Flower Photography - A Mild Obsession

What does it take to get the perfect close-up shot of a wildflower? Set up a tripod, attach the camera, and snap, snap, it's in the bag, camera, chip... Maybe... but think about a few unexpected roadblocks first. Stopping (screeching to a halt) unexpectedly after finding the perfect clump of subjects (mainly the easy part) (sometimes interesting along a busy highway) Parking and gathering essential things (simple) - then hauling everything over hill and dale, which is my least favorite part. Tripod, camera bag with multiple lenses that never seem to lighten, and then fun, wonderful, fun... It appeared to be only a short way across three fences to where the wild, stunning yellow number (nothing exotic - just a beautiful daisy!) nods in the soft breeze...but...

Have you ever attempted to scale a fence while carrying a tripod and a heavy camera bag over your shoulder? You say, "Just pass them through the barrier and follow!" In theory, everything is ideal, but when I'm out shooting, I always have my tripod, camera clipped in, slung over my shoulder, legs extended, spread ready to go (the fact that I look like a giraffe with ungainly neck protrusions goes unnoticed), and my camera bag is old, stinky, and huge! So, how do I get beyond the first gate, let alone the second or third, in search of the ideal daisy without a lot of leg folding, shoving, and unclipping of my priceless digital genius first? Simple answer: I don't, but I try to get by nonetheless. Result? The air surrounding my brain begins to turn blue, and expletives that are neither novel nor innovative begin to spew from my person without warning. Then there's the humiliation of having at least one area of my favorite sweater snagged by an ever-vigilant barb! Alternative possibilities include tossing the stuff over and hoping for the best, finding a gate (how far away is the nearest? ), or simply leaving everything in the SUV...barring the digital genius and one's favorite 1:1 lens, of course!

What is my final decision? Leave the tripod and backpack in the SUV, take what you need, and hope that the previous night's ravages haven't wreaked havoc on your normally rock steady hands. So, leaping over fences one, two, and three like a gazelle, I stride toward the ideal clump of yellow. Because it's late in the season, all of the white daisies have faded to a deep, golden yellow.

The next step is to find the ideal specimen. I need to figure out what I'm attempting to convey in the image. Nature's shape, sublime in its attention to detail, or organic soft color melting into greater color with shadowy portions - a little of both, perhaps. The digital wonder, the digital freedom - the ability to do anything because one can! It's fantastic. It's a discovery, a deepening of the creative desire to explore new regions without expense... or, at times, without end.

Sure, it can lead to a lack of direction and planning, but it can equally be argued that it broadens one's vision, boosts output, and allows one to perceive the world from multiple perspectives. I look forward to the challenge!

It's time to return to the realm of yellow! mmm Because I can't decide which of the great options is THE perfect option, I decide to shoot anyhow, putting pen to paper (or rather, index finger to shutter button) to get my creative juices flowing. As usual, I relax into it and my mind opens up to the possibilities: depth of field, front edge of a petal in focus, rear edge out, and vice versa, but generally warm yellow consumes my thoughts.Kneeling on the ground head down intensely focused - the butt in the air angle would not be an attractive sight for any passing observer but I don't need to worry about such considerations as this mild obsession most often leads to splendid isolation.

A word of advice: bracket everything (1 stop on either side or thirds if you have the option), shoot at the best resolution you can with whatever kind of digital genius you have, and take at least six images per chosen angle. Give yourself the best chance of capturing the image you really want - the one that's flawless enough to hang on your wall, or any wall. When you have to admit it didn't exactly happen because to trigger finger nastiness, you feel like an idiot! The definition of digital brilliance is trigger finger generosity, or, to put it another way, repetition is the foundation of professionalism. I say whatever it takes. Take the opportunity! The joy is unfathomable.

More advice: double-check the first few photographs on the preview screen to ensure everything is operating properly. Do the greyscale thing in Photoshop instead of shooting twenty fantastic black and white images of a lovely yellow daisy! Slow down and take a look at the first few brackets.Check that the ISO is set to 100, not 1600, and that all of the exposure compensation overrides have been reset (or leave them at 1600 over by two if odd and whacky is what you're after). Little things, but over the course of my twenty years as a photographer, these small things have grown to be embarrassingly enormous things if ignored!

So, with perfection caught and 0 and 1's secured in the land of Flash wizardry, it's back across the three gates - the gazelle's knees are a touch creaky from kneeling on the moist ground - to the ever patient, ever dependable SUV. We're off... Gear stowed, key in ignition... A wave of excitement floods over me!

But don't forget the first things you should do when you go back? Download and save a copy! At your peril, forget. Just in case you didn't receive it the first time, DOWNLOAD AND BACKUP.