Nodding Red Trillium

[Cheryl Flory]

Canon 40D
Tamron 17-50mm at 50mm
1/1600"
f5
ISO 400
EC -.67

I took this image last spring and I know its not a great image. But I would like your C&C (in addition to lowering the ISO) on how to improve this image when I go back to try again in a couple of days. If I remember correctly, I used a small reflector. On this image I raised the exposure on the mid tones and added some blur to the background. How do you fix that in camera? In the woods?

I love trilliums, but HOW do you get a good and artistic photo of one?

[Julie Kenward]

Cheryl, I love the trillium itself but the BG, to me, is almost as important as the focal point. If you have a beautiful flower and a beautiful BG it automatically takes it up to a whole other level. My recommendation (knowing you don't own a macro lens...yet!) is to get down as low as you can so you get greenery in the BG instead of the dirt and leaf combo. Failing that, you might take a piece of green fabric with you to lay at the base of the plant (I've known many a guy who takes off their white t-shirt in field and drapes it across plants to give a white BG to an image so why not try something along those lines?)

Other recommendations - since trillium is usually in shady areas, take a reflector if you can and experiment with fill flash.

[Cheryl Flory]

Thanks, Julie.

[Roman Kurywczak]

Hi Cheryl,
I actually don't mind the browns in the bg....but the light is what is killing you here. with the specs posted you could have shaded the palnt and BG and scarificed the SS to around 1/160 to get the trillium in that softer, more even diffused light. Reflectors and diffusers are valuble tools in macro......a diffuser can be just you casting your own shadow on the area......and aluminum foil.......mounted on 8x11 card stock....works nicely as a cheap home made reflector. One of those collapsable all in one sets is around $40.....well worth having in the bag. the pop up flash with your set up.....is also very effective and you should try playing around with it and learn how to dial it down in power. Hope some of this makes sense.

[Anita Bower]

Beautiful light on this Trillium. I also like the composition ant the clarity of the flower. Photographing Trilliums is really challenging for me, for the very problems you had here--light and background. I imagine you were down low, and Trilliums face downward, making photographing them even more difficult. Go to Mark Graf's site to get some ideas: http://www.grafphoto.com/gallery/index.php

[Cheryl Flory]

Thanks Anita, and Roman!