Be More Creative

It's Spring and the time for renewal. As photographers, we all need a boost now and then. In the springtime there is nothing like flowers to get those creative juices flowing. Go find some flowers either in a botanical gardens or your own backyard and then photograph them in ways you have never tried before.

Try extreme close-ups, or try different angles. Try shooting in open shade and bright sunlight. Use shallow Depth of Field to zero in on an area you want to be sharp, and let everything else go out of focus.

This flower was shot in open shade using very shallow Depth of Field to highlight just the yellow-green center. Everything else has been rendered artfully soft. This is one of several techniques we will work on at the Creative and Impressionist Flowers Workshop at Longwood Gardens coming up June 13 - 16. More information at this link  http://awakethelight.com/macro-2014/

When photographing flowers, or indeed any subject, think about the direction of the light, the quality of the light, and what moves you about the subject. Think about what is most important to you about the particular subject - is it the color, the shape, the texture, or something else? It could be a combination of factors. Once you determine what moves you the most, you can begin to approach the subject with that in mind, and create images that are truly a representation of you.

For this shot, I chose an angle that made the center of the flower appear protected by the surrounding petals. Shooting it from a different angle would have created a completely different feeling.  So get out there and play. Stimulate your creativity by either photographing on your own, or consider joining me at Longwood Gardens in June for a full immersion workshop to jump start your creativity and to learn new techniques.

TECHNICAL DATA
Shutter Speed 1/250 sec.  Aperture f/4.  ISO 800. 
Lens: Canon 70-200mm f/4L IS, set at 135mm, with Savage Macro Art variable extension tube [for Canon  https://www.huntsphotoandvideo.com/detail_page.cfm?ProductID=AETC&cid=19&manufacturer=Savage    or for Nikon  https://www.huntsphotoandvideo.com/detail_page.cfm?ProductID=AETN&cid=19&manufacturer=Savage  ]  (For more information on this unique new tool, contact Gary at Hunt's Photo and Video at 781-662-8822.) 
Camera: Canon 7D Mark II.  Handheld.

TODAY'S QUOTE: "Creativity is seeing what everyone else has seen, and thinking what no one else has thought."  --Albert Einstein