Plant Photography tuition – Glorious Plants
- Dogwood fruits and pin cushion flowers in natural light with cloud cover
Heather has been taking macro shots of the natural world for over four decades. Initially she concentrated on marine life whilst working as a marine biologist. Then she broadened her subjects and now spends a lot of time taking flowers, fruits and leaves – both in close-up and using longer lenses.
The key features we will cover during the day are listed below, but this is by no means cast in stone. Just let us know if you would like the programme fine-tuned to meet your own particular interests and experience level. For example, we can discuss histograms, how to edit images and cover focus stacking if this is of interest.
Who will benefit from this plant photography tuition?
Anyone who appreciates plants – be they plant lovers, photographers, gardeners, florists or garden designers – and wants to discover new ways for photographing them. With such a wide array of pot plants and cut flowers now available, flowers can be photographed every month of the year. There will be opportunities to see how reflectors and diffusers can enhance plant photography outside as well as how to use LED lights and fill-flash to advantage.
If you want to extend your approach to photographing plants – in any weather – you will enjoy being immersed in looking at plants all day. The emphasis will be on lighting – much of it inexpensive ways of getting the best possible shot.
Bupleurum umbel backlit on lightbox
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- A lightbox highlighted the structure of minute flowers against glowing bracts
Key Features
- Laptop presentation of lighting techniques
- How to meter difficult subjects
- Outdoor lighting – reflectors / diffusers / fill-flash
- Creative use of depth of field
- Check out backgrounds
- Careful composition
- Work with window light
- Work with LED lights
- How to shoot focus stacks
- Work in professional studio with fibre optics
Outline
When the weather is unsuitable for working outside, window light is ideal for some subjects; alternatively artificial light, flash or even a lightbox can be used during the day or even at night. Various lighting set-ups will be available in a professional studio using all these light sources together with studio flash and fibre optics to photograph a range of plant subjects.
At the end of this day, you will have a clear understanding of how to achieve the best results when photographing plants using your digital SLR – whatever the weather.
Date
Arranged to suit
Lunch
Lunch will be provided, please advise if you have any special dietary requirements
What to bring
- Camera
- Macro lens
- A longer lens – a telephoto zoom would be fine
- Tripod
- Reflectors and diffusers – only if you have them; otherwise they will be available for you to see how they work before you buy any
- Flash – if possible one that is not a pop up on the camera – but don’t buy one for the day. Nikon users can borrow a flash if necessary.
- Macro focusing rail (only if you have one, not essential)
If you want to bring a few of your plant images – as prints or digital files – Heather will be happy to appraise them.
About Heather
Heather is a professional Photographer, Author, Lecturer and Special Professor at Nottingham University
Heather’s Photography website
http://www.heatherangel.co.uk
COST
One to One
£300 +VAT per day
£200 +VAT per half day
Two to One
£160 + VAT per person per day (TOTAL £320 +VAT for the day)
How to book
Click on CONTACT tab
Email which One to One topic of interest, preferred month and if any days of the week are NOT possible.
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Pin cushion flower Astrantia a focus stack taken with dark field illumination showing outer ring of bracts and many tiny flowers inside
- Dark field illumination + two SB-R200 speedlights adds drama to tiny pin cushion flower
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