Plant photography - Naturephotography.eu fotografie van en informatie over de natuur.

Plant photography:

The technique:

Unless you want to photograph a plant within the landscape or its environment (plant in foreground with a clear background), photography of plants often means a choise between close-up photography or portrait photography (blurred background, plant on foreground). Close-up and portrait photography are actually eachothers opposites. With close-up photography you run into the problem of the need for depth of field (it's all about one detail (1 flower) that has to be sharp from front te end), which results in slow shutterspeeds and thus the obvious chance of blurred pictures. One advantage that you do have with photographing plants (as oposed to animals) is that they (in case of calm winds) do not move. With portrait photography, you are in general positioned, relatively speeking, further away from your subject and have to zoom in on it if necessary (after al you want to capture the plant in its full length). Furtermore you have to make use of a lens opening that keeps the plant in sharp focus but the background blurred. In this case you're very likely more able to make use of faster shutterspeeds.

Trees:

Plants are satisfying objects to photograph because you can practically find them anywhere (even in the most occupied areas and on the (highest) mountainpeaks) and they are, as it where, standing motionless untill you are ready to make the right shot. Sometimes you can even make use of a reflective screen to ward off the wind and solve low light conditions. One of my favorite subjects are trees. They have a majestic and inaccessible appearance and have a special appeal when they are standing isolated from other trees. Trees are like little ecosystems in themselves, in and around them you will find a variety of animals and plants like insects, birds: reposing, looking for food, singing and nesting, squirels, some species of mice, fungi and mushrooms, ferns, mosses, even wild plants and some trees are even teeming with flowers themselves. This is why trees have a great photographic potential.

Habitat:

Lastly plants determine the environment and thus often the landscape (depending on the soilconditions, region etc), animals either feel at home in this environment or they don't.