36 http://www.amateurphotographer.co.uk
KIT LIST
Technique FLORAL MANDALAS
Light pad
A flat light pad is ideal
for creating mandalas.
‘Mine is about 18.5in
x 25in, so it’s pretty
big,’ reveals Elizabeth.
‘It needs to be big
because when you are
rotating it you don’t
want the edges to
appear in the picture.’
Tripod
Elizabeth uses a
Vanguard Alta Pro
264AT tripod with a
Manfrotto 410 geared
head. ‘I like the
geared head because
it allows me to make
true precision
movements of just the
tiniest increments,’
she explains.
Lensbaby
Velvet
85mm lens
All of the botanical
mandalas here were
created with a
Lensbaby Velvet
85mm – a manual-
focus lens that
Elizabeth feels adds
a painterly look to her
images. ‘I believe that
working in manual
mode with a
manual-focus lens
makes me more
creative,’ she says.
Motorised
platform
To start with,
Elizabeth used a
rotating display
platform from her
jewellery-making days
to move the light pad,
but she soon
upgraded to a
ComXim turntable,
which allows her much
greater precision.