Session Three: Focus

Once we decided what we wanted in view, it was time to think about what is in focus. Each of the four approaches to framing the subject, from close-up to landscape, lets us choose whether or not the background is in focus. For the close-up and the portrait we may also be able to decide if even the entire subject is in focus. Do we want the petals or leaves to reach into a blur or stay crisp all the way to the tips?

During our third session on flower photography we explored the limits of the cameras we had available to us. We wanted portrait-sized images of two sunflowers, but with very different results. For one sunflower we wanted crisp openness, and we worked to bring the entire flower into focus. For it to still fill the frame meant maximum zoom and long exposure. The other sunflower called for a more mysterious portrait and very different zoom and exposure settings, even within the same general framing.

Lighting will be our last decision before we actually make the image.