Wild Flowers

Wild Iris in Oregon Woods

Wild Flowers in Walla Walla Vineyard

Spring brings wildflowers.  Flower shots usually fall into the category of "macro" or "close-up" photography. Many digital cameras, both the point and shoot variety and more advanced models have pre-settings for close ups. For the more advanced cameras there are specialized macro lenses available.  If flowers, mushrooms, bugs, etc. are your photo thing macro lenses are good investments. Check your camera and camera manual for the presence of close-up features.

If you find yourself in a field of wildflowers there are several ways to capture the moment.

First, take pictures from the edge of the field. These should have a well defined foreground that is in focus. Experiment by focusing on a near-by flower. Then vary the f-stop. Start with a wide open stop that will give a narrow depth of field, such as 3.5 or 5.6. Then work your way up to a closed down stop that will give a deep depth of field. Compare the results and see what you like. Remember, in all my suggested experiments I am working to help you define "your" style. Both the wide open and closed down stops may yield great results. The wide open stop will isolate the focused upon flower by fuzzing out the backdrop. The closed down stop will have more in focus and more closely resemble what you saw.

One of the major problems with taking wildflower and garden flower shots is the wind. If it is a nice still day there may be little movement in the flowers and it may be possible to wait for those quiet moments when nothing is moving. However, we usually are not that lucky. This is where you ISO setting comes in. On a windless day you may be able to shoot at an ISO of about 200. When the breeze is breezing you will have to step up the ISO to 500 to 2000 in order to get the shutter speed fast enough to stop the action of the flowers in motion. In the old days of film this would have been a major problem because as the ISO of the film increased the grain of the film increased in size and the print became grainy. With the digital cameras the impact of increasing the ISO is relatively minor - so go ahead and try those once outrageous ISO settings of 1000 to even 5000.

Of course movement in the camera is also a problem. The easiest way to deal with this is to use a tri-pod or a mono-pod. A camera or lens that has the "image stabilization" feature can be most beneficial for hand held shots. Using the image stabilization feature on a mono-pod can be very good and not as difficult as carrying about as a tri-pod. This is also were a very short tri-pod or mono-pod can be very useful.

The most common problem I see is where the top half (or bottom half) of the flower is in focus and the other half is not. This is usually because the face of the flower and the face of the lens are not parallel. Thus, the distance to the top half of the flower is different than the distance to the bottom half of the flower. The solution is to tilt the camera such that the plane of the face of the flower and the plane of the face of the lens are parallel. Sometimes you cannot get low enough to use your viewfinder, so you again have to experiment. Hold the camera down to the level of the face of the flower, tilt the camera to the plane of the face of the flower and shoot. Bring the camera screen up to viewing level and see what you have. Adjust how you place the camera and shoot again - and maybe again - and maybe again. Having that fantastic shot of the forest floor wildflower is well worth the extra two or five minutes this might take. It is helpful when doing this to mark the spot you had the camera by putting a coin or a stick on the ground.

Also, with wildflowers do not be satisfied with taking just mug shots. Try a profile shot, one from above and one from below. Try taking the flower's backside. Try to have the flower back lit - in a pinch a friend with an adjustable beam type flashlight can provide the back lighting. This can be especially effective if there is a bug on the flower. Also, nature does not always supply us with dew. So, find a small mister and make your own. Oh, heavens forbid - pish posh. You are creating art and memories. Just do not hurt the flower or the surrounding eco structures in your quest for art. Especially do not pick wildflowers - in many places this is highly illegal and may be subject to fines of up to $1,000. It is always in bad taste to pick wildflowers. There is an exception in many places. Students may obtain a permit to pick a limited number of wildflowers if they are involved in a school science project. Check with the Park Rangers.

Venture into the field and take portraits of individual flowers and family shots or groups of flowers. The same advice holds. However, one caution. Watch where you step and do no damage to living plants. Rocks make excellent stepping stones.

Also, do not take only close-up shots.  Why?  Many wildflowers look much alike.  If you have an expert friend helping you to identify the flower they will need to see the entire plant and even the micro eco system that is about the wildflower.  This will increase your "market" for the images because while the close-up shots are dramatic the broader shots have their own charm.  Uniform lighting is a challenge and hot spots destroy many good shots.  Do not be afraid to shade the entire flower or plant.  Or, if you want to get very fancy, shade the plant and then use a silver or white reflector to increase the light on the flower.

Lastly, if you want to practice check out your local public rose garden or horticultural center.   A number of flower growers and greenhouses will let photographers roam.  Portland, Oregon has four magnificent public rose gardens. And many communities, such as Walla Walla, have very nice gardens and horticultural displays.  Of course there are fields of wildflowers in the Walla Walla Valley.

Hope this is helpful.  Please feel free to comment, to add your own suggestions and to help others find fields of wildflowers.

Photographing Events

Title "Professor Riley"

Blogger Note:  Being a trained and experienced journalist has an impact on my style.  I blog in the inverted pyramid format.  This puts the most important elements up front, with the least important items at the end.  This is a matter of editorial and reader efficiency.  If an editor has to shorten an article, the editor simply cuts from the bottom.  If the reader wants only the heart of the story, the reader stops reading when they know all that they want to know.  Thus, at a point in my blog entries where I feel the basics are covered I may say,” If this turns your crank, read on.”

 SHOOTING EVENTS:

 Events range from graduations to sporting events, and beyond.

First, do your homework, go to the library.  Find magazines or books that specialize in reporting on the type of event you want to shoot.  Go through these and pick out the images that most appeal to you.  Copy a set of these images to make up your personal event “assignment” booklet.  Then think about how you get into position for these shots.

Second, as you look at your assignment booklet, think about the classification of shot.  Is it a full field shot – such as half court in basketball or the whole stage at graduation?  Is it a limited action shot – such as two opposing basketball players or the graduate shaking hands with the dean?  Is it an up close and personal shot - such as the face on only one player or a portrait of the smiling graduate?  Again, do some pre-planning and think about how you will get these images.

Third, consider your equipment.  For this type of shooting I strongly suggest a camera with viewfinder that you put your eye up to.  This works best for action shooting and it interferes the least with those around you.  Holding the camera out from your face to view screen on the back of the camera blocks the view and photo opportunities for others.  Also, held out from the body  the camera is less steady and may produce blurry shots.  You do not need a fancy camera to shoot events.  The camera can be a point and shoot or an expensive professional unit with interchangeable lenses.  However, it is good to have the image stabilization feature and a zoom lens.  If available it is nice to have settable ISO, shutter speed and f-stop.  Also, you may want to consider using a mono-pod.  I jokingly call a mono-pod a one legged tri-pod.  The mono-pod is most useful for long events where you must keep the camera up and at the ready for extended periods.  It is also considerate in that it does not extend the space you are taking up.  Basically it reduces or eliminates the camera shake that come with holding the camera up, or, in my case, age.

Fourth, suggested camera settings for the shoot.  Most events involve action.

Thus, you want a fast shutter speed.  On some cameras you can set the shutter speed and the camera sets the other settings.  You can also get a faster shutter speed by increasing the ISO, or what we once called film speed.  Unlike film with a digital camera there is no dramatic decrease in image quality with increased ISO.  Do not be afraid of ISOs of 1000 or higher.  The higher the ISO, the faster the shutter.  Also, if you are shooting inside you may use a high ISO to avoid using a flash.  At many events flashes are not appreciated or are banned.  Also, you can increase shutter speed by using a low number f-stop.  In order to increase shutter speed and eliminate busy details from the background I suggest an f-stop of 8 or lower.  Often 5.6 or lower is even better for this purpose.  The low number f-stops decrease the depth of field – the further a portion of the  image  is from the subject upon which you focused the more fuzzy that part of the image.  Thus, busy and distracting backgrounds may be blurred.

If this subject turns your crank, read on.

One of the most useful strategies I find for shooting events is to know the event well enough to know where the action is going to take place.  When I shot water polo and soccer I could see the action moving towards a point where a dramatic shot was possible.  Rather than follow the players I would pre-focus on the probable point of action and fire off a shot or a burst of shots when the players first entered the viewfinder.  Shooting quickly gave me a shot with the players going into the frame.  If I waited until they were in the middle of the frame, given reaction time for me and camera, I would miss the shot.  If you use the burst of shots options, shoot a burst as the subject first enters the frame and do not stop until the subject has left the frame.  You will get a nice action sequence, which probably includes the image you were attempting to capture.

On individual shots is where a zoom lens comes into play.  Adjust the zoom to get your full field, limited action or up close and personal shot.  In other words, use the zoom feature to frame your image.  I tend to get zoomed in really tight or leave a little extra in the frame about the subject.  I leave the little extra so that I may crop the image in my computer for improved composition.  This allows you to keep the focal point in the center of the image.  Put the focal point on the action and click away.   This can result in poor composition, but is the fastest way to shoot.  Leaving a little space around the subject allows you to use the computer to compose the final image.

Another dramatic action technique is panning.  This uses an opposing strategy.  Instead of using a fast shutter speed one uses a slow shutter speed such as 1/25th or 1/15th of a second.  Instead of pre-focusing on the action spot one puts the subject, such as a runner, in the middle of the frame and moves the camera such that the subject stays in the middle of the frame.  Then one fires off shots with the camera moving.  Doing this the body of the subject is in fairly good stop action with arms and legs showing blurred action – and, more importantly the background is blurred in a way that indicates action.  I have used this for shooting subjects such as runners, soccer players, race cars and go carts.

Another suggested technique is to set the camera for a fast shutter speed and a medium dept of field with an f-stop of 5.6 or 8.  Then follow the action with the camera and shoot when you see what you want to capture.  Again, keep the subject in the center of the viewfinder and shoot away.  If your camera has the view screen on the back, check your results.  If you are not getting enough stop action, increase your ISO or decrease the f-stop number or both.

Title "I love you mommy"

Finally, pay attention to the height of the camera.  Basically, if possible, get the lens to the level of the action.  If you are shooting a youth sports or a dog show bring the camera down to the head or chest level of the subject.  In doing this you will better capture emotion in facial expressions and you will eliminate the distortion caused by shooting down upon the subject.  This is why you often see professional sports photographers kneeling on the sidelines for field sports such as football or soccer.  This is why portrait studios have elevated stages for shooting children and small critters.  Note that some pro sports photographers, with their heavy zoom lenses, use the monopod.

I hope  this is helpful.

J. Franklin Willis, Photographic Artist of Walla Walla, Washington