Wildflower Photo Trek

With the arrival of spring I always look forward to our Annual Native Plant Sale. In the past I’ve tried to make my blog timely and offer suggestions for photographing spring’s wildflowers. My suggestions are simple and can often turn an ordinary photo into one you may wish to keep.

Just a few weeks ago my daughter Erin joined me for a wildflower hike. She is a junior at Signal Mountain Middle/High and a photographer for the school’s yearbook. With a shiny new Christmas camera she has discovered the joy of photography. Erin is naturally artistic but like most novices she needed a bit of technical knowledge to boost her confidence. F-stops & shutter speeds are often a foreign language until you begin to understand how the combination of the two along with lens choice has an effect on the final photo. And with wildflower photography, showing less often means more.  

So lets start with getting low and doing what I call the “belly crawl”. Wildflowers require an eye level perspective. My lens choice is a 55mm macro with an added extension tube for greater detail.  

As Erin and I walked along Reflection Lane she noticed just how tiny and delicate many wildflowers can be. She has never used a macro lens or an extension tube. With less depth of field focus is crucial. A tripod comes in handy allowing for slower shutter speeds and greater depth of field, but can be awkward to hike with and a nuisance on difficult terrain. On this particular day, slower shutter speeds were ineffective thanks to a steady wind. Hand held shots at 125th of a second or faster were a must. 

With macro lenses your background naturally drops out of focus. But one suggestion that I shared with Erin was to use a folded 16 x 20 inch or larger black foamboard behind your subject to create a more polished studio effect. I don’t suggest this in all cases, but it can often compliment your subject matter or make for a less distracting background. Simply position the board so the sun illuminates the flower and not the board. 

As Erin and I crawled and searched for the perfect rue anemone, bloodroot, star chickweed and trout lilies she quickly developed an appreciation for perfecting her shots. Composition, lighting and an unique angle are all so important. But one thing you often can’t control is the sunlight. I suggest sunny mornings or evenings. Some photographers prefer diffused lighting with overcast skies.

Wildflowers often peak and die back within a weeks time so don’t miss the chance to perfect your photographic skills. But if you would rather just purchase and plant wild flowers, check out our upcoming Spring Native Plant Sale this Thursday (members only), Friday and Saturday. Details are provided on our website at reflectionriding.org.


Wildflower photos by Erin Guenther