[ratpack] The new year
- From: humminboid@xxxxxxxxxxx
- To: ratpack <ratpack@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
- Date: Fri, 1 Jan 2010 18:32:47 +0000 (UTC)
Browsing the web for photo stuff, after a less-than pleasing session
attempting photographing roses under our skylight, I came across this little
gem. Applicable to all facets of the art, too. Verrrry Interesting! Enjoy!
Rose Photography and Flower Photography
Shooting Tips And Advice*
For Those Shooting With Film
By Bob Bauer
Hey Film Shooters: I honestly recommend that you switch to digital when you can
afford it. (My opinion is that it is better in most ways except this : archival
storage of slides is remains a film advantage.)
Rose and Flower Shooting Tips Equipment Issues (nerd stuff) Rose
Photography Myths
1a) USE A TRIPOD!!! Oh, and by the way, use a tripod... UNLESS! ...you are able
to set the shutter speed at 1/125 second or higher AND the aperture at f/ll or
above. You usually need the extra depth of focus that a slower shutter speed
and a higher f/stop number can give you. Even if you have 'Nerves Of Steel', it
is very difficult to hold your camera without shaking at a shutter speed below
1/125 second. Any camera shaking or vibration at all will seriously degrade
your final images.
1b) USE A FILTER. when the light demands it. In the shade or on an overcast day
use an 81B light balancing filter. Color balancing the light when at the shoot
is the mark of those 'in the know'. Just Do It. (Note: you don't need the 81B
filter if you are shooting with an electronic flash as a light source.)
2) USE GOOD FILM. It really really really pays off to use a good professional
100 ISO transparency (i.e. 'slide') film. Professional films are lower in
contrast (a good thing in this case), and have a wider color range. Sure they
cost a bit more, but only a bit and the results are worth it. There is a reason
that transparency film has been the standard of the professional film world
like.......forever! Don't fight it. This also allows you to put your pictures
in slide pages and look at them easily instead of thumbing through pack after
pack of 4x6 prints.
3) COMPOSE THE PICTURE. Don't just put the rose in the center of the frame,
look at the overall composition inside of the viewfinder. Always look at the
edges of the frame and compose within it. Get Artsy. Don't just put the
flowerhead in the center of the frame. Remember that you yourself may be
looking at the rose in the middle but your camera is seeing and recording all
the space around it as well. Artists think about design using the 'Rule Of
Thirds': this means that you mentally divide the screen up into thirds either
vertically or horizontally or both and balance strong and weak elements in a
ratio of 1/3 to 2/3. This simple technique is the key to good design.
4) VERICALITY. Hey... the camera can actually be turned 90 degrees once in a
while. Quit shooting everything horizontally already. Half of the world is
horizontal and half is vertical. Very, very little is square, (...but some
is... The third half of the world is square...heh heh...). The mark of the rank
amateur is shooting EVERYTHING horizontally.
5) WIND IS BAD. Wind is public enemy number one. Shoot in the morning, because
there is usually less wind at this time. If wind levels are HIGH , it is
pointless to try shooting anymore. Give it up. That said, if the wind level is
LOW , you can usually get your shot by keeping your eye in the viewfinder and
waiting for the moment the rose is still. It might take 5 minutes or more, but
it usually WILL happen. Be ready with your trigger finger and don't give up too
soon.
6) SHOOT NOW NOT LATER. This cannot be emphasized enough! Keep an eye on your
blooms. When they are just at the right stage, they will NOT wait for you. So
go get the camera right NOW! I mean it! This is the real key to the best rose
and flower photos. Have your camera by the door and ready to go. I know it's a
hassle, but go have got to go back inside and get the camera right now when you
see the bloom. I repeat again They Will NOT Wait For You!!!
7) LOOK BEFORE YOU SHOOT. Don't just point the camera and instantly fire away
from wherever you happen to have randomly stopped in front of the bloom. Stop a
second. Look around a bit, take a breath or two and think, move branches out of
the way, prune off ugly stuff and deadhead old blooms and diseased leaves that
might be in the picture. Move yourself around the flower or bush and look at it
from all angles: High, Low and Side to Side. Personally, I find it more
interesting not to snap a shot of just one bloom, but look to see all the
stages of a bloom at once. I try to find a close grouping of blooms on the bush
that show the bud, the partially opened and the fully opened bloom or even the
older finished bloom. Getting all of these in one shot is the ideal for me.
8) LOOK FOR SHADODWS. Take a close look through the viewfinder for shadows and
dark places on the rose bloom. Anything you see will be exaggerated. Dark areas
will appear black. Make sure that the bloom is evenly lit. No mottled shadows.
This looks horrible. If you see a shadow on the bloom, look to see if you can
hold back the branch that is causing it when you shoot. A little attention here
makes a huge difference.
9) NO FORMULAS PLEASE! Don't JUST shoot single blooms. Boring, Boring, Boring.
Don't shoot all of your photos the same way. UGH! A slideshow of that will
really put people in a coma! Shoot groups of blooms, shoot the whole plant get
CREATIVE. Come at it from below or from the side. No Rules. Get it?
10) DEPTH OF FOCUS. Or Depth Of Field, is extremely important! Shoot at f/11 to
f/16 or higher in order to get the depth of focus you need with a micro lens. I
can't count the number of blurry edged rose pictures I have seen in my life.
Get with the program!
11) 'BRACKETING' If you are unsure of yourself, bracket Your Exposures.
Bracketing means to shoot the same shot at 1/2 f stop below and 1/2 f stop
above your main exposure, resulting in 3 photos of the same subject at 3
different exposures. Realize that even the most perfectly accurate meter isn't
slways enough with film because variations in processing occur at most photo
labs.
(This is another one of the major advantages with shooting digital : you can
see what you have right on the site, and if you have a camera with a histogram
on the menu, you can see exactly if you have obtained all of the information
available simply by looking at the histogram curve.)
12) THE "SUNNY 16" RULE. Says: ISO 100 film on a sunny day, shoot at f/16 at
125th of a second. If using film, bracket your exposure at f/19 and f/22 for
light colored (white, yellow and light pink) roses, and f/13 and f/11 for dark
(red, purple, blue and black) roses. Especially blue ones (grin).
1) Try To Buy A FIXED FOCAL LENGTH CLOSE FOCUSING LENS. These lenses are
correctly called 'Micro' lenses. Although some companies call them 'Macro'
lenses. (Although Zoom Macro lens will work if that's all you have.)
For 35 Millimeter Cameras: The 90 to 100mm focal length gives you a better
working distance from the subject when you are shooting close ups, say, of the
inside of the flower head. The reason: you need a bit of a working distance
from your subject that you can't get as easily with a 50 or 60mm micro. Don't
forget also to regularly use wide angle lenses when shooting in the garden,
even close up.
For Fixed Lens Point and Shoot Cameras: , You're kinda stuck with what you've
got, so when buying one, make sure that it has close up capability and a good
zoom range. Favor wide angle over telephoto capability, that is really what is
needed in the garden. Close up is very important when shooting roses and other
flowers.
2) FILTER INFORMATION: It will pay to invest in an 81B light balancing filter
for shooting in the shade or on overcast days. It will really improve the look
of your pictures.
3) GET A STURDY TRIPOD. Not a flimsy one. Bogen imports a good one (actually
made by Manfrotto of Italy) for around $150 US. The lighter weight (Carbon
Fiber) tripods, though expensive, will make it more likely that you will
actually use your tripod. (Don't forget that if you are shooting in bright
sunshine with the sun at your back, you don't necessarily need your tripod.)
4) REPEAT: GET GOOD FILM! Yes, I'm saying it again. Buying quality film cannot
be emphasized enough. Bite the bullet and buy professional films Or whatever
the lastest and greatest is. (I've lost touch myself.) Forget the rest. Don't
EVER EVER NEVER EVER use the color saturation enhanced films like Fuji Velvia
or Kodak VS. I would also recomment to stay with Film ISO speeds of around 100.
The faster films will lead to decreased quality of your images. And stay away
from the super cheapo off brand amateur films!
5) SCANNER STUFF FOR FILM SHOOTERS: If you want to put your photos on the web.
Have them scanned by your local quick lab when they are processed! OR buy a
film scanner. There are great affordable flatbed photo scanners make by Epson
that will allow you to scan your 35mm slides at up to very high dpi non
interpolated resolution. That is much more than decent quality at a reasonable
price. Don't forget ebay to buy a used one either. These aren't the world's
fines scans, but absolutely quite good enough.
6) My ROSE PHOTOGRAPHY NERD GEAR:
At the close of my film days I used to use a Nikon F100 with a 105mm f/4
Micro-Nikkor lens. Or a 60mm f/2.8 AF Micro Nikkor for extreme close ups. I
usually metered manually with a Pentax digital spotmeter. I used a bogen 3221
tripod with a bogen ball head. I use a cable release for the camera. I shot
mostly Kodak E100G or something similar film. Though color negative films
scanned by your local Costco or drugstore will work just fine. I edited my film
directly into the garbage can, keeping only the best exposures, and files
images by name and category in my stock file in polyethylene slide pages.
Labeling the photos by name as soon as possible is the only way you can keep up
with the task. So just do it.
7) COMPUTER MANIPULATION INFO:
I myself scan my 35mm slides with my Epson Perfection V700 Flatbed Photo
Scanner, then bring them up in photoshop. First, I crop, then I clone out any
specks or background defects, adjust the color balance, brightness and contrast
using the curves tool, and lastly sharpen using the Unsharp Masking tool befire
saving them as full sized Tiffs.
For prints I save as full sized Tiff files at 240 dpi times the natural pixels
of the image. I enlarge the size just prior to printing if I am going to
increase the size of the file.
For the web, I then change the color mode to sRGB and resize them at 72 dpi for
web use. I next apply more Unsharp Masking for the final web file. All is then
labeled and catalogued in my database program,Extensis Portfolio. Finally my
hard drive is regularly backed up with mirroring (not backup!) software with an
external hard drive.
Time To Reach Into That Wallet/Purse and Pull Out The Plastic
.........sigh..... 1a) "YOU CAN'T SHOOT ROSES IN THE DIRECT BRIGHT
SUNLIGHT" Don't listen to this old saw. You can shoot in absolutely any light
conditions, provided you know what you're doing. You can't be very creative if
you shoot according to a formula.
1b) "YOU HAVE TO SHOOT IN THE 'SWEET LIGHT' OF EARLY MORNING OR LATE EVENING
FOR GOOD PICTURES" Bunk!!! If anything this will shift the color of your rose
photos to the yellow end of the spectrum. If there is light, you can shoot.
Even in the dark, you can shoot with your electronic flash.
2) "FILM RESULTS IN HIGHER QUALITY PHOTOS THAN DIGITAL CAN GIVE:" Well,...
actually it does.... IF You Are Shooting 8x10 Film. But you aren't and neither
am I (Although I used to). Digital photography is here all the way and it is
ubiquitous. It is better in almost every conceivable way. It is less expensive,
more forgiving and because of that, less skill is needed to produce great
images. It is true that it is a little expensive to get good quality results.
You definitely have to invest in some gear in order to achieve quality. But you
can now do with $1000 what it used to take $10,000 to do a few short years ago
(assuming you already have a computer). Digital photography allows you to see
what you have on the spot and correct your mistakes. And there really isn't ANY
visual effect that film can do that digital can't. That is the fact, Jack
3) "Fuji Velvia Kodak VS, or other super color-saturated film is great for
roses, it's soooo colorful" Nope! Sorry. Don't believe it. These films are
waaaay to contrasty and color inaccurate for our purposes. Velvia colors for
example are the most inaccurate of any film made. (They did it this way on
purpose to make all of the colors bright.) Use something else. Preferably a
lower contrast professional color accurate film. When shooting flowers, you
definitely will want to keep with the more natural look if what you are trying
to do is represent accurate looking pictures of you favorite varieties to
others.
4) "I'M JUST NOT A GOOD PHOTOGRAPHER, ART IS NOT MY THING" Baloney! Hey, it's a
simple skill that can be learned by anybody. Just like riding a bicycle, get
back on and try again. But don't forget to pay attention this time. I love this
oh so true aphorism by Malcolm Gladwell: "Talent is the desire to practice" .
And for the record: ART is everybody's thing. We are all naturally creative, we
just need to LEARN how to tap into this.
5) "I DON'T NEED TO KNOW ANYTHING FOR THIS, COME ON NOW, WITH MY AUTO CAMERA
IT'S JUST POINT AND SHOOT THESE DAYS." You don't have to know a whole lot, but
you HAVE GOT TO to pay attention to a few details. It really pays off to think
before you shoot. The less you know the worse your photos....PERIOD.
6) "THERE IS SUCH A THING AS 'THE BEST PHOTOGRAPH' OR 'THE BEST PHOTOGRAPHER'"
Don't Buy into this silly stuff. In order to be a good artist, you have got to
leave the competitive spirit behind. You have to believe in your own taste. You
can't match it to someone else's ideas. All that you've got as an artist is
your own sense of what looks good. If you lose that taste, that edge of knowing
what looks good, you become truly clueless. Don't try to copy others. You know
what you like......SHOOT THAT! If you are pleased with the look of your
photograph, you are developing taste and style. A taste and style of your own.
Follow that innate sense of what looks good to you.
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