Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1951-03-25
Camera Angles -
Getting the Best Pictures of Spring Flowers
By Alexander J. Wedderburn
Curator Of Photography
The Smithsonian institution

Even without the garden you can
still have your flower pictures;
try the neighborhood florist.
Making pictures of flowers is
very much like making pictures Of
people. The same rules of lighting
apply generally and because we
will be striving for close-ups the
cameras that are best for human
portraiture are likewise best
adapted for portraits Of flowers.
This does not rule out box cam
eras and the like because they can
be adapted to closeup photogra-
|phy with a supplementary lens.
But there are other reasons that
make a view camera or other
camera that is focused by means
of the ground glass preferable. A
ground glass focusing screen will
show up flaws in lighting and ar
arrangement of the flowers that will
not be apparent through other
TYPES Of finders. Even if you squat
down in front Of the camera with
your eyes at lens level you won't
get the same picture that you will
on the ground glass screen.
In flower photography it is often
important to place emphasis on
the texture of petals and leaves.
For this reason it is desirable to
use whenever possible, a negative
of fairly large size. A 4x5-inch
negative is ideal but you can also
obtain fine results with 3Ax4A
camera. Smaller films, particu-
larly 35-mm., are apt to impart
an Objectionable amount Of grain
to the print when enlarged even
if given special treatment with a
fine grain developer.
Stop Down the Lens.
The Importance of obtaining
detail and texture cannot be too
greatly stressed. Fortunately.
since we will be taking a picture
of still life. the lens can be stop
ped down as far as it will go and
you can let the length of exposure
fall where 1t may. This will make
the pictures needle sharp, as they
should be, and any texture that
you point up with your lights will
be faithfully recorded. AS this
would indicate you should make a
point Of using your light or lights
to the best advantage. Only BY
experimenting with each arrange
ment will you find the best light
ings, but q good starting point
would find your main source OF
illumination at about IS degree
angle to the floral arrangement.
You can use either natural light
or that from f1oodlamps. We do
not even suggest the use of flash
lighting unless you are an expert
and can predict with certainty just
what effects will be achieved with
flash either singly or in combina-
ton. Natural light is perhaps the
best for our purpose because 1t Is
soft under most conditions and
will not wilt the flowers as will the
heat generated by the floodlamps.
If you are q quick worker with the
camera, the floods are fine but be
sure to cover them up with a diff
fusing screen to prevent the for
nation of harsh shadows.
Natural Light Is Best.
The light from a window in your
home will provide a soft. even IL
Elimination free from shadows.
However. this applies only to nor
NAL daylight. The direct light Of
the sun should not be used be-
cause Of its harsh effect. A fill-in
light should be used on the other
side of the camera from the main
source to tighten the shadows and
bring out the detail in those areas
shaded by flowers and foliage. A
reflector is even better for flll-in
purposes than a supplementary
light since it does not throw out
any conflicting beams of its own.
In this connection we suggest
that you keep an eye open to pre-
vent the formation of any deep
shadow that you keep an eye open
to prevent the formation of any
deep shadow areas caused by too
dense foliage or too dense group
ing of flowers. II this condition is
noted you can either correct it
by changing your lights or by re-
arranging the flowers or removing
enough of them to let the light
through. But don't kill the
shadows entirely because they are
definitely needed to give that IL
fusion of depth to the picture.
Most flowers are beautiful be-
cause of their very simplicity. So,
by the same token, keep your floral
arrangements simple and pleasing
to the eye. There is no need at
all for highly complex or elab-
crate arrangements that look stiff
and formal and as though they
had been placed by an Oriental
artist. To further preserve the air
of naturalness that is essential
to flower photography we suggest
that you do not remove too many
of the leaves that grow on the
plant. People who know flowers
will not miss such an obvious mis-
take as this. However, you should
remove all dead or wilted leaves
and the foliage may be thinned
out to a reasonable degree. II
the flowers have come from your
garden it will also be advisable
to check them and remove traces
of earth, dust, etc.
Keep Original Arrangement.
The best flower pictures that i
have seen are those that were as
near the natural state as possible.
The ornate arrangements are OBJ
vious fakes and If you want truly
lovely flower pictures, strive to
keep your compositions as near
like those of nature as possible.
Study the way the flowers grow in
a garden and try to keep your ar
Bridge CoIendor
Yry