Rose Photography: Techniques for Improved Results
Dave Candler

Scenario:
Whilst strolling through the garden we decide to take a picture of a pink rose, Dream Weaver.  Technique used, approach rose, SNAP.  All done.  I can print it out at home.
And here is the picture:

Ohhhh, this is Very Bad.  What did we do wrong???  And how could we have (quickly, and easily on scene for the same bloom) made it better???...

Oops!

1. I did not clearly decide the purpose of the photograph.
2. Did not compose well- not close enough for a macro- will lose detail.
3. Did not use a TRIPOD, or other steadying crutch like a bean bag, tree, ...  If a tripod were to be used, did we consider using the camera’s self-timer mode to prevent movement blur?
4. When no external steadying can be used (a Grab Shot, with little preparation), the photographer should at least use logical technique (similar to shooting a gun): stand with legs and feet in a shooter’s stance, keep the body over your feet- not arms extended, brace the camera against your face if using the viewfinder, hold the camera with both hands comfortable and firm (one supporting the weight of the camera), elbows bent, and against torso, lean on something firm if possible, take a deep breath and hold it when operating the shutter, Squeeeeeeze the shutter slowly- Never punch it.
5. Use Vibration Reduction feature (if available, and if not using a tripod).
6. FOCUS is key to any good photograph.  At long range, this is likely not a problem.  At short range (macro) it is difficult to optimize- and may easily be unsatisfactory.  Small errors become easy to make and easier to detect in the finished product.  Intermediate distance photos usually focus ok, but it is very easy to take for granted.  In this case, we did not use the ‘focus and recompose’ method properly.  Result: the focus was actually on the background, whether the bloom was in focus or not is now luck rather than skill. Know what the focus position is for your camera and the settings you have made.  Focusing on infinity may not be the answer for photos of other than landscape shots.
7. Because the bloom is not fully in the center, the attempt at proper exposure will be a failure since the background is allowed to take up much of the frame.  And the camera is Set for Whole-Frame balanced exposure sampling, instead of Spot or Center-Weighted Metering.  If you are taking a bloom photo where the bloom fills at least ½ of the middle of the frame, select Center-weighted Metering (if available on your camera).  If the bloom is smaller than ½ of the frame, select Spot Metering for better Automatic exposure, and ensure the Spot is on the bloom.
8. Double Oops- The Exposure Method was set to Shutter Priority, and 1/60^th of a second was assigned on the dial.  One cannot hold the camera steady for that long, and some blurriness is essentially guaranteed.  And, the Aperture is not optimum, since the photo was taken in the BRIGHT sun, and a very small aperture will cause a broader range of acceptable focus than we may want (everything clear, not just the bloom, allowing the background to be distracting).
9. We may have picked a better time of day to photograph. Midday glare and shadows could reduce the quality of the result.
10. Given midday, we could have used a diffuser to even out the light and decrease shadows.  Makes a Big Difference.
11. Positioning of the camera and bloom could have been better thought out (some thought???).  Shooting from the pathway usually easiest, but not necessarily the angle giving the best aspect (allowing light to enter between the petals rather than just shadows, hiding simple flaws, for white blooms, denying any shadows, considering the background of the picture).  Give consideration to the model’s “Best Profile”.
12. In film photography the pros would frequently preach: “Film is the cheapest thing in your camera bag- take Lots of pictures to make sure that you don’t miss the shot”.  With digital photography, the reverse is often more appropriate: “Be deliberate in your shooting- many un-differentiated photos simply require more time and effort in post production work on the computer”.
13. Was Auto-focus used?  If so, was it checked carefully to ensure that the focus Spot we assigned was actually pointing to the correct target, that the Auto-focus OK light came on when the shutter release was pressed halfway down, and that the silhouette highlighting feature (where provided) showed the proper area in good focus. Was there enough light to allow the camera to auto-focus successfully?  Remember: poor focus cannot be repaired in the computer!
14. For all cameras and lenses: know the minimum focus distance for your equipment.  If you have a Macro mode on your camera this will allow you to move in closer and better fill the frame with a bloom rather than the background.  This allows the camera to be more accurate in Automatic focus mode, and as long as you do not get warning lights, you will be a happier person.  Note, however, sometimes getting closer will reduce the available light, and there may be too little light to allow the camera to focus automatically. (This particularly affects Nikon cameras.)
15. If manual focus, were we Very Careful to do it well?  Did we check the digital image on the review screen after the picture was taken to offer Quick QA?
16. When composing the image, did we use the LCD monitor (where provided)?  This shows what the photo will really capture. If the viewfinder is used, on most cameras, when less than 3 feet from the subject, when the subject is centered in the viewfinder, it will not be centered in the final photo (due to parallax).
17. Depth of Field may be an issue if you are attempting to take a photo of several blooms simultaneously, and they are not in the same plane (perpendicular to the direction of the lens). The closer you are to the subject, the smaller the Depth of Field.  (In macro mode this is inches or cm, not feet).
18. To increase the Depth of Field in Close-ups:
    1. Increase the illumination of the subject to stop down the aperture
    2. Don’t get any closer to the subject than you have to
    3. Focus on something in the middle of the scene (front to back) since in close-ups the depth of field is approximately half in front and half behind the plane of critical focus.
    4. To increase Depth of Field, switch to Aperture Priority mode and select a small aperture (such as f/11).  [This may result in a slow shutter speed, requiring a tripod].
19. If the camera does not support choices in exposure area, the automatic exposure system may be fooled if the brightness of the relatively small object in the center (bloom) is different from the brightness of the background.  If the meter averages the entire frame this will make the subject too light or too dark. Use the ‘exposure compensation’ feature to adjust for the error caused by the background.  Review the digital photo (Quick Preview), and if the important part is too light, retake the photo decreasing the exposure.
20. Did we consider the Color of the actual light being used when making the photo?  Do we need to compensate for the actual situation?  There is a difference between bright/direct sunshine, light from a blue sky, cloudy day and overcast day.  Then there is electronic flash (which approximates Daylight).  And there is a Big difference when indoor lighting (tungsten and fluorescent) is involved.  If there is no way to Actually measure the color of the lighting, for mixed-light situations, the best is probably Auto for digital cameras.  Since photos of flowers rely on accuracy of the colors, spending some time to learn about White Balance is a good investment.
21. Did we use a reflector to lighten/soften shadows?  And alternate is to use fill-flash, but this is best done with on off-camera flash when doing close-up work, since on camera flash may wash out the image entirely, or be partly blocked by the lens barrel. (Learn the minimum flash distance from your camera user’s manual.  Mine is about 1.8 feet).
22. If we relied upon on-camera flash, did we consider that we will sacrifice the feeling of texture and depth?  With head-on lighting, there is no ‘grain’ and this can be less pleasing than side lighting.
23. Did we set up a deliberate dark background so that the bloom really stands out and the background itself is not distracting?  This consideration includes prevention of bright splashes, as well as preventing an in-focus general background.  A small dark piece of cardboard may suffice.  Or a piece of felt that can be draped.  Consider in advance how you will support this- an assistant is very useful: bring your own, or borrow a passer-by.
24. If this is not to be a full-bloom photo, was the Rule of Thirds considered?
25. Did we maximize the abilities and features of the camera we had given our experience level?  Did we consider what we gave up by shooting in Auto Everything mode?  Did we do our rose justice, or did we hurry unduly?
26. Had we read the camera user’s manual thoroughly enough, and were we practiced enough before this shooting such that we were confident of the camera’s features and our ability to use them effectively?  Did we bring the manual with us if there were features with which we are not well familiar? “If all else fails, read the manual”.
27. Despite item 12 above…  If the bloom to be photographed was really worthy, and the purpose is to celebrate that excellence, take more than one shot.  This may cover a mishap, may give a better perspective/better exposure/provide an alternative if motion blur was a problem.  And it might allow the few additional moments to let the photographer identify a better composition (think of the rose as a model- you’d want to have eyes open, smiling, best profile, and no spinach in her teeth [for rose photography this is an insect between the petals].

Now, here is a better photo of the same bloom seconds later.  It is not a great photo, but is intended to illustrate the ideas above:

Dave Candler
www.ctrose.org
DavCandler@aol.com