Tag Archives | garden photography

Lens Flare

At one point or another all garden photographers will have to deal with lens flare. Too much strong directional light will cause the glass in the lens to disperse the light – flare, and affect the quality of the image.

The flare will wash out color and reduce contrast. It is not always so obvious as in this example, where I was very consciously playing with the sunlight to see how far I could push my lens. I was previsualizing a glorious sunrise moment and trying every trick I could think of. More at the end of the post. Continue Reading →

Comments { 12 }

Tools for flower photography

You have heard of farm to table ? Here is garden to wall.

holt_1081_10.CR2

I simply could not resist making a PhotoBotanic illustration of this Iris in my garden. My studio was all set up from yesterday’s rose shoot and I wanted to practice photo stacking on a more complicated flower than a rose. Off into the garden . . . an Iris in mind.

More on the photo stacking tool later, a method to get maximum depth of field in one photo by using multiple exposures. But now, I am distracted by my subject.

I went looking for a big flower and I saw a magnificent stalk. The day’s work got much longer. I used another tool. There is an illustration here that needs to be made. Continue Reading →

Comments { 13 }

Garden Photo Point of View

Want to take better garden photos ? Before you snap the shutter, think of your point of view.

Meadow garden as seen from behind two trees – a point of view well composed between two trees that evokes a natural meadow as a clearing in a forest.

We are now deep into the PhotoBotanic Garden Photography Workshops, lesson 2.4 where I reveal the secret to good garden photography – think of your point of view. This concept perfectly transcends the first 3 chapters, as we move from Good Garden Photography – to Seeing the Garden – to Thinking Like a Gardener. You should be realizing every photo needs to tell a story – and have a point of view. Continue Reading →

Comments { 6 }

The Easy Way to Paint Watercolors

Several years ago, I met artist Diane Palley McDonald while doing an article about her studio’s makeover for the San Diego Union-Tribune. (The news angle was that it was on HGTV’s “Designer’s Challenge.”) When I saw Diane’s paintings, I wistfully told her how much I loved watercolors. She asked, “Well, then, why not paint your own?” I said I couldn’t possibly, never having done it, not to mention being too old to learn and too busy. She showed me paintings by her students—adults who’d never before taken a class and were convinced they had no artistic ability. They were amazing! Diane graciously invited me to attend a class, and I ended up taking a dozen. Since most of my subjects are garden-related, and you might want to paint your own flowers and plants, here’s what I learned.

Continue Reading →

Comments { 23 }