A Tip For Shooting Wildflowers Close Ups In Wind

[Mike Spinak]

One of the most vexing problems for close up wildflower photographers is wind. There are many ways to deal with wind, each suited to particular situations. Here's a technique I often use to minimize wind-induced motion blur in naturally lit flower close ups, when there is no suitably long break from the wind within which to take the shot.

The flower you choose to photograph, on the end of its stalk, is going to be bounced back and forth with each puff of breeze. It bounces from its furthest point from you, through an arc, to its closest point to you. So, what point, along that arc, is the best for taking the picture? Most people tend to try to take these kinds of pictures at the middle point of the arc of the flower's sway. Unfortunately, that's the worst part of the range to take the picture.

Let's arbitrarily name the furthest spot in the arc from you, the spot from where the flower begins to sway toward you, "0". And let's name the spot where the flower is at its closest point to you along its arc, the spot where the flower ends its sway and goes back,"10". And let's evenly space the in-between numbers along the arc. And let's say that, at the speed the flower moves in the breeze, and the necessary length of the exposure, the flower will move through two steps along the arc.

Imagine we begin an exposure when the flower is in the "4" position, and coming toward us. As it continues toward us though position "5" and position "6", it will be continuously heading in the same direction. However, imagine that we begin when the flower is at the "9" position, and coming toward us. The flower will continue to position "10", then reverse back to position "9", again. So, while starting from position "4" will lead to an exposure wherein the flower has moved across a distance two steps long, starting the exposure from position "9" will lead to an exposure wherein the flower has moved across a distance of only one step long.

So, for this reason, alone, you can cut the motion blur in half by photographing a flower toward the end of its arc of sway, instead of in the middle.

But it gets even better than this. When the flower is in the "5" position, it has the least resistance against the force of the wind. As the flower moves closer to either end of its arc, its stalk is under increasingly more tension, and an equal force of wind will move the flower progressively more slowly toward the end of its arc than in the middle. The flower will almost hold still, for an instant, toward the very end of the arc.

Thus, instead of merely halving the motion blur when photographing the flower near the end of its arc of sway, doing so actually will most often be able to reduce movement to a quarter or even an eighth.

Thus, very near the end point of the arc of sway is the best spot/instance along the arc of movement, for reducing motion blur. Of the two end points, I prefer to shoot close to the end point farthest from me, as this gives the best depth of field, and seems easier to anticipate and properly time.

Here's an example of a real-life case of using this technique effectively, last week:

This crimson columbine was shot at the aptly named Windy Hill. Despite the fact that there was never a moment when the breeze entirely let up, I was able to get a tack-sharp (in terms of motion-blur... there is a bit of softness on the near petals from not being able to hold all of the flower within the depth of field) shot with this method.

Mike

www.mikespinak.com

 

[Stan Jirman]

Thanks for the tip! Now, how do you get the background to be that deep black?

 

[Don Lashier]

Good observation, but I generally just gently grab the stem (out of frame of course

- DL

 

[Mike Spinak]

Stan,

Sunlight directly on the subject, a background in deep shade, film's/digital sensor's limited dynamic range, and a bit of contrast adjustment is all it takes.

Don,

When grabbing the stem is an option, then it can be more expedient than the suggestion, here. In most cases, I find that grabbing the stem is not practical.

Mike

 

[Michael Brown]

Excellent suggestions and tips you have here Mike!

I also will use a couple of "plamps" to help out with that movement of the flower when I can.
"Wimberley Plamp"
It will not hold those very thin stems perfectly still in a brisk wind, ... but it sure does help.
I have 3 of them.
Usually one will hold the stem, and the other two might hold some type of reflector or something that will help to block some of that wind.
They are a little on the expensive side I think, and I am looking at things at the hardware store that might help me to build my own plamp a lot cheaper!

The methods that you have mentioned here is something similar to what I have been trying to teach my son.
Timing, and a bit of that patience works wonders!

 

[Daniel Harrison]

Michael,
When you find something let us know won't you! And thanks Mike for the tip and in depth reasoning behind it. Wind is a real pain. I find it really hard when I am shooting very close and have to stop down the lens to get some detail due to DOF. Then the exposure is long and even the slightest breeze throws it off.

I really like your example image, quite a remarkable background. did you have to do much tweaking in curves or did it come out pretty much as is? The lighing is great! has a top/rim lighing combination to it.

Thanks!
Daniel

 

[Mike Spinak]

Michael, Daniel,

I sometimes use a gizmo from an electronics store, meant to hold objects for soldering. It works okay, but it's not as fast nor easy to use as it could be. I have so many things to deal with, already, and usually have a limited window of time before losing the perfect light, when I'm trying to get my dream macro shot; so I find it onerous when something is less fluid to use in the field than it could be. I don't want any more time and effort than necessary to go into futzing with making my gear do what I want it to do. For this reason, I would not particularly recommend the electronics store/hardware store gizmos designed for giving an extra hand when soldering. The futz factor is too high. That's why I've been intending to get a plamp or two.

(I wish there was also a product, similar to a plamp, but with a heavy weight, or a stake, at one end.)

Another similar technique which I sometimes use, which is similar to holding the stalk by hand or with a plamp, is to prop some crossed sticks and rocks against the stalk, so as to restrict movement. This solution is cheap, and sometimes the easiest way to go.

I don't think that any technique involving holding the stalk in place would have worked in the case of the crimson columbine, shown above. To begin with, the long, dangling stalk was part of what made the picture (for me, at least). If the plamp was to be out of the picture while including this long stem in the shot, then it would not have been at all effective against the wind. Addtionally, this columbine was about three feet deep into a very thick thicket of poison oak. There would've been no way for me to touch it or come near it, without serious poison oak exposure.

And Daniel, the picture didn't need much tweaking. It was pretty close to this, to start with.

Mike

www.mikespinak.com

 

[Michael Brown]

Clothes hangers that have been straightened out and attached to your tripod, then the other end can be sort of bent around the stem to "sort of" hold it into place.
Other types of long, stiff wire found in some stores can also be bent into shape to hold/brace some of those stems. Just make it into a hook shape, ... sort of.
Looks a bit awkward and cheap, ... but it works! : )

 

[Mike Spinak]

Michael,

Using a wire coat hanger is a great idea. I use a lot of goofy, home-made equipment for photography, and I even use a tool made from a bent hanger for another purpose when I am backpacking and camping. However, I have never considered using one to hold wildflowers still.

I don't have any wire coat hangers, but I'll get one and try the idea, within the next few days. Besides attaching it to the tripod, I have two other conceptions in mind of how to use a coat hanger to keep a flower from swaying in the wind. One idea is to have a narrow hook on one end, and then drive the other (pointed) end into the ground. The other idea is to bend hooked loops onto both ends, to hold the flower hooked from two opposing directions, and then bend the middle of the hanger into a triangular, self-supporting base.

Thanks for the nifty idea!

Mike

 

[Michael Brown]

Another good use for those hangers while out in the field, is if you get one of those ungodly itches in a hard to reach area and there are no trees available!! : )

** I just crack myself up sometimes!!

 

[Mike Spinak]

I use my tripod for that.

Mike

www.mikespinak.com