SHOOTING TUTORIAL

Changing your shoot angle and time can transform mundane subjects into stunners

Combine golden hour light with a macro lens to reveal the intricate structures of the smallest subjects

How often do you stop and take a good look at what’s at your feet? Maybe not often, right? Well, if you do take the time, you’re likely to find subjects that have a lot to offer, including some with the most amazing structures. Take our example, the humble dandelion, found in any garden or park. It may seem unremarkable from above, but by getting down to a worm’s eye view and breaking out the macro lens, you’ll unlock the door to dynamic creative possibilities.

You see, using structure in your images brings with it a multitude of benefits. It can lead the viewer’s eye through the frame, leading them to a point of interest. Alternatively, you can use a strong outline structure to fill the frame with abstract lines – there really are no rules and experimentation is the best route to fresh and interesting pictures.

A creative approach that has always worked well for me over the years is to combine a silhouetted structure with warm, golden hour light – this will not only bring a premium feel to the frame but will also help highlight the lines of the structure. Of course, sourcing this light means a little more planning and, especially in the UK, plenty of persistence. However, there is no shortage of apps that can tell you when the golden hour will be, and these can maximise your chances of a great shot.

ALLIMAGES©MATTYGRAHAM Inset THE LIGHT IS RIGHT This patch of dandelions seemed unremarkable, but backlighting them transformed the final image Right OUTLINE APPEAL A macro lens and great light revealed the true structure of the subject AFTER BEFORE

1 PLAN AHEAD Before you head out with your camera, download a photography app, such as Photo Pills. This will enable you to virtually scout out a location to find the direction the golden hour light will be cast and the time you need to arrive and set up.

2 GRAB SUPPORT When using a macro lens, camera shake can be a problem, so it’s best to employ a support. Tripods can be clumsy when setting up low viewpoints, so use a mini tripod that lets you capture steady shots from a low down position.

3 SWITCH TO MANUAL When shooting with a subject close to the lens, autofocus systems can become a little flummoxed. To get around this, simply switch to manual focus (MF on the lens) and focus by hand, twisting the focus ring to fine-tune your focus point.

5 SORT YOUR SETTINGS Turn the camera’s exposure mode dial around to select Aperture priority mode (A or Av) and dial in an aperture of around f/8, which tends to give the sharpest results from a macro lens. Check your subject is in focus and then trip the shutter.

6 GET CREATIVE While the golden hour light may work well, you can mix things up by changing the white balance to achieve a cooler result. Remember to shoot in RAW file format to give yourself more tolerance when processing colours later on the computer.

4 FLIP THE LCD With some particularly low viewpoints, looking through the viewfinder may mean you have to lie down flat on the ground. One way around this is to use a variangle LCD screen that you can tilt while you set up the most appropriate composition.