BetterPhoto Q&A
Category: Macro Photography Tip

Taking Close-ups of Inside of Orchid - Help!

Any tips for me?? PLEASE?

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November 11, 2005

The tripod will be absolutely necessary - depth of field in macro mode is notoriously thin - even at small apertures. And I mean thin - as in measured in tenths of an inch or less. What this means is that you will want to set up the tripod, use the smallest aperture possible, and also make use of the flash because you're going to need the light. For the flash, I suggest that rather than mounting it on the top of the camera, you get an extension cord that allows you to hold the flash off the camera and aim it more directly at the flower. I'm sure Canon makes a cord like this - it's what you'd use if you mounted the flash on a flash bracket. Also, use a piece of foamcore or something as a reflector on the other side of the flower from the flash, to avoid shadows thrown by the stamen or petals.

Given the very thin DOF, you'll probably need to take a bunch of shots (and do use the remote trigger). Hopefully, the speed of the flash exposure will eliminate any blurriness from the mirror slap, and with luck, you'll get the right parts of the flower in focus.

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November 11, 2005

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November 11, 2005

I'll be practicing this afternoon, and I'll have to check my manual about mirror lock-up. I have no idea. :)

Thanks again!

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November 12, 2005

Orchids are a fun subject. You mentioned sun and a slight breeze... I gather the orchids cannot be moved? If they can, move them inside next to a window where there is no air movement. You can re-position the orchid in relation to the window to change the angle of the light. Also use a piece of white foamcore or other reflective material to bounce a little fill light onto the darker side of the blossom. I did this on three of the images in my album, two of which are orchids :-)

Remember you can crop your image, so get as close as you can with your availble lenses. I also shoot with the smallest aperture (largest number) and the highest resolution. (The orchid images were shot with a medium format Pentax 645N, a 120mm macro, and Fuji Velvia 50)

If the orchids can't be moved, is it possible to drive two or three stakes/poles in the ground around the flower? If so, you can then drape a white sheet (really white) over the poles and the flower, like a tent. This will defuse the light and also create a windbreak. Just drape the sheet over your camera and viola', a light box. You may want to hang something inside the sheet, behind the subject, for a background.

I saw a guy do this with two card tables. One upright on the bottom and one on top with the table tops facing. The top table had the legs in the air and was used to drape a sheet over. This was done outdoors in his yard. Pretty cool idea.

The tripod is a must for all shots that you can use a tripod. I started out shooting landscapes and a tripod will give you that extra bit of steadiness, thus sharpness to your image. Also, use the timer on the camera or a cable release/remote trigger.

Like Bob said, the depth of field will be slim. Remember that the DOF is about 1/3 in front of and 2/3 behind the sharp point of focus. So, if you focus on the nearest point, some of the DOF will be between you and the orchid, effectively losing some DOF to open air. This was difficult for me to get used to... focusing on a point slightly past where I wanted the focus to be sharp. I still have to force myself to do this. So, figure out where you want your DOF and focus in about 1/3 of that.

One thing I wish I would have done, especially with the white orchid, is to backlight the blossom. The interior of the orchid is like a little cave and can be dark and lose texture and definition. Backlighting the blossom will make the flower "glow". I have seen this done before and really like it.

To backlight in the setting I mentioned above, place an opaque object (gobo) between the light source and the front of the flower. Then backlight with a reflector, mirror, or flash. I have seen this, but never tried it.

Also, with shooting outdoors, be cautious of the blue reflected from the sky on really clear days. I helped a friend set up and shoot some pottery photos. She used the "near the window" method and the day was absolutely clear. She got a bluish cast over the images due to the sky reflection. There are filters that will compensate for that or it can be accomplished digitally.

One more thing... Yes, I am long-winded. Sorry, but I hope this helps.

Rex

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November 15, 2005

With regard to mirror lock-up the 300d doesn’t ship with this feature but if you look around on the internet you can download what’s called a “firmware hack” (gives you most of the custom functions of the 10d in the 300d body – how much do you like your warrantee?)

Once you have downloaded this file you just load it onto a CF card and put it in the camera; a screen will come up asking if you would like to update the firmware from 1.1.0 to 1.1.1 or something (you can read more about this on the web in places to get full details)

So you can get custom functions on the 300d for free! Mirror lock up (MLU) is buried in the CFn menu (the new one that you’ve just installed)(an annoying habit of Canon’s – they do it on all their cameras)

So go to the CFn menu and 12-1 and 17-3 or 17-4 (you’ll understand if you see the menu layout)
This will give you MLU for 6 or 7.5 seconds respectively before the shot is taken.
It’s a bit disconcerting at first but handy – and note that it’ll only engage in self-time and single shot drive modes.
I leave it on all the time and shoot in continuous drive mode except when I want MLU.
Also this custom feature set will give you FEC(flash exposure compensation) when you press the ‘jump’ key in normal shooting operation. This function is just like normal exposure compensation but rather than changing your camera settings it will change the power of flash output

Use FEC with a makeshift scrim (just grab something to spread the light for an impromptu soft box – I generally use paper or some foam core if I want to reflect) and flash bracket your exposures to get the best image file possible.

Rather than the flash you could use hot lights (i.e. your bedside lamp and possibly the one in the hallway with stuff taped to them to shape the light nicely) but you will need the MLU for this approach as long exposures get shaky when up close.
Note that hot lights will wilt your flowers after a bit (the heat will make them go kind of flaccid after a while) but if this happens just spray them with water and come back the next day!

Also I’d probably use the 18-55 at about 20mm because I find it pretty sharp at ~f/8 (though not very nice to use!) and the wide-angle will look nice (I find super sharp tele macro lenses look a bit clinical anyway!) will give you a better DOF and focus pretty close (go MF and stop it down a lot if it can’t focus close enough!)

Sorry about the long spiel!
Cheers,
Chris

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November 15, 2005

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November 15, 2005

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November 15, 2005

	reflections of an orchid Mark E. Howard

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November 15, 2005