Working the Scene - Thoughtfully & Thoroughly

Think about it for a minute - how much time and effort do you put into planning, coordinating and shooting your photos?  If you're like me and most photographers I know,  the answer is quite a bit! 

With all of this effort, time, and money involved, why shortchange yourself by rushing through the scene and only capturing a couple of images, or worse - shooting a lot of images from the same viewpoint, with the same lens, f-stop, etc? 

It's easy to do!  Believe me - I've done it all to often and regretted it when I'm in the editing process, but hey - I'm learning as they say! 

Here's an approach I try to use every time I pick up the camera,  no matter how straight forward the shot may seem - Before I ever point the camera or mount it on my tripod,  I "take in" the scene with just my eyes.  Look, observe, walk around and through it.  Strong compositions will start to form in your minds eye.  Now is the time to get your camera, select your viewpoint and choose the lens that includes what you want in your frame. 
 
Great - now you've started the process!  Switch to a different lens,  shoot some exposures at a different f-stop for a different look and feel.  Now take your gear to another spot and shoot - you'll already be visualizing the next few compositions and series of shots because you have a mental image  from your initial walk-through.

By exploring,  and "turning over" all of the rocks of opportunity when you're shooting, the editing process will be a joyous one - knowing you've covered the scene the way it, and you deserved - Thoughtfully and Thoroughly!  

Morpho Madness

Butterflies.  Lots, and lots of butterflies!  Two weeks ago I taught a Macro photo workshop at the Butterfly House in Chesterfield, Missouri and was amazed at the beauty and grace of these amazing creatures.  This location is a beautiful, indoor tropical setting that is filled with all kinds of varieties of butterflies and plants just begging to be photographed!

We were there a couple of hours and could have easily photographed all day without duplication.  The key to this type of photography is be patient, move slowly, and select an attractive background.  There are so many butterflies one is bound to light nearby so be ready when they do.  Also, by slowly walking through the area you'll discover areas that offer great light, colorful plants, and of course that one elusive butterfly you've been looking for.

Although it wasn't crowded, there are still other people shooting pictures and enjoying the beauty so it's important to travel light and respect their experience as well as the environment while you're trying to get that "wall hanger" of a shot.

A couple of things to keep in mind when shooting in these environments:   Bring a large plastic bag to put your gear in before entering the enclosure.  It's very warm and humid inside so to avoid condensation on you lenses and other equipment (cold environment to warm), it needs to acclimate to this inside temperature.  Those who wear glasses know what I mean!

Also, wear light, comfortable clothing-it's like summertime in there-very warm!

I usually like to use a tripod when shooting most macro subjects but sometime they're just not practical.  This is a case where it sat on the sidelines.  It was much easier to quickly move in, focus, and expose my shot without the additional movements a tripod would have entailed.  Also, with other people in a relatively close space it doesn't impose on their experience.

REAL WORLD SHOOTING TIPS - MACRO & CLOSE UP PHOTOGRAPHY

• Shoot with a macro lens or use a quality close up filter attached to your lens.  I used a 100mm macro on these shots.  Most were exposed at ISO 400, /125 sec @ f5.6.  Daylight white balance.
• Focus and depth of field is critical-everything is magnified so be sure you are focused on the most critical area of your subject-usually the eyes-and that there is enough depth of field to show your subject at it's best.
• Use a ring flash or macro flash setup in a fill flash capacity-to supplement (not overpower) the existing light and add crispness to your photo.
• Use a shutter speed fast enough to freeze movement-bump up your ISO up as necessary.
• Be aware of your backgrounds-avoid clutter and excessive bright areas. 
• Travel light on the equipment.  Mobility and easy of setup is most important.

This kind of photography is always a lot of fun.  Challenging and rewarding.  As the saying goes...nothing is as easy as it looks but I encourage you to take a few hours, select a subject and shoot some close ups. You'll have a lot of fun and learn a lot.  And, you just may get that elusive "wall hanger" of a photo!
     

Happy Shooting!   Michael