“

L

ook at your picture, would you clamber around in

it? I think about it that way, from an ant’s point of

view. Would you go exploring and get lost in it?”

Australia is home to thousands of unique

species of wildf lowers, but photographing them presents it’s own

challenges. It means trekking far afield and being prepared to deal

with their wild, natural environment.

But for veteran nature photographer Stanley Breeden, it’s all

part of the fun. “The aim of the images my wife Kaisa and I

create are to lead the viewer’s eye inward, and encourage them to

move around and explore within the photograph,” he says.

Composing a story

“There are no rigid rules for good composition,” continues

Breeden. “I like to experiment, maybe using a diagonal rather

than a vertical or horizontal composition.”

For the past decade Sydney’s Bruce Cooper has come at

wildf lower photography from a different angle – he specialises

in capturing the beauty and uniqueness of orchids. Australia

is home to more than 1800 different types, but it can still be a

real challenge to capture them. “Where a bloom is very close to

the ground, it’s difficult to eliminate background clutter such

as leaf litter. Different lighting angles are critical to obtain a

good composition,” he says. As individual orchid species have

different light ref lecting and transmitting qualities, it’s essential

to experiment.

“In the field you need patience,” Cooper continues. “Take as

many shots as you want, because if you miss the right one, coming

back next year to re-shoot might be the only real solution.”

Wildlf lower expert Jill Harrison takes images from all possible

angles, always guided by the f lower’s shape. When she wants to

58 AUSTRALIANPHOTOGRAPHY.COM

Flower

Power!

EXPERT ADVICE capturing wildflowers in the field

Capturing unique images of flowers in their natural habitat

is a challenge that requires patience and perseverance. Three

dedicated photographers come in from the wild to talk about

their passion and share their expertise in shooting wildflowers

from new perspectives. Rob Ditessa reports.

MAIN
Baxter’s Banksia,
from the book
Wildflower Country
by Stanley and
Kaisa Breeden
(2010, Fremantle
Press). Canon 1Ds
Mark II, 180mm
macro, f16, ISO

100. Nine-exposure
     focus stack.

RIGHT
“I can’t actually
identify this flower
which I captured
in Dryandra
Woodland near
Narrogin in W.A.”
says Jill Harrison.
“I was attracted to
its shape and the
fabulous bokeh from
the late afternoon
sun.” Canon EOS
60D, 100mm macro,
1/400 @f4, ISO 125.

AUSTRALIAN PHOTOGRAPHY JUNE 2016