Friday, March 30, 2012

Seeing Beyond the Obvious



When you shoot a particular subject often, the challenge becomes capturing that subject in new and different ways. I had this issue last week when my Crocuses began to bloom. Here in Maine, Crocuses are the first bits of color we see in the Spring, and after a long season of just  brown and white, it's always a pleasure to see them break ground. I shoot them every year, and last fall I planted some large groups of purple Crocus bulbs in a new location, so I was especially happy to see them blooming.  

I always shoot some individual portraits....



... and of course some group photos....




So, how would I shoot this new crop of Crocuses in a different way? First I shot one group photo...


..and then I though about shooting through one group to another several feet away, keeping my lens very close to the flowers and shooting wide open to create a veiling effect...


Since we are having an early Spring, my daffodils are also up, so I tried shooting through their foliage too, and the resulting image was exactly what I had been seeking, a very different view of a commonly photographed subject. This is one of my new favorite photos!


So, grab your camera, get outside and try seeing your world in a new and different way!

Happy Shooting!
Kathleen

14 comments:

  1. Wonderful post and photography Kathleen!

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  2. Kathleen, were you using the Lensbaby for these, especially that last image? Beautiful images, wish I had planted something to bloom early!

    I find I still revert to my macro lens but still incorporate the Lensbaby for my flowers and rethinking that...

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  3. Thanks, Pat! I used a Lensbaby for all but the bottom two images, I needed a longer focal length for those two so I used my Canon f/3.5 180mm.

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  4. Stunning Kathleen. I must try to shoot a different angle when the weather gets warm enough.

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  5. Kathleen, thanks for the helpful shooting suggestion. Seeing the familiar in new ways can present challenges, at times. You've come up with a gorgeous collection of images! My favorite is the last capture.

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  6. Great shots!! Excellent job!!

    Francesc from Barcelona

    Salut

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  7. Your lensbaby flowers are terrific. Through your eye, they are a marriage made in heaven!

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  8. Thank you, Cynthia. Lensbaby lenses are my fav for flower portraits. :)

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