Until my 'digital revolution, I was exclusively using Fugicolor 200 . . . the first few 'galleries'
on my web site consist of scanned images from prints produced in my darkroom from Kodak and Fugi negatives.
To be continued, revised, edited etc.
Film
Shutter speed and lens opening
In my early attempts at macro photography, I remember everyone's advice
to "stop the lens down for sharpness". Now, that's great for things that
don't move too fast (mountains, rocks, broken down cars), but since a small
lens opening requires either a fast film or slow shutter speed, it didn't
work for me when photographing wildflowers. Instead, by using a fast
shutter speed(500-1000) requiring a very large opening, I began getting, occasionally
and completely by accident, some very interesting results: sharp flowers
with nice soft-focus backgrounds! The one problem being that, since
wildflowers an wind always seem to go together, I often had a lot of
nice soft-focus backgrounds with not-so-nice soft-focus flowers! The secret?
When you find a great subject, take lots of exposures (a secret successful
photographers don't like to talk about).
Travel light, leave your tripod and flash at home!
In my opinion, trying to use a tripod for wildflower photography is a complete
waste of time. Certainly, a tripod will keep your camera from moving around,
but remember, your subject will most likely be bobbing around in the
breeze and a hand-held camera can bob around as well! As for flash . . .
this is "nature photography" isn't it(?)
Overcast, cloudy, even rainy days offer the best light
Some of my favorite and best selling images were captured under "adverse" weather
conditions; the Colorado Blue Columbine was taken high in the
Rockies on an extremely cold, windy day that alternated freezing rain,
sleet, hail and snow. The Yellow Throated Gilia were caught in
Sequoia National Park during a warm, spring shower . . .
Make use of your camera's depth-of-field preview capability
Automatic cameras give the photographer a deceptive idea of what the
camera really sees. By viewing the subject through a stopped down
lens, a much better preview of the finished print or slide is obtained.
Also, with the lens stopped down, you will more easily see distracting background
elements (light colored twigs, stones etc.); I've found the scissors
attached to my trusty Swiss Army Knife invaluable for removing unwanted
stems, twigs and faded blossoms. A pair of tweezers is also nice to have along and, couldn't get along without
my recently acquired translucent white unbrella! Another new accessory is a one-inch foam pad for knees that
don't seem to be as young as they used to be!
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