Photography Walk
"Budget-friendly Close-up Flower Photography"
Mary Louise Ravese, Bella Vista Photography
- Thursday, January 23, 2020 – 10:00 am–1:00 pm
Register
Register
When we are able to get a close-up view of flowers, we can produce beautiful, intriguing photographs. Many amateur photographers think that to achieve these images you need to invest in a costly macro lens. Fortunately, that's not true. Extension tubes and close-up diopters (filters) are accessories that you can use together with you existing lenses to enable close-up photography. For the photographer who likes to occasionally dabble with close-up photography, they are a welcome, budget-friendly option. Mary Louise will explain how to use these accessories to successfully achieve close-up images. Then, under her guidance, participants can practice close-up photography in the indoor classroom using cut flowers they bring.
What to bring
- Suitable for traditional cameras (DSLR and mirrorless).
- Zoom or fixed focal length lens with a focal length over 70mm
- (optional) One or more extension tubes (Mary Louise recommends getting a set like those made by Kenko. Make sure to get ones that fit your camera mount and allow lens autofocus functionality. ~$100 - $130)
- (optional) 1 or more close-up diopter (aka close-up filter) for your lens (I recommend getting a set from a well-known filter manufacturer like Hoya or Tiffen. Price will vary based on lens filter size. Note larger filters can be used with smaller lenses by using a “step-down ring”)
- A tripod is required since we will be photographing indoors, potentially at shutter speeds too slow for hand-holding without blur. A tripod ball head is preferable for ease of positioning
- Cut flowers or similar (for practice). Bring a vase, flower frog, or floral foam to hold flowers. A mixture of flat face flowers (e.g. daisy) and deep flowers (e.g. lily) provides optimal practice opportunities