FLOWER PHOTOGRAPHY
Pro photographer ANDY SMALL shows you how to get stunning artistic floral shots in your home, garden and wildflower fields
Taking exceptional floral shots requires thought and skill. Pro Andy Small gives his advice for successful images at home and in wild locations
During the past year many photographers have had to resort to finding their inspiration much closer to home. This has not been an issue for me as, for the past 30 years, I have ceaselessly explored the photographic possibilities of my garden and surrounding hedgerows in the Hampshire countryside, in the UK.
As a fine-art photographer, my underlying approach has always been to use my camera as creatively as possible, exploring ideas for digital photographs that echo my appreciation for other forms of art, such as painting and drawing.
When I first started exhibiting my work in the 1990s many people couldn’t believe that they were looking at photographs. I assured them that they were, especially as this was before the days of computers and at the time I was using film and chemicals.
Using my garden and nearby countryside hedgerows as inspiration means that I am never at a loss for photographic ideas. I also knew, from the beginning, that I did not want my images to be purely descriptive, no matter how alluring the subject may be. So I was drawn to the more intimate plants, avoiding the more showy specimens.
Seed heads have always fascinated me and the different ways that plants have developed to disperse their seeds.
I have used a variety of techniques and equipment over the years to help pursue my efforts to bring an artistic creativity to my images, including: wide-angle and macro lenses; panoramic views as well intimate details; infrared-converted cameras and different types of filters; and multiple-exposures and intentional camera movement. Over the next few pages I’ll explain these techniques so that you can find inspiration close to home and shoot fantastic flora in your own back garden or nearby green spaces.
PLANT PORTRAITS
The approach to taking plant portraits shares certain similarities with those an artist might use when creating a portrait of a person. However, trying to capture a likeness of the subject is not necessarily the only aim of the artist, and it helps to have an affinity with your subject. I am surrounded by nature in my garden and when I go walking around the fields near me. This gives me the opportunity to really get to know the different characteristics of the local flowers and plants.
Spending time looking at subjects is time well spent. As a photographic artist I try to make people aware of things they might not initially notice themselves.
Composition is key
Once I have decided on the aspects of my subject that I want to explore, my thoughts turn to how best to convey these in the final photograph. A great deal of the success of an image will be determined by the composition. This is basically the arrangement of visual elements within the frame, but its effect is so much more than this.
A successful composition can draw the viewer to what you want them to see and evoke differing emotional responses. There are a number of visual elements that we need to be aware of when composing our images and the list is subjective, but the following are what I consider to be key…
Repetitive motifs
As humans we’re drawn to patterns – it’s a way we make sense of our world. We may already be doing this unconsciously in our images, but we can use patterns to make images more appealing. Patterns are everywhere and there’s research to suggest that fractal patterns in nature have a beneficial effect on mental health. In photographing nature we are more than likely capturing fractal patterns. Using these in our shots is another of the key visual elements that we can use in our compositions.
Positive and negative shapes
Giving the foreground and background equal prominence is one of my key messages in composition. Many people will see the subject of the photograph as all-important; however, in order to create a memorable picture, every part of the image needs to be as carefully and well thought out as the main subject.
By cropping the photograph of the poppies (top left) I have created new shapes in the background. These ‘negative shapes’ should be given as much consideration as the ‘positive shapes’ and their juxtaposition is crucial for the final look of the photograph. Whether an image is cropped or not, it is good practice to think of the main subject and background as working in tandem.
Square or rectangular format?
This is often determined by the subject and is something that can be decided later with cropping, but I prefer to do as much creative
To create a memorable picture, every part of the image needs to be as carefully and well thought out as the main subject
work in the camera as possible. Square formats usually work well for a symmetrical composition, whereas in a rectangular format it is usually a better idea to place the main subject slightly to one side.
Timing it right
When you choose to shoot is another artistic decision, in turn affecting the colour of lighting. The golden hours suit autumnal images as they bring out the warmer tones in subjects. Cooler lighting such as that found on an overcast day can be used to accentuate the greens in leaves or blue and purple flowers. Experiment with the camera’s white balance to suit your vision.
During the past 30 years of taking images indoors I have always used natural lighting – all you need is a window
STUDIO SHOOTS
There are certain advantages to working indoors; control of lighting, lack of wind, isolating subjects and being creative with backgrounds are just some. Working indoors also allows us to explore ideas that would be difficult to achieve outside.
Highlighting the different stages of the dandelion (below) is a good example of this. Having a garden means I have a plethora of subjects to hand, which I can pick and bring inside when I have ideas for images. For those who don’t have access to this you could try visiting your local garden centre to find and purchase different specimens to work with.
My studio setup relies on natural light and homemade props. I see it as an extension to working outdoors. It is a setup that anyone can achieve with the minimum of expense (see
Andy’s easy studio setup, right).
Natural lighting
During the past 30 years of taking images indoors I have always used natural lighting – all that you need is a window. It is important for me to see the effects of the light when setting up the flowers and, in the early days, when flash was the only alternative, this seemed very artificial and too overpowering for my delicate subjects. Even now, with the introduction of LED lights, I still rely on my window for the best lighting.
Just like being outdoors the light from the window can vary so that, at some point during a sunny day, there will be direct sunshine and, on other days, a cool, even light pervades. As I am not working commercially this has never been a concern, but more of an advantage.
The window is positioned behind the studio setup, which means that all of my subjects are backlit. To me this is the most sympathetic lighting for delicate subjects, as not only does it enhance details of petals, for example, but also gives lovely highlights on things like stems.
Backlighting can produce silhouettes, though this can be negated by the use of reflectors; these are simply pieces of white card that reflect more than enough light back onto the subject.
The black background
I have taken many images with a black background. This combination creates a very dramatic effect, especially with lightercoloured flowers and seed heads. I use various cardboard boxes of differing sizes that are painted black inside. The back of the inside is covered with a non-reflective velvet.
This, together with ‘barn doors’ on the box, means that I can create the ultimate pure black
background. The white card reflectors can then be positioned in front of the subject using spring clips.
The coloured background
My studio setup also allows me to use a variety of different-coloured backgrounds. After much testing I decided that using painted glass gave me the look I was after. The brushstrokes give a variegated look that adds interest and depth. I paint the glass with acrylic that can also be removed when dry with a Stanley knife blade. Due to the translucent nature of glass, using a mixture of two or three different coloured panels stacked together can produce some great effects.