Indian Paintbrush |
Thursday, June 25, 2015
Review of Garden Photography Tips
Garden photography can be a very rewarding hobby and one that can be practiced in your own backyard or in many public gardens. I decided that it was time for me hone my skills in photography so I signed up for a 5 week course in Garden Photography. This class is held at Missouri Botanical Garden during the month of May, so in addition to learning some new photography skills, I got to spend a lot of time at one of my favorite public gardens.
The first photography class covered a review of the basics including use of aperture, shutter speed and ISO. The instructor spent a good amount of time talking about composition and gave us lots of tips that he found helpful in his photography. Here are a few of the tips that I found particularly useful.
Here is one of the photos that I took. I know I have a lot to work on, but I felt very good about what I learned in the first session.
During the short time we were out in the garden shooting I took the photo of the waterfall above using Scott's formula for making the water look "silky". The photo I shot was using a F18 aperture at 1/8th of a second. Here is the formula:
Here are some of my favorite tips from the Landscape Class.
For our third class we spent most of the morning in the garden practicing the techniques we have been learning in class. There were two instructors that went out with us and gave us a lot of personal tutoring. I really enjoyed being able to ask questions as I was photographing. We first went to the Iris garden and worked more on closeup photography. The instructor had some diffusers with him and showed us how they work to bring light into a subject. One of the tips that really hit home with me was to always look at what is in the background even though you are taking a closeup of a certain item. In the case of the irises I saw what a difference it made when I moved just a bit to make sure I had a darker background.
Here are some of the tips that I took away from todays session.
In the last class we visited the Chinese garden to photograph. The instructor took a few minutes with each of us individually and answered any questions we had. I had just gotten a new polarizing filter so he gave me hints on how to best use it. It works best when sun is coming in from the side. It mades skies and clouds pop. It is great for landscapes but not so good for water reflections. After my time with the instructor I was working on photographing a small waterfall. Someone said there was a statue of frog sitting on a rock at the bottom of the falls, but just when I was going to take the shot he jumped off into the water. For a second I was disappointed, but then he came up with a crawdad and I captured the photo above. Not a great shot, but a fun one and we all had a laugh about the "statue" catching the crawdad.
Click to view on Amazon
Missouri Botanical Garden was founded in 1859 and is the nations oldest continuously operating garden. I feel fortunate that this beautiful garden is only 45 minutes from my home.
Garden Photography Class
Class One
- Take the safe shot first and then fine tune.
- Slow down...take your time (this is one area where I need to listen).
- Find a subject that you want to photograph and then keep fine tuning to find the best shot.
- Get eye level with what you are photographing
- The higher the number of the f-stop (aperture) the smaller the opening and more of the photograph is in focus.
- Try using the Aperture mode on the camera where I set the f-stop and the shutter speed is set automatically. This is particularly good for still shots.
- Use a tripod most of the time---buy a good tripod. Use especially for closeups and low light conditions but it is good to use it most of the time. ( I really need to work on this one)
- Turn off camera to change lenses.
- Don't delete in the camera
- Work on getting closer and filling frame with subject.
After some time in the classroom we went out into the garden. The irises were in full bloom so we went to that section to work on our photography. It was a sunny day and there was a wind so it was not the best time to be shooting the irises. The instructor gave us several tips while we were shooting to help us get some good shots in that light. He steered us toward the edges of the beds were there was some shade and we could get some photos without the bright sunlight. He also suggested that when we shot in the sun we should look for brightly colored flowers because the pastels would complete fade out in the bright light.
Purple and White Iris
Landscape Photography - class 2
Our second class was on landscape photography. It was a overcast day so we also got a lot of tips on photographing on overcast days. We were out in the garden about 30 minutes and it started to rain so we headed back to the classroom. Scott, the instructor is great on turning everything into a learning experience so we then got a lot of good tips for shooting on rainy days.During the short time we were out in the garden shooting I took the photo of the waterfall above using Scott's formula for making the water look "silky". The photo I shot was using a F18 aperture at 1/8th of a second. Here is the formula:
- Cloudy Day
- ISO100
- Tripod (a must)
- Polarizer filter (I don't have one yet...so I didn't use this)
- Aperture set between F16-F22
- Move things out of center...imagine a grid like a tic-tac-toe and place center of interest at one of the intersections.
- Rarely put horizon line in center of photo (reflections are an exception)
- On dreary day eliminate sky from picture (or minimize it if you can't eliminate)
- Frame your photo...use trees--leaves etc. to frame the picture and draw your eyes into the scene
- Curved lines bring interest to photo
- Avoid bright spots near the edges..they draw you out of picture
- Most images fail because they are too busy and do not have a point of focus
- Use more vertical shots
- Layers give more depth i.e. flowers in foreground, lake, mountain, sky ...use wide angle 17-35 and get close to foreground
- For landscapes focus about 1/3 of the way into the photo and use a F16 aperture.
- Polarizer filter is great for fall shots.
Practicing Photographic Techniques
Class 3
Session 4
In our fourth class we studied both water photography and close up photography.For the first section we took our cameras and tripods and went into the woodland gardens. There was bright sunlight so in order to understand the effects of aperture and speed on our photos we needed to get out of the bright sunlight. In the woodlands we found a small stream running through the area with many small waterfalls as the water went over the rocks. We took the same scene using various apertures and speeds. Although the lighting was not the best we were able to get a good idea of how the different settings would effect the photo. I am anxious to go out again on a overcast day or in the early morning and take the same photos in a better light.
Garden Photography - class 5
When the last day of class came I was really sad to see it end. I enjoyed the people in the class and I feel that I really learned a lot. The instructor was great and I will definitely take one of his classes again. It turned out to be a very hot and sunny day, not really a good day to photograph. Like all of our classes the instructor used the weather circumstances to give us tips. He talked about the summer not really being the best time to photograph. Early morning and at dusk are the best times all year, but this is particularly true in the summer months. He suggested that you use mid day to work on your photos or to go to museums and view other photographers. There is so much to be learned but viewing the works of others.Here are some of the tips that I took away from todays session.
- Light will tell you what to photograph and how to photograph.
- Polarizer works well on sunny days.
- Tips to photograph fireworks--bulb setting--ISO 400--Aperture F11-F16 Tripod is a must.
- You need to know the rules..but don't be afraid to go outside the box and break the rules.
- Try to photograph underneath flowers...get on the ground
- Wearing a hat forces you to look down..also great to take off and block sun from lens.
In the last class we visited the Chinese garden to photograph. The instructor took a few minutes with each of us individually and answered any questions we had. I had just gotten a new polarizing filter so he gave me hints on how to best use it. It works best when sun is coming in from the side. It mades skies and clouds pop. It is great for landscapes but not so good for water reflections. After my time with the instructor I was working on photographing a small waterfall. Someone said there was a statue of frog sitting on a rock at the bottom of the falls, but just when I was going to take the shot he jumped off into the water. For a second I was disappointed, but then he came up with a crawdad and I captured the photo above. Not a great shot, but a fun one and we all had a laugh about the "statue" catching the crawdad.
Books on Photography
I pick up a lot of tips from other photographers from reading and looking at books on photography. Here is one on Garden Photography.
Click to view on Amazon
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Thursday, June 11, 2015
Photographing on a Rainy Day
If you love to take photographs, a string of rainy days can dampen your spirits. But have no fear, with a bit of creativity you can get some great shots, even on a rainy day. The photo above was taken on one of those weeks when the rain just wouldn't quit. It was shot from my covered front porch using a 70x 300 lens set on aperture priority at 5.6. I moved around the various sections of leaves on our Japanese Maple tree to capture the raindrops on the leaves and the gentle rain in the background.
Tips for Photography in the Rain
- Carry a raincoat for your camera ( you can purchase a rain covering for your camera at a camera shop or online)
- A gallon sized plastic bag...this can work in a pinch, just cut a hole for the lens and put your hand in the back and your camera is safe and dry.
- Look for porches or awning to stand under and shoot.
- Shoot from inside your car. This is a great way to capture scenes when you travel in the rain.
- Try to get the light behind the raindrops to bring them out.
Objects to Look for on a Rainy Day
- Food at an outdoor market covered with raindrops
- Umbrella's as a backdrop
- Flowers and leaves with raindrops
- Reflections in puddles
- Emotions on people...joy on children playing in rain...frustration of commuters hurrying about in the weather
- Raindrops on interesting objects or parts of objects.
So the next times you have a rainy day go grab you camera and see how creative you can get!
Note: The author may receive a commission from purchases made using links found in this article. “As an Amazon Associate, Ebay (EPN) and/or Esty (Awin) Affiliate, I (we) earn from qualifying purchases.”
Thursday, February 26, 2015
Photographing Butterflies
Each year I like to take a class or two to update my photography skills. When I heard that there was a special class at The Butterfly House on capturing great shots of butterflies I was anxious to attend. The class was held during the hours that the house was closed so that the photographers could use tripods and not disrupt the normal flow of guests.
On the day of the class it was a frigid 8 degrees outside. The scene above is the frozen lake at the entrance to The Butterfly House. I was looking forward to getting inside to the warm butterfly conservatory where the temperatures are kept in the 80's for the tropical butterflies.
Photography Tips
When the class started the instructor gathered us around for a few tips about photographing butterflies. Before we entered the conservatory, he had us put a plastic bag over our camera lens and secure it with a rubber band. This would help the camera become accustomed to the change in temperatures and prevent condensation on the lens. We then entered the conservatory and gathered around for a few tips on photographing butterflies.
- Use a tripod
- Use a remote shutter release
- Set you white balance at cloudy
- Set your ISO at 400
- Use Aperture priority and start with a 5.6 aperture
Photographing Blue Morpho Butterflies
There were a lot of Blue Morpho butterflies flying around but very few that were sitting still. Here are a few photos I was able to get of these beautiful blue butterflies.
The first butterfly was perched on a bench and stayed there for the longest time. I sat on a bench across from it and set up my tripod. It stayed there while I shot a whole series of photos and then went to let some of the other classmates know about this shot. In the second shot the butterfly was back in among the foliage and in the shadows. Our instructor used a reflector to shine light on the butterfly and I was able to capture this shot. I love the way it really shows all the lines on the butterfly. The photo below shows a Blue Morpho butterfly with its wings closed.
More Tips from our Instructor
- Take your time finding the right shot
- Take notice of the background....look past your subject to see what else will be in your photo
- Shoot away from the light
- Use reflectors to bring light in to dark areas
- Don't expect every shot to be great...if you come away with just a couple good photos it will be a successful shoot.
Tropical Butterflies
The Butterfly House features more than 25 species of butterflies from around the world. Here are a few of my other favorite shots from the photography class. I especially like the second one with the transparent wings.
Zazzle Products from my Photos
Note: The author may receive a commission from purchases made using links found in this article. “As an Amazon Associate, Ebay (EPN) and/or Esty (Awin) Affiliate, I (we) earn from qualifying purchases.”