Botanical Gardnes - Using the Top Ten Tips

Prior to going to the Botanical Gardens with Tony, I did some research on the internet to ensure that I got the best from my time there. However, prior to going the weather turned wintry and we enjoyed an element of snow. Add to this the fact that I was trying to compliment my images of Autumn for my portfolio and the opportunity to take appropriate images became more and more of a challenge.

However, using the tips that I had researched I took numerous images of plants and leaves and tried to apply the techniques reviewed.

Take Pictures from Different angles

ISO 200: f/10: 1/20: lens 18-55mm

ISO 200: f/10: 1/40: lens 18-55mm

These two pictures were taken from two completely different angles. The image on the left gives a much greater depth of field, as the leaves in the background create perspective. However, you lose the full impact of the leaves in the image on the right. In this instance therefore, I have chosen the image on the right as part of my final selection, although I have modified the final image slightly in Photoshop.

Use a good Quality Tripod

ISO 200: f/10: 1/40: lens 18-55mm

To take this shot I had to really lower my camera on the tripod and stand back. The light is not brilliant, but I had to stand away from the leaf, in order to shed as  much light onto the subject as possible. Using my remote trigger, I took the image as seen.

Get Close to the Image, Use a Macro Lens and A remote trigger to reduce camera shake.

ISO 100: f/5: 1/40: lens 18:55mm with 4 x Magnifier

In this image I adopted the advice as above. Using the magnifying filters and the tripod I was able to get very close to the subject.  Add to this the wireless trigger and I was able to close-up images with the minimum of movement.

ISO 100:  f/5: 1/80: lens 18-55mm with 4 x Magnifier

Use Backgrounds for constant colour: Use the smallest aperture size available

I got very close to these seeds and used the widest aperture available given the light conditions. Hence the seeds themselves are very clear, but the background is completely blown out. The clarity of the sed heads is exaggerated by the almost non-nonsensical background which is just a blur of colours with no detail whatsoever. Whilst this will not sit in my final portfolio, I do really like this image.

Re-Focus My Efforts

I need to focus on the two elements that I am doing as part of the course.

People and Portraits.

Having spent several weeks thinking about various things I have now finalised where I want to be and what I want to do - at last.

I want to take images of people against varying backgrounds. Could be the same person against different backgrounds or maybe different people against the same background or variations on a theme. I need to focus on this and to review photographers working in similar spheres and review that.

In order to do this I need to research the better use of flash (on and off camera) and  am already thinking about constructing the shots.

Nature

Looking at this topic, it is very wide ranging. However, I have a number of photographs that I have taken recently and which I continue to take, of flora and fauna. Therefore I am going to concentrate on these elements, using some of my recent work and supporting this with additional images over the coming days/weeks.

Autumn

I have been thinking about my 'Nature' series of photos and am torn between water and seascapes and Trees and plants. Autumn brings out fantastic colours in the tress and with the right sky the contrasts can be fantastic.

So, armed with my camera and zoom lens I took the dog into Hopwas Woods and looked for things to photograph. Easy. However, as the woods are so dense, you do not always get the best light or the best angle for the shot.  Ironically, I got 2 of the following when I got back home!

I chose only to take my zoom lens as  I specifically wanted to capture close up's of leaves, most of which I knew would be high in trees, or in locations that would not be easy for me to access. The downside of that, was that I was unable to capture any decent shots of the wood in all it's glory.

I am pleased with the 7 pictures that I have chosen, as when displayed side by side, they are very colourful view of the autumn.

ISO 200: f 9: 1/100: lens 55-200mm

I tried a number of shots to get this as the shot was taken almost directly into the sun. Focusing on the leaves in the foreground I managed to blur out the back of the image. However, the brightness of the leaves in the back contrasts nicely with the leaves in the foreground. 

The golden leaves in the image below contrast really well with the copper sulphate blue sky. I like the sharpness of the contrast and the detail in the leaves. You can see the real difference in the blueness of the sky as this was taken with the sun over my shoulder, whereas the first picture was taken almost into the sun.

ISO 100: f 9: 1/200: lens 55-200mm

Golden leaves are nice but there are plenty more colours and interesting things to take, so I contrasted these with some red berries and brown leaves from a tree in my neighbours garden!

ISO 100: f 9: 1/80: lens 55-200mm

I saw this broken twig on the floor with a shaft of sunlight lighting it up nicely. It stands out well from the background and creates a burst of gold against a dark backdrop.

ISO 1600: f 9: 1/160: Lens 55-200mm

I like the look of bark and in my files I have many images of tree trunks and snapped trees. Looking at this tree there was  a nice amount of reflected light which illuminated the trunk of this tree. The dark brown is in stark contrast to the lighter brown's in the dying out heathers.

ISO 1600: f 9: 1/80: Lens 55-200mm

Looking at the heather, some is dying off already and others of it are not. Picking out this leaf in particular, I was able to show it against a nice green backdrop to exaggerate the colour and shape.

ISO 1600: f9: 1/125: Lens 55-200mm

Finally, I wanted to add another dimension of additional colour and came across a bush of red berries. I took several shots and chose this one as it has a shallow depth of field, allowing one to concentrate on the berries on the left and allowing you to drift into the rest of the bush.

ISO 1600: f5: 1/1000: Lens 55-200mm

Frozen Over

ISO 100: f7.1: 1/15: lens 18-55mm (f3.5-5.6)

I spent some time photographing numerous things and came upon this broken tree. Removing the colour and adjusting only the brightness and the contrast I managed to get the picture to where I wanted it to be. It looks bleak and cold and draws your eye across the page (albeit from right to left).