Andrew Williams - SAYS IT WITH FLOWERS

In order to round out the feature we asked Andrew Williams ba (hons) lbppa to talk about the approach he teaches on his flower photography courses. Andrew will be presenting a Masterclass on Creative Flower Photography at the SWPP Convention in January 2008

In researching this article I visited the website of the Society of Botanical Artists and found the following quotation featured on the home page. “The art of botanical painting continues even in the face of enhanced photographic technology and the digital revolution, for there is simply no substitute for the discerning talents of the artist capturing the essence of plant form.”

Professor Peter R Crane FRS, Director of the Royal
Botanic Gardens, Kew: excerpt from his foreword to
The Art of Botanical Painting by Margaret Stevens fsba

As an avid photographer of plants and flowers, I find this quote highly thought provoking. To me, botanical painting occupies a unique space between the science of recording the details of a specimen in analytical detail and the world of fine art.

My own work, in particular, concentrates on the forms, colours and textures of plants and flowers. The botanist would be hard pressed to identify the genus of the subject, let alone the species so this photographer at least is no threat!

I do, however, see photography as a useful tool for the artist for capturing reference images to record details for future use, for example spring foliage.

So what advice can I offer to the botanical artist (or any other photographer) wishing to use their camera as a sketchbook for future artwork? Here are a few tips based upon my practical experience and feedback from my Creative Flower Photography courses.

Say NO to ‘AUTO’. Artists need to be in control of the images they produce, whether they use paints, pencil or a camera to create them. For record shots you need the flower, leaf, etc to be in sharp focus from front to back and this needs a small aperture to give a large depth of field (DOF).

Some advanced compact cameras and all SLR (interchangeable lens) cameras have controls (often labelled AP) to allow you to choose the aperture you wish. Dust off your camera manual for more information!

You should decide how much of the scene should be in focus using the computer between your ears rather than the one in your camera.

Use a tripod, monopod or some other support for your camera. I know they can be heavy, unwieldy and basically a pain but they are guaranteed to improve your images. Using a tripod will:

Ensure your images are sharp so you can see the fine detail.
Allow slow shutter speeds that give the depth of field you need.
Slow you down! Taking your time to frame a shot will improve your composition and help you check what is in the shot and what shouldn’t be there (bugs, dirt, stray twigs, etc)

Be aware of the light. A bright sunny day can be used to back-light a flower head for creative reasons but is not ideal for record shots. Deep shadows can hide important details. You can improve things by using a reflector (made from some cooking foil on card) or a flash gun to fill the shadows, or by standing so you cast a shadow over the area (another tripod plus!) but a bright, overcast day is better for this purpose.

Don’t forget to document your images. As a non-botanist it’s all too easy for me to come home with a beautiful set of plant portraits and to forget the names. Trying to identify them later using reference books is very timeconsuming so, if the plants are labelled, make sure you shoot the label as well.

Echinacea purpurea ‘Magnus’

Mamillaria bombycina

Helenium ‘Rubinzwerg’

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Photo Quote: The camera is no more an instrument of preservation; the image is... - Berenice Abbott American Photographer, 1898-1991