Flower Power

Well the April showers did not disappoint, and whether it’s blooming trees or beautiful gardens, the May flowers are here. Stop and smell the roses, and then take a couple shots for good measure! Here are some ideas and tips to imbue your photography with flower power!

Get higher
The most common angle for shooting flowers seems to be straight on, and while this angle does provide the most classic flower profile, consider a different angle and see where it takes you. Get down really low and shoot UP, capturing sun and blue sky (or taller flowers and green trees) in the background. 

Shooting up yields a striking blue background, the sky!

Or get up high, stand on a chair, a ladder, climb a tree,  (carefully!), or just stand up and see what the different perspective yields.

Stand out in a crowd
Shallow depth of field is probably the most satisfying way to photograph a single flower or small group. By isolating your subject against delightful bokeh you highlight the beauty of that single bloom. To do this you’ll need a lens that can achieve this effect, like a Sigma 50mm 1.4 or the Sigma 18-250 f3.5/6.3. Or try isolating for color, for example look for the one renegade yellow blossom among all the red ones, or the single flower blooming in an unlikely place.

All together now
We've all seen the images of the Dutch tulip fields, where large blocks of color are made up by millions of individual blossoms. If you can’t travel to the Netherlands for a shot like that, try to imitate it where you are. Here’s where a higher angle can make it look like the expanse of flowers is larger than it really is, and maybe a little reminiscent of that color block appearance.

Flowers +
Despite the whole April showers bringing flowers thing, when it comes to photographs, sunshine and flowers just seem like the perfect couple. But as we mentioned in our post about Macro photography, sometimes after a rain is better time to shoot, as if you’re shooting close up you can have the added interest of tiny water droplets on the flower petals. But if the day is sunny, don’t fret, there are still ways to add some interest to your flower image. If you shoot at a low angle, you can capture some sun flare, and let’s face it is there anything that says summer better than a shot of a field of flowers and some sun flare?

Shallow DOF and sun flare can add dramatic flair to a simple image of a flower.

You can also ask a friend to pose at the edge of the frame, adding scale and interest to an otherwise static image. Or if you’re shooting from your full height, how about an image that includes your feet? The tips of your shoes are always a fun, personal way to add yourself to an image without crossing into “selfie” territory.

Up close
Last month we discussed some great tips for macro photography, including flowers, so if you missed it, *shameless plug* here’s the link. If your bag contains a macro lens, you're in business, if you don't have one and are looking to start out on a budget, check out the Sigma 18-250mm f3.5/6.3

Lighting
Sometimes Mother Nature doesn't cooperate when it comes to lighting, so reflectors are a good way to add a little bit of control to natural light. Use flash carefully, as it can wash out the colors, but if you need the extra boost, pair it with a diffuser like this LumiQuest UltraSoft to soften up the light.

With a dose of creativity, minimal gear and maybe some sunscreen, you can make evocative images that might inspire you to stop and smell (and shoot) the flowers more often!

Lens Aberrations

In our last post, we looked at how aberrations are the root cause of the use of multiple lenses in constructing a complete camera lens. Today, and over the course of future posts, let us consider in more detail the concept of aberration. 

Most generally, aberration refers to the distortion of an image when passed through an optical system, such as digital camera lenses. Limitations of the system might lead to blurring. A common misconception about aberrations, however, is that they are caused by imperfections in the device or system. Rather, the real root cause of aberrations is in fact in the relatively simplistic and, therefore somewhat inaccurate, boundaries set by paraxial theory--that theory around which optical systems are built. To put it more succinctly, even lenses built perfectly to the specifications of paraxial theory will experience aberrations because the theory does not perfectly describe the behavior of light in such systems.

Aberrations can be broken down into two major categories. Those derived from geometrical structure and those derived from the effects on wavelength due to dispersion. Though shape and material are important to both categories, the shape will obviously play a larger role in the former, causing blurring, and material/density will play a larger role in the latter, causing shifts in coloration in addition to blurring. Geometrically derived aberrations are called monochromatic because they affect even monochromatic light, whereas dispersion-based aberrations are called chromatic because they are only evident in situations with multiple color variants.

Digital camera lenses correct for these aberrations and multiple subcategories therein. Soon, we will take a look at some of the ideas underlying the most common chromatic and monochromatic aberrations. 

A Lens Is More Than a Lens

The basic principle behind a lens is simple: the device mimics the eye, capturing and ushering light toward a processing center, one that is either immediate (digital) or delayed (chemical and film). Yet, the actual physical properties of light and the shape of a lens make the situation slightly more complicated.

First off, a camera lens worth its salt is rarely in fact just one lens. We call it “a lens” out of habit, but in most cases it is in fact a conglomeration of many lenses, referred to most commonly as lens elements. “Lens elements” as a phrase is itself misleading. In fact, the double meaning of the term "lens," referring to a camera part, and "optical lens," referring to any lens used for a variety of purposes, lends itself to a kind of linguistic and lexical problem: when referring to the parts that make up the whole, both have the same name. Suffice it to say that most camera lenses are not lenses at all in the most traditional sense, but rather are themselves a series of optical lenses collected together to make a more complex and precise device.

Why are there multiple lenses in digital camera lenses? The simple answer is that a single lens has what is termed “aberrations.” These are areas of the lens where light becomes distorted, either losing focus or distorting coloration, and in fact a host of other issues. The multiple lenses serve to correct these aberrations.

Battle of the Cameras: DSLR vs. Interchangeable-Lens Camera

Last week we saw a digital SLR do battle with a high-end point-and-shoot—today the DSLR faces its hybrid challenger, the interchangeable-lens camera. The main difference between these two cameras is that the latter does not have a mirror to bounce the image to the viewfinder.

The major difference between these two cameras lends itself to the main advantage of a DSLR over an ILC. The viewfinder on a DSLR is superior and ensures there is no update lag. The mirror allows the photographer to see what is currently happening in the viewfinder, while an ILC can only show you what has already happened. The advantage to the EVF, however, is that it accurately displays exposure and white balance. Some optical viewfinders on DSLRs can do this, but it comes at a greater cost.

While there are certainly plenty of digital camera lenses to choose from for ILCs, the selection is still larger for digital SLRs. DSLRs also have the ability to use older film-camera lenses without an adapter. But with better technology and bulky lenses, DSLRs tend to be bigger and heavier than ILCs (though there are compact DSLRs, as well as large ILCs on the market).

The bottom line is that the ILC is a good stepping stone for consumers who want a step above their point-and-shoot but without the bulk and the high cost.  

Battle of the Cameras: DSLR vs. High-End Point-and-Shoot

As an effort to keep consumers purchasing the standard point-and-shoot, we have seen a great insurgence of more high-end digital cameras. These are a great option for photographers looking to increase the quality of their photos without breaking their budget. But can they really compete with the quality of a DSLR? Let's find out in this head-to-head battle.

An SLR offers superb lens versatility. Most manufacturers offer at least 40 digital camera lenses, allowing you to accurately target and compose your shot. The disadvantage? The pentraprism we talked about last week isn't light as a feather. SLRs are much bulkier, and so are many of their accessories. However, most entry-level models are lighter than their more expensive counterparts.

One cannot doubt the increased image quality of an SLR. 10 megapixels on an SLR is better than 10 megapixels on a digicam. It's even more apparent at higher light sensitivities. With better quality, though, comes more complexity. For some, it's a welcomed lesson, while for others it's a confusing chore.

The performance of an SLR cannot be beat. They have a faster autofocus, shorter shutter delay, continuous shooting, and more memory. And all that comes at a higher price. But cheaper SLRs are now about the same price as high-end point-and-shoots.

The digital SLR doesn't just come with great lens choices, they also have a host of accessories to improve quality, including external flashes, wireless transmitters, remote triggering, and more. With an SLR, more is, well, more! If more sounds good to you, then opt for the SLR.  

Cool Down and Warm Up

Our final focus on filters for digital camera lenses consist of both cooling and warming filters. Both are used to change the white balance. For those who do not know, white balance is a process to remove unrealistic color casts. Ever notice a blue tinge on compact camera photographs? That's because the white balance is off. Besides correcting color cast, the filters can also be used to add unrealistic color –which is more the case nowadays.

Thanks to automatic white balance adjustment and photo editing programs, the filters aren't often used to correct a photo. Certain situations, though, may call for their use such as unusual lighting or underwater photography. White balance cannot restore color when there is a large amount of monochromatic light and if it does, you can expect a big amount of image noise.

A colored filter will either lighten or darker opposite colors. For example, a red filter will darken green and blue. You can even use colored filters when taking black and white photography. Many colors look very similar when converted into grayscale. This will leave you with flat photographs that lack any contrast. A color filter will let in its own color of light and block out the rest. The result will be colors matching the filter will appear brighter while the other colors will appear darker. Obviously in black and white photography that means lighter or darker shades of gray –making images more dramatic.  

Reducing Light with a Neutral Density Filter

Neutral density filters are one of the most popular filters for digital camera lenses. They are able to reduce the amount of light entering the camera, which allows for a longer exposure time. The longer exposure time will emphasize motion, making the scene seem almost surreal. The surreal effect is often witnessed on photographs of moving water, like rivers and waterfalls. The filter can create tempestuous water and blurred motion –whether the subject is people, moving cars, or blowing grass.

Other effects are a shallower depth of field and a sharper image, both ideal qualities. While the filter is not as commonly used for these applications, they are still beneficial. The filter works well in very bright light to enable a shallow depth of field, resulting in background blur and isolation of the subject.

How does the filter work? It is actually just a piece of semi-transparent glass that inhibits a controlled fraction of incoming light uniformly, meaning it does not alter the image contrast or sharpness. Because it's equal across the visible spectrum, it also does not introduce color cast, which gives the filter its name neutral. The filters are categorized by the strength of their light-reducing ability. Stronger filters are darker shades of gray.