translucent subjects like leaves and petals,and places emphasis
on shape,form and fine detail-like tiny hairs or prickles on flower
stems.The drawback of shooting towards the light,however,is
the risk of flare .Attach of lens hood or shield the front of the lens
to help prevent flare and a reduction in contrast.Backlict subject
also tend to trouble metering systems ,fooling the camera into
underexposing results.While this is benefit if you want to shoot
silhouettes,if you dont it can spoil an image.Check your histogram regularly and increase the exposure by applying positive
exposure compensation.
Lastly,dont overlook flash.If you dont have a reflector to
hand,flash can fill in areas of distracting shadow.Shoot at a reduced output to ensure you retain the soft qualities of natural
light.Flash can create an ugly hotspot
on reflective foliage or petals ,though,so,it is worth softening
flash bursts.You can use anything for this from tissue paper to a
flash gun dedicated diffuser or third party softbox .Flash can also
be useful for simplying a subjects bakground ,as the fall off in
light can create a pure black backdrop if surrounding vegetation
is outside the range of the burst.
BACKGROUND &
GARDENING
It is easy to understimate
just how important a
subjects background is
and the ovreall effect has.
Ugly background elemet s
like partially out of focus
highlights and distracting
bits of vegetation draw
the viewes eyes away
from the subject.Peer
through the viewfinder
and explore the subject s
surroundings.Distracting
elements can often be
excluded easily,either by
changing viewpoint or by
using a large aperture to
create a shallow depth.
Nature photographers call
this gardening keep your
scissors in your camera
bag just for this purpose
9