West Coast

by karenulvestad, posted in Instruction

March is a wonderful time to photograph the change of seasons.  Here on the West Coast of the US, our weather changes between rain, sun, and hail.  Bulbs start to poke out of the soil in February, and the daffodils are blooming.

copyright Karen Ulvestad

In April, the Skagit Valley holds its annual Tulip Festival.  The photo above was taken in the afternoon, on a sunny April day.  The use of color and perspective make for interesting floral photographic images.

This one was taken from below (on the ground) looking up towards the sky.  I held my camera on the ground, pointing it up, with a wide-angle lens set at 17mm (full frame sensor).  I wanted to focus on the idea of color, and the concept of being unique in the crowd.

Below is a shot of the fields with a sense of the surroundings.

copyright Karen Ulvestad

In this image, I used a wide-angle lens set at 17mm (full frame sensor), set the horizon line low in the frame, and used the primary colors to define the photograph.  My depth of field was F13.

For more information about garden photography, attend my class this Saturday at Coupeville on Whidbey Island.  It’s the WSU Master Gardeners extended learning workshops for gardeners of all ages.

More later. . .Karen