URBAN JUNGLE: SPRING BLOOMS

If you know where to go this Spring, your eyes could be dazzled by swathes of colour and astounding beauty. British wildflowers start blooming as early as January with carpets of snowdrops. In February and March, there are the blazing pinks and purples of crocuses, the yellows of daffodils and primrose, and the pure white drifts of wood anemone. In April, millions of bluebells blanket our ancient and semi-ancient woodlands, cowslips and dandelions guild the dales and meadows, and swathes of heavy-scented ramsons cover our more boggy woodlands. In short, there won’t be a single day that goes by where there isn’t at least one species in bloom. So what are you waiting for?

WHERE TO LOOK

In our city parks and local nature reserves, Wildlife Trust reserves, Wildfowl & Wetland Trust (WWT) and RSPB sites, organisations have been striving to increase the numbers of wildflowers as an essential element to natural biodiversity. In addition, stately homes, open gardens, the RHS gardens, and city parks all offer great sources of cultivated flowers.
So, how do you find out where and when the species are currently displaying? It is simply a case of buying a good quality reference book, contacting the aforementioned organisations, and trawling through their websites. The books provided the flowering seasons and habitats, while the websites provided the locations.
Another great source of information is the wildlife forums, such as Wild About Britain (www.wildaboutbritain.co.uk). Hundreds of wildlife enthusiasts and amateur photographers post their recent images and sightings so you can see what is in season and where.

A WILDFLOWER STUDY

This year, I made a concerted effort to photograph as many flowers as I could find. So far, I have photographed over 30 species, but this is really just a fraction of what is out there. And when I say ‘photographed', I mean I have approached each species as if nobody has ever seen it before. My ‘study’ starts with selecting the most perfect specimen. Always be meticulous in your selection as caterpillar damage or withering flowers are not worth the effort.
Start with the habitat by photographing the plant in context with its surroundings. The portrait is next. Isolate one healthy plant ideally in several stages of flowering. Then move on to an individual flower, leaf, and stem and combinations thereof. After you have the basics covered, you can experiment. Are there any compositions with more than one flower? What does it look like backlit? Are there any insects on it for added interest? If you come across a perfect specimen in a great location, why not make the most it?

GEAR

If you have a compact camera with a zoom, then remember to use the zoom. But don’t just stand in the same position. Move around the subject, closer in with the wide-angle and then zoom in from further away. Rest the camera on the ground and point it towards a nice blue sky (when available!). Don’t forget your Macro mode for detailed isolations of the petals, flower structure, and leaves.
If you are using an SLR with a selection of lenses, then the options are even greater. On flora forays, I generally take 3 lenses: A super-telephoto for the plant portrait, a macro for abstracts, and a super wide-angle to reveal the habitat and provide context. I also take teleconverters and extension tubes for different levels of magnification along with a tripod and a beanbag. My beanbag is stuffed with polystyrene beads so it is nice and light. I keep a flashgun, diffuser, and remote leads in my bag at all times.

GARDENING

A little gardening is always necessary to ensure the foreground or background is free from distracting elements. I always have secateurs and scissors with me to trim away distracting vegetation. A small, soft brush is a useful item as flowers can be covered with fine gossamer threads, only visible close-up or (more annoyingly) when you get home and review them on screen.

PORTRAIT DIFFUSION

The longer lens is the best option for isolating the plant and creates a diffused foreground and background. The trick is to use the longest lens you have, get as close as you can (the minimum focus distance), and have a background that is over 4m behind the subject.
The next step is to get down and dirty as it is important to work at ground level. You could use a tripod, but I find a beanbag lets you work even lower. Sometimes my camera and lens are lying directly on the ground so I can completely diffuse everything apart from the plant.
Set your camera to “Aperture Priority” mode (Av or A) and set your aperture (f/number) to its widest setting, typically f/4 or f/5.6. Using your depth of field preview, increase the f/number until the majority of the plant is in sharp focus, whilst at the same time, retaining a diffused background. It does not matter if some of the plant is out of focus as this can add an ethereal element to the photograph.

DETAILS

To isolate detailed features, I always use my Canon EF100mm F2.8 Macro lens. A tripod gives me a higher shooting angle enabling me to look down onto the flowers or leaves. I begin by moving around the subject with my camera handheld, looking for compositions and angles, until I find something I like. I then setup my tripod to the same angle and shoot the photograph.
I don’t feel there are any rules to photographing flowers with a macro lens. I have used every f/number from f/2.8 to f/22. Using a high f/number will reveal the most detail, but at a price – the shutter speed will be much longer. You will need solid support and a calm day to capture a sharp photograph. Be meticulous with your background and use your depth-of-field preview to assess any distractions in the foreground or background. If you are shooting digital, take a test shot and zoom into the preview on-camera.

THE ETHEREAL STYLE

Personally I’m a big fan of the ethereal and diffused style - achieved by using a wide-open aperture of f/2.8 or f/4. However, make sure whatever is in focus is critically sharp and a prominent part of the composition; so there is a strong focal point to the image. I focus on either the petal edges or the stigma and stamens in the centre. It then becomes a very personal choice of how much depth of focus suits the situation.

LIGHTING

Typically, I photograph flowers in bright but overcast conditions wherever possible. The muted light reduces contrast and helps saturate colours. If I find a great subject in the blazing sunshine, I use my Portaflash 5-in-1 reflector or its inbuilt diffuser to soften the light. Failing that, I use a subtle amount of off-camera fill-in flash with a Stofen diffuser attached.

PLAYING WITH NATURE

For sparkle and atmosphere, go out early and capture the dew and soft dawn light. You can spray flowers with water to get the ‘dew laden’ look, but it is difficult to do well and most images end up with the ‘just dowsed with a hose’ look. This should be your option of last resort, in case you overdo it.
Another technique that I have enjoyed using is backlighting with a small torch. A mini-maglite with a krypton bulb is perfect for focussing a narrow shaft of warm light onto a single flower.

FLOWERS EN MASSE

Earlier in the year, stately homes, open gardens, and RHS gardens produce a riot of colours with planted snowdrops, crocus, daffodils, and tulips. April through to June is the time to photograph swathes of wildflower, whether it is bluebells in woodland, thrift along the coast, or buttercups in the meadows. The sheer volume of colour is enough to overwhelm the senses.

My approach is now methodical, working from the outside in. I start with the long lens, isolating groups of blooms and composing en masse visions with a greater depth of focus. The long lens compresses the view enhancing the ‘carpet’ effect. I move closer and closer, isolating perfect individual plants and blooms, eventually planting the camera right in the flowers and photographing through them for a radiant haze of colour. Throughout, I experiment with backlighting, focal points, and shooting angles.

I move on to the wide-angle to include the surrounding environment. I move so close into the flowers that petals will be touching the lens hood, so I am again photographing through them. By resting the camera on the ground, I can angle it skyward to include a brilliant blue sky. I make the last change to the macro, focussing on one or two perfect blooms, making detailed abstracts of petals, stigma & stamens, whole flower heads, stems and leaves.