Newsletter of the Highlands Ranch Photography Club

Highlands Ranch Photo Club Meeting
July 10, 2007

Richard welcomed everyone to the meeting. Meetings are held at the Highlands Ranch Library the 2nd Tuesday of each month.

There is a schedule change for next month. We will have a "Show and Tell" session for the August 14 meeting. Debbie will give a presentation at September's meeting.

The club has purchased a new projector to use at club meetings. The Epson 77C Powerlight projector was used for the July meeting. The picture quality and color were excellent.

Several members mentioned recent wildflower sightings. Debbie said Trail Ridge Road alpine meadows are blooming at Rocky Mountain National Park. Dave recommended Butler Gulch for flower viewing at the end of July. Jim mentioned a "Hotspots" page at the Rocky Mountain Nature Photographers website for good ideas.

Jim informed the club that there is a Littleton Art Walk from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. the 2nd Saturday of each month from June through September in downtown Littleton. He will be displaying photographs there in July.

Dale mentioned that the Lone Tree Photography Club will be sponsoring a presentation on digital photography at the Lonetree Library on Saturday, July 28, starting at 10 a.m. Anyone is welcome to attend.

H.R. Photo Club member Dale Duxbury opened his presentation by showing us a backpack full of items he carries when shooting flowers. Having these few items has made taking good photos much easier.

• Tripod. Look for one that can get way down low. This will keep the focus sharp. Mannfrodo brand works well. Carbon fiber styles are about 1/3 lighter than aluminum varieties. There are ball head and pivot heads -- choose whichever you prefer. Newer tripods have the top part going sideways to get down very low.
• Superclamp. Used to attach the camera with quick release clamp very low to the ground.
• Focusing rail. Allows you to take maximum advantage of lens magnification.
• Spray bottle. For artificial dew.
• Stroboframe. Allows you to change from vertical to horizontal with a flick of the wrist.
• 2-battery flash unit. Only for use with a camera which has a push contact. It replaces the camera's dedicated flash and allows you to even out shadows and lighted areas.
• Polarizer lens. Kills glare, especially for white or light colors.
• Diopters. His set had three: 1 diopter, 2 diopter and 4 diopter. These magnify the image without changing focus. It works well for a single flower, but not for a group of flowers.
• Kneeling pad. Easy on the knees!
• Aluminum arrow and white umbrella. These are fastened together with a clamp which can tilt. The arrow is stuck into the ground and the umbrella can then be positioned to cut glare and even out lighting.
• Fake backgrounds. These are plain colored fabric or pillowcases. Dale likes to carry white, blue and green.
• Gray card. Used to read light levels. Meter the card, then lock exposure and your lighting will be correct.

Dale demonstrated various principles using both wild and garden flower photos as illustrations.

Light-colored flowers sometimes have problems with hotspots. The exposure must be right on to work. He suggested setting the exposure for the lightest part, then letting the rest of the photograph go dark. It is much easier to correct shadows than white spots using photo editing software.

Flowers should be pristine. No bug bites or curled up leaves should be photographed.

Fill the frame if you can and eliminate clutter. If you depend on cropping to fix your picture you will lose maximum focus and detail.

Avoid direct, harsh lighting.

Avoid having anything out of focus in the foreground. It is all right to have something out of focus in the background, though. If you must choose where to focus, go for the center of the flower -- the pistils and stamens. That is where the eye will go first.

Many photographic rules suggest not centering the subject, but flowers may be the exception. Quite often a single flower may be more effective if centered and filling most of the space. But both center and offset placement can be effective for flowers.

Try some unusual angles such as photographing from the back into the sun on an overcast day.

Flower groupings can also be interesting. An odd number is better than an even number. Use natural objects like water, rocks, a path and tree bark to add interest. Use flowers as the accent for a window or wall photograph.

Have fun with photographic effects from your photo editing software. If it's a windy day, go for the abstract look. Photographs can be given unusual effects using editing software.

Don't forget to look for interesting opportunities in foliage. Diagonal lines can add interest.

Thank you, Dale, for your great suggestions on equipment and showing such good examples of effective flower photography.

Nancy brought photos from Korea to share. Jim had some flower photos and a photo showing a red fox framed against a fenceline and purple flowers.

August 14 - This will be a show and tell meeting. Please bring several photos to share with the group.

September 11 - Debbie will give a presentation on nature photography.

View reports from previous meetings - News Archives