Photographing Flowers Close-Up: Page 2

TECHNIQUE: HIGH-KEY
A good photograph is usually judged on its tonal range across the scale. However, striking pictures can be produced without this tonal range as we can see here.

Pictures like these, where the tonal range is taken from the predominantly light end of the scale, are known as ‘high-key’. They are not to be confused with high-contrast prints, which have extremes of tones with very little in the mid-tone range.

Power of Diffusion
High-key pictures work best when the light is bright but soft. To get this effect, you need to diffuse your light source. In this shot of white orchids (right) the flowers were positioned against a white background. Having composed the shot, one flash head was placed on a boom and fitted with a soft box. This was positioned above and slightly behind the flowers, pointing a little towards the camera.

Some tracing paper was stretched between the light and the flowers to diffuse the light even more. Two white reflectors were then then positioned to the right and left of the flowers. Another white reflector was placed underneath the flowers to bounce light upwards. With all this light bouncing around, a lens hood or improvised light shade, is essential to avoid flare.

Focus and Composition
Having got the lighting right, I focussed on the upper flower and chose an aperture of f8. This means that the lower flower is not quite so sharp, but this helps to balance the shot. I then took my reading from the highlights and checked the exposure on the camera’s LCD by examining the histogram. With a little tweaking I got the flowers at exactly the right angle and took the shot. I like to think that it is a perfect example of high-key lighting.


John’s Top Tips
1. Care needs to be taken that you don’t let the lens cast a shadow over your subject or, if you are working really close, that the lens hood impedes the degree of closeness you can get to your subject.

2. When using extension tubes it is sometimes easier to critically focus the subject by moving the camera and lens together rather than use the auto-focus or manual focus mode.

3. With SLR cameras use the depth of field preview facility. This will show you how much of the shot will be in focus. It is surprising, even at these distances, how features that look fine when viewed at wide open can be a distraction when the lens gets stopped down.

4. Always have a good supply of tracing paper or muslin to diffuse the light. Both these items are relatively cheap and you can even use them to soften daylight coming through a window.

5. Plan ahead. Flowers only remain at their optimum for a short space of time. You need to know what you want to achieve in advance otherwise the flowers will open or wilt.