Schoepfle Gardens

 camera settings, day photography, flowers  No Responses »
Jul 242010
 

Otto Scheopfle would be proud: every year thousands of people pack their cameras and flock to his surnamed beautiful 70-acre botanical garden and natural woodland that is now part of the Lorain County Metro Parks.

However, he probably would be puzzled at the difficulty of taking a first-rate close-up digital flower photo. After all, film cameras never presented the photographer with such an abundance of buttons, dials, and settings — so many chances to go wrong.

Schoepfle Gardens

Let’s try to figure this out step by step.

First, when you visit a garden, try to pick a semi-cloudy day. Bright sunlight will cast rigid shadows over just about everything. Not good if you’re trying to get that gentle flowing rose pic.

 

Soft Light means Intense Colors
Schoepfle Garden Schoepfle Garden
No, I didn’t bring a water bottle, It really did rain that day

 

Next, pack the right equipment. A macro or close-up lens will help you get more of a life-size image of the flower but is not essential. Now set your dial to portrait mode or if you’re using aperture mode, chose a low number f-stop such as f 2.8 or f 4.0. This will throw a nice blur on the background.

Last, take lots of pictures from different angles. I can’t say how many times, I’ve stood in one place, taken a bunch of shots with slightly different f-stops and after looking through the 3-inch display, thought I had an award winner.

However, when I would later check the image on a computer monitor, all sorts of distractions would emerge from the background. Odd bugs, dead leafs on nearby flowers, wire nametags, even a cat. Well, this little guy followed me around for most of the day, but I did manage to keep him out of most of the pictures.

Just looking after the garden…

Next up – a wild, buckin’ rodeo.

 

 

[Excerpted from Photography Insights, Volume 2, by Scott Ober, MD, Copyright © 2010 ALL RIGHTS RESERVED]

 Posted by PhotoDoc at 9:23 PM

Shooting the past

 camera settings, other stuff, photo talk  No Responses »
Jul 092010
 

Shot an amusement park today, not the usual kind with bright lights, cotton candy and whirling noises — no, this one had been dead for some thirty years.

It’s not often that you get the chance to photograph the remains of what used to be a thriving family activity spot. Closed because of declining attendance, Chippewa park has been largely untouched except for the ravages of Mother Nature. A total tear down complete with bulldozers was scheduled for next month.

A rusted out Ferris wheel, several decaying shacks, and scattered metal carnage that used to form roller coaster tracks filled the twenty acre property. Some things never change though — there was an entrance fee of $10.

 

Rollercoaster rides and a rusted rail Inside the fun house
Chippewa Lake Chippewa Lake
Click to enlarge

First stop was the Ferris wheel. The only reason this still stood upright was that a healthy vibrant tree grew embedded through the center.

But what angle to position the camera?

Always a tough call to find that view that 10 other photographers haven’t taken. Tried the bull’s-eye shot — a big blob in the center of the print, but these pics always strike me as boring and unimaginative. The judges in my photo club call these ‘record shots’ to be nice, meaning for my records only and not to be shared or seen by anyone else.

 

Ferris Wheel Side View Unhappy Clown
Chippewa Lake Chippewa Lake Chippewa Lake
Click to enlarge

However, I’ve found a simple strategy when I’m stuck for ideas called ‘move your feet.’ Precious nuggets of advice like these are doled out at photographic workshops costing $5000 and for good reason — it works!

Problem is this rule is always tough to remember once you’re settled with a tripod and ready to take shots for the rest of the day from your own private spot of earth.

I managed to unglue myself and circled the wheel while avoiding broken beer bottles and sharp corroded metal wires from some of the amusement rides.

Not exactly pleased with the result but then I used another proven strategy called ‘turn around,’ and found this gem of a broken down gatehouse on a hill.

 

House on the Hill
Chippewa Lake
Click to enlarge

 

 

[Excerpted from Photography Insights, Volume 1, by Scott Ober, MD, Copyright © 2010 ALL RIGHTS RESERVED]

 Posted by PhotoDoc at 7:01 PM
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