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rare four-petalled Trillium. Let's call it a Quatrillium.  |
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| Photographing Wildflowers
by Bryan Davies Does shooting an exotic subject always require long-distance travel? When most photographers plan to shoot unusual wildflowers, they often think of journeying to far-off places. But most people don't have to look any further than their own cottage lot to see some of the finest examples. In the spring of 1998, I had intended to go on a trip to the Bruce Peninsula to shoot wildflowers. But the plans changed, and I felt intuitively that I should remain at a cottage near Coldwater, Ontario. When I awoke one Saturday morning, I glanced outside the back door of the cottage and noticed a beautiful patch of Wild Columbine, Lily of the Valley and Trillium. I quickly gathered my camera gear consisting of a Tamron 90 mm macro, ball-and-socket tripod and, of course, a cable release. By the time I was ready, the sun drifted behind the clouds and a brief downpour took place. It seemed like rain on my parade. But once again, serendipity had taken control of the events. After the brief rainstorm, all the wildflowers in the patch were drenched with little rain droplets. Some photographers like to help nature along by using a spray bottle on their flowers, but I prefer to let nature take control by gently moisturizing the scene. Not only do rain droplets create better patterns on wildflowers, but rainfall also helps to add the feeling of freshness to the image. I set up my camera gear next to the Wild Columbine and started shooting several frames. Using my Tamron 90mm macro and a ball-and-socket tripod, I tried different angles, compositions and exposures. Then I noticed a strange-looking wildflower next to the Columbine. It looked like a Trillium, but it had four petals. Most trilliums have three, five or six petals and are white, pink or red. But this one had a combination of pink and white petals, now embellished by a few rain droplets. So I shot another roll of film on this unusual-looking wildflower. Using a narrow depth of field (f /2.8) I made sure the background would be out of focus and the foreground sharp as a tack. I experimented with several camera angles to choose a good background, one that I felt would accent the foreground colours. The soft green hues of the other wildflower leaves provided an uncluttered background for the star attraction. Then I went in for a close-up to emphasize the colour and size of its petals. In this shot I stopped down to f /16 to keep the to keep the petals and stamen in focus. One of the shots on the roll showed a solitary, three-petalled white trillium just slightly out of focus in the top left corner of the background, providing strong contrast. I was able to confirm with Allan Foster, curator/naturalist at the Kortright Centre in Kleinburg, Ontario, that this was indeed a rare species of trillium. Apparently there are 18 trilliums recognized by botanists in the northeastern United States and adjacent Canada. The lesson here is not to be dismayed when plans change. Being receptive to serendipity can help an observant photographer to capture those elusive wildflowers of Ontario. New Special Effects Films KODAK and ILFORD have brought out new black and white specialty films. KODAK has developed T-MAX T400CN, a 400 ASA black and white film that you can take to your favourite colour lab for developing and printing. The negatives will be monochrome (black and white) and the prints will be a sepia tone (old-fashioned looking). Another black and white film that you can get processed in a colour lab (C-41) is ILFORD XP2 (400 ASA). ILFORD also makes an INFRA-RED black and white film called SFX 200. When you use a 25A Red Filter on your lens this will enhance the red spectrum reproduction. Your photos will appear very surrealistic. This film works better in spring and summer when there is more foliage. ILFORD SFX 200 can only be developed using black and white chemicals like Ilfosol or Microdol. You should be able to find these films in your local camera shop. Close-ups Good photographic images create an emotional response within the viewer. Close-ups have the highest emotional impact when you fill the entire frame with your subject. There are inexpensive ways to get good close-ups from your 35mm SLR. Go to your camera store and buy a set of diopters. These are simply close-up filters that screw into the front of your lens. They are available in CU+1, CU+2, and CU+4 etc. and can be used individually or in any combination to give you added magnification. The higher the number, the greater your magnification. Some camera shops have kits with all three lenses in a carrying case. You'll be amazed at how close you can get to your subject while staying in focus. You can fill the frame with a strong image knowing that your pictures will now have a higher impact.
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