Tips on photographing Bluebells

 

Gear:

• Compact Camera or DSLR
• Lenses - if you're using a DSLR wide-angles, telephotos and macro lenses should all be put to use.
• Tripod – Take a look at Vanguard's Alta Pro 283CT tripod with its Multi-Angle Central Column System which allows users to move the central column from a vertical to a horizontal position making macro-photography a breeze.
• Waterproof sheet or a gardener's kneeling pad to keep you off the damp ground

Technique:

Head to the woods when there's a little bit of cloud cover and you have the perfect weather for photographing Bluebells. If they're densely-packed together, forming an almost carpet of blue and purple shades, use your wide-angle lens with a small aperture so all the flowers are in focus, amplifying the  size of the area they cover. Adding a little height to the shot by shooting on a tripod from head-height will further exaggerate the illusion.

If one or two individual flowers turn out to be prime specimens get down low and use your telephoto lens on a wide aperture to blur everything apart from the band of flowers that grabbed your attention. Then, with your macro lens, isolate an individual flower, focusing on the details and patterns on the head. Just watch out for the wind blowing your flower around as any movement will result in a blurry shot. Of course, blur can be creative when used at the right time. See our tutorial on Drag landscapes for more tips on this.

Find the tripod and camera bag to suit your needs at www.vanguardworld.com