Creative Nature & Outdoor Photography

by Brenda Tharp

  PANNING

  NORTHPOINT HARBOR, MAINE. I thought I’d try panning vertically on a harbor scene one morning for something different. The motion blended together the pretty dawn hues and blurred the boats to create a dreamlike scene of the harbor. 70–200mm lens at 110mm, f/ 22 at 1/10 sec.

  Panning on a still scene allows you to blend the elements of the picture into a wonderful abstract of light and color, turning an ordinary static situation into a painterly one. By moving the camera up, down, or sideways, during a slow shutter speed, you blur all the details together and create a wash of colors through the frame. Trees, flower gardens, rolling landscapes, and sky are just some subjects for which this technique works. After experimenting a while with the same subject using different shutter speeds, you’ll get a sense of what to do for the look you like. There’s no formula, and every photograph will surprise—and hopefully delight—you.

  As a guideline, the fastest shutter speed you’ll want to use when panning is around 1⁄15 second. With speeds above that, you may not be able to complete enough movement in time. The shutter speeds I typically choose for panning range between 1/15 second and 1 second, but so much depends on the speed of my movement. If you want to control the movement in only one direction, use a tilt-pan style of tripod head that allows you to release only the vertical or horizontal axis for panning. To pan vertically on a ball-type head, you have to loosen the ball, and then the whole camera is loose, but you can still do it, and you’ll get a wavy feeling to the motion.

  I prefer to fill the frame with the movement, so I begin panning before I press the shutter, and continue it after it’s closed, to be sure I was moving the entire time the shutter was open.

  Do a few trial runs at panning to get a rhythmic feeling to your movement. Pan while looking through the viewfinder—you’ll see how much area you are covering, which helps you decide whether to narrow it down to eliminate some distraction or to widen your swing. Finally, check your LCD to see if you got what you wanted, and keep working until you do. It takes practice to produce just the right effect, but the results are worth it. Think about doing vertical pans as well—they can be very exciting. And don’t forget about rotating the camera while using slow shutter speeds, or move it in all directions to see what effects you achieve.

  TREES ABSTRACT, TENNESSEE. I loved the glowing backlight and the graphic dark trunks. By wiggling the camera slightly while panning, I created an impression of trees moving in the wind. 70–200mm lens at 96mm, f /14 at 1/6 sec.

  GARDEN ABSTRACT, NORTHERN CALIFORNIA. I hand-held the camera and panned vertically for this scene. Gardens and wildflower meadows make great subjects for panning. The more varied the colors, the more painterly an impact the picture will have in terms of the “brushstrokes” you see in the image. 24–70mm lens at 55mm, f/16 at 1/2 sec.

  ZOOMING THE LENS

  Zooming on a still subject during a slow exposure is another way to imply motion. To zoom effectively, you need to set the shutter speed slow enough to give you time to zoom. Stop the lens down to f/16 or f/22. This usually allows for a slow enough shutter speed to create a good zoom effect, around 1/4 to 1 second. This too is personal choice, depending on the look you like.

  GREAT SMOKY MOUNTAINS, TENNESSEE. Zooming a lens can turn an ordinary scene into something more creative. I try to find a subject, such as this nice S-curve road, that will give the zoomed picture some structure. 24–105mm lens at 82mm, f /16 at 1 sec.

  Once you have composed a scene that you like, take a few practice runs on the zoom control to be sure you have your timing down. To get a complete zoom effect, start before you press the shutter and continue zooming even after the shutter has closed. If you want the streaking in the photograph to be smooth, you need to zoom at a consistent speed. Varying the speed will create a choppier effect, but this isn’t necessarily bad—it all depends on what you want to do. The more you practice, the easier this technique becomes. To experiment further, try zooming and panning at the same time, or zoom on a moving subject instead of a still one. Because a zoomed composition always radiates from the center of your frame, you might consider cropping to put the point from which the zoom radiates off-center.

  CREATING MONTAGES

  LEAF ON SALT FLATS. This leaf was floating on a pond in Maine, until I “moved it” to Death Valley’s dry salt flats! I like the color contrast, and the juxtaposition of the two. The reflection makes it appear that it’s floating on a thin layer of water on the salt pan.

  A montage is a composite picture that brings a number of pictures or elements together, like a collage in traditional art. The montage in photography has been around for a long time, beginning in the darkroom days, and film photographers have used it to make some wonderful interpretive photographs. Digitally, we can combine images, or pieces of them, using the computer. You can use just two image files, or as many as you want. The choice of images you might combine is limited only by your imagination—and the amount of RAM in your computer!

  As a simple example, imagine you have a scene of birds flying in the sky in front of you, but you think it would look so much better with a moon in the frame. First, you make a picture of the birds flying by, remembering to leave space for the moon in the composition. Then, you make another picture of just the moon, positioning it in the frame so that it will fall into the right spot when combined with the image of the birds. You can review your bird picture on the LCD to verify positioning before making the second picture.

  If your particular camera model can put them together for you in-camera, you’ll have an instant double exposure. If not, you’ll have to use an editing program like Photoshop to blend these two files together to arrive at a final image of birds flying with the moon in the frame.

  There are so many things you can do using the montage technique. I like to “sandwich” layers of textures over objects and scenes. Planning for these composites, I make photographs of just textures and store them in a folder labeled “Textures for Montages” on my computer. Sand grain, wood, rusting metal, and fabric are just some of the textures you might photograph and store for later use.

  IMPRESSIONISTIC MONTAGES

  WILDFLOWERS, CALIFORNIA. Multiple exposure created by overlapping six image layers.

  I am fascinated by how a painter can overlap tiny strokes of color onto a canvas to create a wonderful impression of a scene, with all the light and shading necessary to perceive the content or story. Years ago, attempting to create a similar effect in my photography, I started creating multiple exposures—many photos on one frame—using film. When I switched to digital, I had to learn how to re-create this effect using the computer. It’s a favorite of mine, and I’m excited that we can once again create impressionistic effects easily.

  This technique works very well with subjects that have a lot of small detail, such as trees with foliage, gardens, and wildflower meadows, but it’s always worth trying on other subjects. I get great results combining anywhere from six to sixteen. It’s all about experimenting until you get something you like.

  To create the stippled, impressionistic effect, you’ll need to make multiple pictures of the scene. Let’s take a wildflower meadow as an example. While hand-holding the camera, find an object or area you can use in the scene as a visual reference point. Reposition the camera slightly around that reference point for each exposure, in a random direction. Make six exposures. There isn’t any right or wrong direction, but don’t move too far from your point of reference, or you won’t get the stippled effect from elements overlapping closely. Watch out for any distracting bright or dark areas, which may still pose a problem when exposures are combined. Once you master the technique, you can create wonderful impressionistic scenes.

  Once you’ve downloaded, convert your files from RAW to TIFF or PSD.

  Using Photoshop, open all six of your image files.

  Choose one file as the base layer.

  Using the Move tool, click on the next image file, holding down the mous
e, then press the Shift key, and drag that file over the base file. This creates a new layer. Do this for each file you have open, until you have all six in one multilayered file. The Shift places each layer in exact registration over the base layer in the file. Yet, because you moved the camera in the field, the elements within each layer will be overlapping. At this point, you’ll only see the top layer.

  Highlight the top layer, and reduce the opacity until you see the layer below it. The amount will vary for the look you want, but start with about 30 percent.

  Highlight the next layer, and do the same. (Turn off the eye on the above layer each time or you will not see the effect.)

  Do step 6 until you have arrived at the first layer above the background. You’ll see your multiple-exposure image “developing” as you go. When finished, if you want, you can vary the opacity on each layer uniquely, thereby controlling the effect.

  CREATING A DIFFUSED GLOW

  AUTUMN LEAVES, ZION NATIONAL PARK, UTAH. Two pictures combined digitally, one in focus, one out of focus, to make this glowing montage. 24–105mm lens at 90mm, f /11 at 1/4 sec.

  Another favorite montage technique is a simple one that creates a glowing effect. The method I find the most satisfaction with uses one image file as below. This means I can choose any image I’ve ever made and apply this look. There are various methods on this technique, but here’s how I create the look I want. Tutorials on other methods are accessible online. (See the resources section for information.)

  Open your image file in Photoshop.

  Copy the background layer (Layer Duplicate in the Menu Bar).

  Change the blending mode on the duplicate layer. You have several creative choices here, and I’d suggest experimenting for the look you want. I often use Soft Light or Overlay, but at times, Multiply gives me darker results, and I may then lighten up that layer a bit, depending on the image.

  Apply a Gaussian blur to the layer, in the amount you like.

  Rename this layer Blur XX, with the “xx” the amount you used for blurring for later reference.

  If you like the results, save it as a PSD or TIFF with open layers for further modifications; then flatten, size, sharpen, and save it for printing or Web sharing.

  GERANIUM, VILLA ROSA, ITALY. I needed only one picture to create this look, using my diffused glow technique. The soft glow creates a feeling of a romantic dream. Original base photo specs: 70–200mm lens at 115mm, f /16 at 1 second.

  FOCUSING THROUGH OTHER OBJECTS

  YELLOW AND WHITE POPPIES, ARIZONA. I got down on my belly to be looking through the meadow of flowers, and just kept moving around until I found what I liked for this picture. 70–200mm lens at 200mm, with EF12 extension tube, f /2.8 at 1/500 sec.

  How does a rabbit view the meadow as it looks through the flowers at one luscious morsel just a few feet away? You can express this point of view by focusing on one flower in the meadow while looking through others in front of it, and letting all those closer to the lens go out of focus. The leaves or flowers closer to the lens will stay out of focus if you use a wide aperture, which transforms them into transparent washes of color and soft shapes that surround the in-focus flower. You can use this technique for focusing through glass, screened windows, leaves, grasses, and flowers for interesting effects. Picture autumn foliage, out of focus, creating a transparent wash of warm hues over a cluster of red berries.

  To try this, use a lens in the 100–300mm range, and set up two groups of flowers or plants in pots or vases. Position yourself so the lens is very close to the first group of flowers, almost touching them, and focus through them to something in the other group. Most telephoto lenses don’t focus closer than 4 feet, so any subject you want sharp will have to be no closer than the minimum focusing distance on the lens. If you back up to get it sharp, it may make your subject too small, but an extension tube used on the lens will allow it to focus closer.

  The resulting effect is a transparent color wash that covers parts of the scene, with your subject still having enough clarity to be the focal point in the picture. The key to this technique is getting things up close enough to the lens so that they are completely out of focus and just a wash of color. Once you have that worked out, then setting the other pot of flowers where you want will be easier. It’s pretty easy in the backyard using flowerpots to get the right distance between the two groupings. But in the field, it’s more challenging. Gardens that are densely planted, wildflower meadows that are full of plants, and forests of deciduous trees are good places to try this technique.

  SOFT-FOCUS EFFECTS WITH A LENSBABY

  If you want to create a soft-focus effect, yet with a small area that is still in focus, the Lensbaby is a fantastic and fun way to do that. This unique lens is designed to give you control at creating selective focus in your picture yet still having a “sweet spot” that is sharply focused. The newest version operates like a ball in a socket: You push the front of the lens around until you get the effect you want, and it stays in position until you move it again. By inserting the supplied aperture ring of your choice, you can control depth of field, too. When I use the Lensbaby, the doors of creativity are opened wide, and I perceive images in new and exciting ways. My Lensbaby always comes with me. When I want a more unique effect to my image, I know I’ll get it with this lens.

  ORCHID, FLORIDA. I pushed the lens around until I got the look I wanted while maintaining some sharpness on the mouth of the flower. Lensbaby, with +4 close-up lens, f /4 at 1/640 sec.

  MARSHALL POINT LIGHTHOUSE, MAINE. The Lensbaby gave me a different effect on this lighthouse, and the soft sunset colors added to the dreamlike impression. Lensbaby, f/4 at 1/60 sec.

  {CHAPTER NINE}

  A DEEPER VIEW

  “How often if we learn to look, is a spider’s wheel a universe, or a swarm of midges a galaxy, or a canyon a backward glance into time.”

  —LOREN EISLEY

  YOU CAN PHOTOGRAPH A FLOWER, BUT CAN YOU capture its personality? More important, do you think a flower has a personality? Do you see spirits in rocks, faces in snow banks? Is a calla lily sensual to you? When you look at something, what you see depends upon how open your soul’s “eyes” are. The more open you are, the more deeply you can see from an emotional point of view. If you want to photograph more creatively, let go of your tendencies to define things, and look more closely at what is there, not just what you think is there. Think metaphorically. Is the dew-covered spider web nature’s own necklace of jewels?

  In the first chapter of this book, I suggested asking yourself what you are trying to say with the photograph. Now take it a step further and think about what the subject is saying to you, and try to use that as your lead. The image that results from what you see in your mind’s eye can have more impact than a technically perfect photograph that simply records the subject.

  PITCHER PLANTS, NORTHEASTERN OHIO. This pitcher plant “couple”—part of a colony, actually—was so wonderful to find. Great color contrast and all the dried fern fronds made a great surrounding texture for these interesting plants. 70–200mm lens at 110mm, f/ 22 at 1/2 sec.

  A CLOSER LOOK

  FERN, CALIFORNIA. This fern came from a gardening day in the front yard. When I saw the spores on the frond, and the way it glowed in the backlight, that was it. All gardening ceased (for a little while anyway), as I took the frond to the back yard, set up the tripod with camera and a clamp to hold the frond in place, and made my pictures. I used a white reflector to bounce a little light in on the shaded side, so we could see the brown spores and their texture. 100mm macro lens, f /18 at 1/6 sec.

  The intimate world of nature is full of little gifts to unwrap. Even with all the drama of the big vista, I’m often brought to my knees by the detail right in front of me. Thousands of details make up the larger scene, yet often that grand vista overwhelms the details that can make a terrific photograph, too. Once, while I was leading a photo tour in Utah, a participant who was interested only in the big landscape ask
ed to see a macro image my co-leader had composed of a dried flower blossom emerging from the coral sand dune. “Hmmm,” he said, “that’s nice.” He wandered off for a while, and when he returned, the co-leader was making a new macro image. After taking a peek at this one, he exclaimed, “That’s art!” With that, he disappeared behind a dune. An hour later, when it came time to leave, we asked his wife where he was, and she replied, “What did you do?! He’s out in the dunes on his hands and knees doing macro photography!” We laughed and said we didn’t do anything except change his perceptions.

  By definition, macro photography involves making images of things at life size or greater than life-size, whereas the term close-up photography refers to just that—a close view, such as an intimate study of shells on the beach, that might not be life-size but is still an interesting close-up of details. These terms are often interchanged when discussing this type of photography. For the sake of simplicity here, I’ll refer to both as macro photography.

  You can use everything from a designated macro to a telephoto lens for these types of pictures. I’ve used a 28–135mm lens to fill the frame with the colorful details of Alaska’s tundra plants. I’ve used a 100mm macro lens to photograph a tiny hummingbird nest with eggs. To capture the luminescent close-up details of an iceberg, I’ve used an 80–200mm lens at various focal lengths. Each situation requires a different combination of equipment designed to give you the amount of closeness you need for your photograph. The following are my two favorite close-up accessories that I use with a variety of lenses: