Australian_Photography_-_June_2016_

AUSTRALIANPHOTOGRAPHY.COM 63

LEFT

Pineapple Bush, Crooked Brook

Reserve, Dardanup, WA. “The 100mm

macro lens allowed me to photograph

this bee in the flower without having to

get too close,” says Jill Harrison.

Canon EOS 60D, 100mm macro, 1/500s

@f5, ISO 125.

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Pale Sundew (Drosera Peltata). “This

is a relatively common plant that uses

sticky glandular tentacles to trap and

digest insects,” says Bruce Cooper.

“The centre, in-focus leaf surrounded

by sticky droplets is approximately eight

millimetres across. The shot was taken

with late afternoon sun behind the plant

which was situated in the middle of a fire

trail.” Olympus E3, 50mm macro, 1.4X

converter (35mm equivalent to 140mm),

1/200s @ f6.3, ISO 100.

AUSTRALIAN PHOTOGRAPHY JUNE 2016

EXPERT ADVICE capturing wildflowers in the field

Speedlight which is easy to rig-up for shutter synchronisation
with a RFN-4s remote. His tripod is a lightweight Manfrotto
carbon fibre 190CXPRO3. A daylight filter protects his lens
from the potential damage in the bush. The most effective light
shaper is one Cooper made himself, “a coffee-can snoot for the
Speedlight which allows a more directional beam and reduces
scatter f lash to the background.”
Jill Harrison’s kit is basic, “simple but sufficient when skilfully
used,” stresses Harrison, adding that the most important camera
is the camera you have and that you should learn to use it
comprehensively. It’s possible to shoot wildf lowers well even with
a compact camera, if it has manual settings such as aperture
priority, although a DSLR with a viewfinder is preferable.
Her passion for wildf lower work began while using a Canon
PowerShot Pro1 which had a “super macro” setting, and was
perfect for wildf lowers. Her ‘go everywhere with me’ is a Canon
G11, a small, light, and easily portable camera with manual
settings, which she uses when she is without her DSLR.
Her DSLR is a Canon EOS 60D. Attached is a Canon EF
100mm f2.8L IS USM Macro lens , “The lens allows me 1:1
magnification, shallow depth of field, and beautiful background
blur without having to get too close,” she says.
“Don’t go out and buy an expensive macro lens straight away.
Experiment first with what you have and learn to use your
manual camera settings,” says Harrison.
If you don’t have a macro lens, you can use an extension tube
or a ‘close up’ or diopter filter which are both less expensive
options which work well.
Harrison never uses any external lighting in the field, nor
on-camera f lash because she feels it ‘blows out’ her subject.
Harrison’s kit includes a Manfrotto tripod and a remote release
cable which plugs into the camera to help eliminate additional
camera shake when using the tripod. She also uses a collapsible

Glanz 5-in-1 folding ref lector which includes a white, black,

gold and silver ref lector as well as a white Translucent for

diffusing light.

“Most importantly, make sure you have a good pair of hiking

boots, spare batteries, extra memory cards, and a good comfortable

waterproof backpack with padded areas to protect gear. If you

are away for a period of time a laptop or tablet is handy for

downloading images, or you could purchase extra memory cards.

An inverter which plugs into your car is great for plugging in your

battery charger for recharging batteries while you are driving. It’s

also handy to carry a good map or locally produced guide, and a

reference book for identifying f lowers,” says Harrison.

Stanley and Kaisa Breeden use a Canon EOS 5D Mark III

on a Miller tripod with a Really Right Stuff BH-55 ballhead.

Their lenses include Canon 100mm and 180mm macro as well

as Canon 28-70mm and 70-200 zooms. They also use a cable

release, and “a very glamorous” ref lector: a white esky lid. Not

included because they never use them, are filters and f lash.

Focus stacking

“The beauty of digital photography is that it encourages

experimentation with perspectives, perhaps chancing on a

perspective you would not necessarily see unless you were an ant

or a bee,” says Stanley Breeden.

After stalking the f lower, as Kaisa describes it, the Breedens set

up their tripod and gear.

The Breedens use a technique called focus stacking to achieve

their beautifully crisp shots. First they take a sequence of close-

up shots in which the focus of each shot is changed slightly.

In post-production, they then combine the sequence to create

a single, merged, and very crisp picture.

“Usually we try to capture as much depth as we possibly can.

We work entirely with aperture priority so that what we take is