 | | Sharon Gallina caught this pair of fox kits tussling near Durham, Ont. |
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Photos of the Week for the month of July |
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| Other photos we featured this month included a majestic bald eagle watching its nest from an adjacent tree near Yorkton, Sask. (photo by Tracy Kerestesh), a pair of white-tailed deer fawns photographed north of Fredericton by Derek Grant and a cardinal chick near Toronto (photo by Alison Gibson).
We choose a new photo every Monday to be our banner image on Facebook and Twitter, plus we share the picture on Instagram, too!
Want to see your photos featured? Be sure to join and upload to our Photo Club. |
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Flower power: Flora photo tips by Sofie Sharom |
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| Summer is an ideal season to practice your flower photography. Here are some helpful tips and tricks from Can Geo contributor Sofie Sharom to capture that perfect image. Camera Angle Your camera position is essential in determining the look and feel of your photo. If you're looking to capture an image full of blooms, position your lens just a few inches above the flower line, with a slightly downward angle. This will cluster the blooms together in your frame. You'll see as you rise from that position, that you’ll begin to see the spacing in between the flowers. Test a few different angles by starting directly level to the flower line, then rising slowly. For a unique angle, position your camera at the base of the flowers and point the lens up. This will create a larger-than-life feel. This also helps to remove objects from the background that might distract from the focal point of the image (people in the background, a large unattractive building, etc.). A wide-angle lens and an adjustable LCD screen will help you achieve this.
Lens Selection The type of lens you select will shape the style of your flower photography. A wide-angle lens is great for shots looking up through clusters of flowers, while a macro lens is ideal for capturing dew drops on petals, bees and insects collecting pollen from the stamen of a flower, or intricate patterns or textures on petals and leaves. The lens compression of a telephoto lens helps to condense flowers from a larger area into your frame making it appear more full, and is also great to help focus on individual blooms in the middle of a large garden.
Lighting Conditions Weather conditions in the summer can vary widely, from overcast skies to bright sunny days. Luckily, there are different types of shots you can create in all lighting conditions. Overcast skies are great for capturing colour. Direct sun can often burn out vibrant tones, and it can be especially difficult to photograph light or pastel colours contrasted beside richer darker colour palettes. The diffusion provided by an overcast sky will allow for a more even distribution of light and some great shots of multicoloured gardens. With direct sunlight, you might find your photos lacking that punch of colour, and shadows can occasionally take away from the look of your image. My favourite trick for photographing in direct sunlight is to position myself so the flowers are backlit. This can create beautiful contrast and some interesting shadows through petals. Photographing in early morning or late afternoon light can also help to reduce the harshness of direct light and adds a warm glow to the light.
Exposure and Depth of Field Flowers can have some amazing detail, whether it's an intricate stamen or pistil or an insect perching on the tip of a petal. To capture these details, I recommend using a shallow depth of field, from f/1.8 to f/5.6. A shallow depth of field will allow you to focus on your subject and eliminate distracting shapes in the background. What exposure you choose will depend on your lighting conditions. I recommend exposing for the lightest colours. I generally underexpose my flower photographs, as burnt out colours are difficult to recover in post processing, while darker colours can be more easily recovered. |
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Bestselling items from the Can Geo Shop! |
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 | Limited Edition RCGS x Roots Mt. Coleman reusable face mask
| CA$22.00
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 | Can Geo Kids presents Canada's Cutest Animals special issue
| CA$12.95
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We love when you tag us on Instagram using #ShareCanGeo. Here are a few of our recent favourites.
Click on each picture to be brought to the photographer's Instagram page! |
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Help us choose the next Canadian Geographic cover! |
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 | | Help us choose each issue's cover! Head to your subscription profile and make sure that “Cover Vote” is checked off to be sure that you're notified the next time voting starts! |
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