Natural Light Still-Life Photography
By admin | November 11, 2008
When I’m not outdoors photographing — when the weather is poor or when I’m inspired by an object or floral bouquet — I take my work indoors. This article aims to inspire you to be creative with your own photography and to try to set up your own still lifes to create beautiful art.
Indoors, as outdoors, I usually work with natural light. For the most part, no special lights are required for beautiful indoor photographs if you have a nice sunny window. In my house, the light in the eastern sun room is nicely diffused in the afternoon and this serves as a good start for lighting the scene. Lighting an indoor scene is very different from catching the proper light outdoors. Sometimes, I will use artificial light when the light levels are particularly low, for example, if I have decided to work at the wrong time of day to take advantage of the lighting in the sun room. For artificial lighting, I use my sunlamp which does a great job of imitating the sun for my moods and for my flower images. You can experiment with candles and other soft household lights too. I often use reflectors and diffusers to balance the light and highlight certain aspects of a scene. You can use a white sheet, tin foil, or colored fabric rather than fancy professional equipment to accomplish the same thing. For example, in a Christmas still-life on which I have been working, I am using a gold foil bag underneath the subject to reflect light up, get rid of shadows, and enhance that holiday glow.
I don’t generally use a tripod when I am working outdoors, but the lower level of light indoors makes it a necessity if I don’t want to use a flash. Since I am focused on one general subject in the middle of my table, I don’t mind keeping my camera stationery. When I am in a garden, I prefer to move around without the tripod. (Though, sometimes I will use a tripod outdoors if I have a particularly interesting flower and want to spend a lot of time with it or if the lighting conditions call for a slower shutter speed with a more open aperture.) A tripod allows you to hold the camera perfectly still for long periods of time. You can then keep your shutter open for longer periods without getting any blur from shaking hands.
As a garden photographer, I aim to include flowers in all the work I do. I like to set up still life images of found objects that delight me and will hopefully interest the viewer of my photographs. Setting up plants indoors gives me more flexibility to pick the “proper” angle at which to photograph them. I set up my tripod and move single potted plants around in circles on my “studio” table (a folding card table) trying to find the plant’s best side. I take single blooms and do the same or cluster them with other single blooms and leaves to make an arrangement. I sometimes use objects to play off the flowers, as I am doing now in the holiday card series on which I am working. You can use any items that appeal to you to create an interesting subject.
I start with colors and objects that I think will look nice together. I sometimes have an idea of how I will set them up together, but more often than not, I use serendipity to start arranging objects and then see what comes of it. As I look at an arrangement and snap away, I start to reposition one object at a time, ending up with a totally different arrangement than the one with which I started. I use different backdrops and table cloths. And sometimes, I bring in new objects from my personal things when an idea hits. The objects with which I start are usually purchased especially for the occasion and become part of my treasures for future still lifes. I usually take about 50 photographs in an hour when I work this way and come up with two or three that I really like and perhaps one special treasure. I have had three sessions of holiday stills like this in the past week and only have one photo that will make it to my Christmas cards.
I hope that you can use some of these tips to create your own unique still lifes. Think outside of the box about lighting and indoor subjects to create beautiful art using natural light indoors. Please see some of my still lifes in my “Dining with Flowers” gallery at http://www.melissamannonphotography.com/dining_gallery.php and more in my general galleries on my web site.
Melissa Mannon is a garden and nature photographer. Her photographs of children in the garden are exceptional for their sensitivity to the subject and artistic quality. She is the Autumn 2006 winner of the Writers’ Journal’s photography contest for her image “In the Gazebo”. Her indoor photographs have received recognition and commendation for their simple beauty and artistic creativity. Visit her web site at http://www.melissamannonphotography.com
Tags: art, christmas cards, flowers, gardens, natural light, photography, still lifeFlowers as a Sign of Condolence
By admin | November 10, 2008
One of the most significant ways that you can show your condolences for the family of a deceased person is to send sympathy flowers. Normally, funerals are adorned with sympathy flowers from many concerned friends and acquaintances. Sympathy flowers are a traditional way to brighten up the home of the bereaved family and hopefully divert their grief. Sympathy flowers are a way to commemorate and honor the life of the deceased.
It is important to remember that if you are limited in your budget, synthetic flowers are not appropriate. There are several different lower priced sympathy flower arrangements that would be a better choice. Bud vases, table arrangements, and small wreaths in fresh flowers make a more tasteful choice than a large synthetic flower arrangement.
There are many choices in sympathy flowers. Standing arrangements, sprays, casket drapes, and planters are all common sympathy flower purchases. When ordering a sympathy flower arrangement, you can make a choice of type of flower, color, and style of the arrangement. These options allow you to totally customize and personalize your sympathy flower purchase.
One of the most popular sympathy flower arrangements currently is the garden basket planter. These arrangements are unique because the flowers can be kept and grown in the planter as a reminder for the family members of the deceased.
If you find yourself in a position where you need to send sympathy flowers there are certain things you need to consider. There are some cultural and religious differences that can influence the choice of sympathy flowers. For most cultures and religions, sympathy flowers are accepted and welcomed. However, for some members of the Muslim faith the emphasis at a funeral is on simplicity. Sympathy flowers are not appropriate in this case. Additionally, the shape of sympathy flowers is of important consideration. Sympathy flowers are often arranged in a cross shape, but this would not be appropriate for a Jewish funeral.
© Cookgroup Marketing LLC - All Rights Reserved. This article brought to you by http://Grow-Your-Garden.com/. You may freely reprint this article on your website or in your newsletter provided this courtesy notice, author name, and URL remain intact. Jason Albright is a contributing editor at Cookgroup Marketing LLC. His background is with lifestyle topics including: Gardening, Outdoor Living, Home Decor & Travel Destinations.
Tags: busch gardens, flow, flower, flowers, garden, gardening, herbs, lowers, olive garden, savage garden, types ofThanksgiving Crafts Now is the Time to Think Centerpiece
By admin | November 8, 2008
Now is the perfect time to try some Thanksgiving crafts and prepare the centerpieces and favors for your special Thanksgiving dinner. One simple idea that makes a great smelling centerpiece is to make a bundle of spice sticks.
To create this sweet smelling and stylish Thanksgiving craft you will need approximately 32 cinnamon sticks of about 16 inches long, floral tape, a glue gun, and an assortment of dried flowers, small pine cones, 2″” wide velvet ribbon, and 1″ wide grosgrain ribbon. When selecting the assortment of dried flowers try to find flowers that will Thanksgiving decorations or tableware. To make the spice bundle wrap 4 of the cinnamon sticks together with floral tape. Don’t cut this tape off but wait to wrap it around the remaining pieces too. Then, add the rest of the cinnamon sticks a few at a time holding them tightly against the first bundle, and wrap tape around the whole bundle. Cut off the tape off of the roll.
Insert and arrange flowers and pine cones by dipping the ends into glue before placing among the cinnamon sticks. Have the flowers point out away from the center of the cinnamon sticks and leave room for the 2″ ribbon right in the center. Wrap the 2″ wide velvet ribbon around the bundle and tie a bow. Add a small bow of 1″ wide grosgrain on top of the velvet bow. Use complementary color ribbons to your anticipate table settings and your flowers. Hide the knotted part beneath a few small flowers.
You can make smaller bundles of cinnamon into place card holders by using 4″ cinnamon sticks instead of the 16″. Carefully stick hand printed cards between the sticks to identify who is to sit at that table setting. This Thanksgiving craft will double as a great smelling party favor after the dinner is through and the guests take their place markers home. The guests can then use the bundle as a photo or recipe holder and enjoy the spicy odor of cinnamon for several months to come.
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Tags: centerpiece, cinnamon, craft, dinner, favors, flowers, ideas, ribbon, smell, spice, Thanksgiving