|
Every year the alpine basins and
meadows of the American wilderness come to life in a
kaleidoscope of color with the return of alpine wildflowers.
Indian Paintbrush, Mules Ear, Columbine, and lupine as well
as many smaller and fragile tundra flowers dot the meadows,
sub-alpine basins and canyon rims from New England to New
Mexico and far beyond. While these small wonders get the
nature photographer's pulse quickening, they can be rather
difficult to photograph, and especially difficult to shoot
in new and fresh ways that will set you apart from the
crowds. Let me show you some tips and techniques for
creating unique photos of pistils, blooms and vistas.
Blooming Season
The blooming season in the United
States can last from late February all the way into
September! Where you go, weather conditions and seasonal
rainfall and temperatures will dictate what blossoms you
shoot and when your best chance of capturing the flowers at
peak bloom occurs. Southern California usually blooms first
and is followed shortly thereafter by the desert regions of
Arizona, New Mexico, Texas and Nevada. By late April and
early May the flush of color has washed across the country
and can be found in most regions and states. For those of
you interested in sharpening your skills, I highly recommend
spending a couple sessions over the winter at your local
botanical gardens. This will give you the chance to hone
your skills in macro and abstract work before you travel
hundreds of miles in search of lush alpine meadows and
colorful alpine basins.
Camera Checklist
Any film or digital SLR will do the
trick. A few essential features to look for in your camera
are mirror lock-up and depth-of-field preview. For wide
angle landscapes a wide-angle lens such as a 12-24mm or
17-35mm zoom will do the trick. If you intend on shooting
close-up images a macro lens in the 105mm or 200mm focal
lengths will work well. You can also add a set of extension
tubes to your work kit and these will allow you to enter
into the world of macro flower photography at a fraction of
the cost. A few other useful items include a portable
fold-out diffuser/reflector, smart strobe, circular
polarizing filter, a set of graduated neutral density
filters ( 2 and 3 stops) and a small spray bottle to add dew
drops. This basic outfit will be able to produce at least
90% of all of your images.
The Grand Landscape
Nothing gets my blood pumping like the
sight of pristine alpine wildflowers with big mountains
bathed in warm sunrise light. Here are few pointers to help
you come away with some winning images.
Look for the light! Front light, side light and twilight are
the three best lighting scenarios for wide angle alpine
flower photography. Shooting at sunrise often produces the
best results as the atmosphere is most calm and the flowers
are perfectly still for the longer exposures necessary in
this low light. Scout out your locations to find the best
looking blooms in conjunction with the most dramatic
scenery. And show up on location at least 1 ½ hour before
sunrise and be ready for the changing light.
A set of graduated neutral density filters will help bring
the light in the range of your film or digital sensor and a
polarizing filter will intensify the color in the sky and
remove any unwanted glare from wet foliage and flowers,
resulting in a more colorful image. Be sure to get the
entire area in focus from foreground flowers to distant
terrain by focusing 1/3 of the way through the image and
using your depth-of-field preview to check for sharpness. If
you can, try to limit your aperture to no more than f16 to
maintain the highest possible lens resolution and allow for
a bit faster shutter speed to freeze the flowers. The use of
a polarizing filter like the
Singh Ray
LB polarizer which only cuts down on exposure by 1
1/3 of a stop (as compared to 2 or 3 stops like many other
polarizing filters) will allow you a little more flexibility
in choosing the fastest shutter speed possible to freeze any
moving pistils. When shooting at twilight, try to aim your
camera at a right angle from the rising sun to obtain a soft
and subtle side light. The light from the overhead sky will
act as a natural reflector and fill in the shadowed areas.
When positioning your camera, try to get as low and as close
as possible to the blooms so they fill the frame and appear
larger than in actuality.
Picking Out the Details
A favorite technique of mine when
shooting wildflower fields is to use a telephoto lens to
pick out patterns and intimate scenes in the larger
landscape. A telephoto lens in the 70-200mm range will do
the job. When lining up telephoto compositions it is
important to pay careful attention to patterns, shapes and
color relationships. I often look for fields of flowers
stacked up with blotches of green mixed in or stands of trees
in the background. Precise focus and depth-of-field are
essential for getting the entire scene in sharp focus from
front to back. Depth-of-field preview will allow you to view
the image with your lens stopped down to the chosen aperture
so you can adjust focus and be sure everything is sharp.
When using a telephoto lens be sure to have your camera
firmly mounted on your tripod, and use mirror lock-up to
reduce any vibrations, especially when using shutter speeds
in the 1/30 to 1/2 second range. Here is a tip: after locking
your mirror up, wait a few seconds for any in-camera
vibrations to calm before tripping the shutter.
Small World Spectaculars
While you're on location shooting your
wildflower landscapes, it is important to get some good
macro and close-up images. There are many different ways to
approach macro and flower photography and you can shoot at
almost anytime of the day as long as the wind is being
cooperative. I like to go close at a wide aperture to have
only a small section of the flower in focus and let the rest
of the image fall off into soft and colorful blurs. My
favorite lenses of choice are a 70-200mm zoom in conjunction
with either a 25mm or 50mm extension tube, and my trusty
105mm macro. A macro lens will normally get you within 1/2
to 1/1 life size reproduction. So if you are photographing a
small flower about the size of your thumb and it fills the
frame, it is at 1/1 or life size reproduction. A macro lens
can be a bit of an investment, but they will yield true
macro images combined with superior optics.
You may also choose to purchase a set of extension tubes.
Most sets come in three and include 12mm, 25mm, and 50mm tubes,
starting at about $160.00. The extension tubes mount in
between your lens and camera body and allow for increased
magnification. Be aware, you will lose anywhere from 1/2 to 2
stops of light depending on the size of the extension tube.
Another advantage of using extension tubes is the rapid
fall-off of sharp focus, allowing for a muted and clutter
free background.
Overcast days or shaded light is preferred for macro and
close-up photography. A white diffuser can also be used to
shade your subject from direct light on sunny days. Be
careful to set your focus precisely as you will have a very
limited depth of field at these high magnifications.
Break the Rules
Don’t be afraid to step out of the box
and make some truly unique images while out in the field.
Try some camera movements such as panning and swiping to
create dramatic impressionistic images of colorful meadows
and clumps of flowers. If your camera has a multiple
exposure function built into the software, try setting it to
record 8 to 10 images and twist your camera in a clockwise
or counter-clockwise motion while slightly zooming out for
each image in the series. This works best with a wide to
moderate wide angle lens such as a 12-24mm or a 24 -70mm. Be
sure to set your camera to shutter priority and maintain a
shutter speed of no less than 1/30 of a second to keep the
image a sharp as possible, as you will be handholding the
camera during this technique.
Another thing to try is getting in low and close to a clump
of alpine flowers with an ultra wide-angle lens and a small
extension tube ( in the 12mm range). The use of the
extension tube will allow your wide-angle to focus much
closer than it normally could resulting in a dramatic image
of flowers up close and sharp with a soft background that
shows the surrounding terrain. It's best to keep your
aperture in the range of f8 to f11 to ensure maximum focus
in the flowers. The background will be discernable but not
sharp.
 |
About the
Author
