An Exploration of Textures and Optics in Nature Photography
Nature is a true paradise for the passionate photographer. Landscapes, portraits, and macro stills are all open possibilities. Whether situated in a more rural or more suburban area, the outdoors and the wildlife they host make for many nonchalant subjects. The people, buildings, animals, plants, and machines look like they’re meant to be there because they are. It’s this warm, normal, genuinely natural aesthetic which is beautiful to see caught by a lens.
Today was a rather humid, rainy day in my local area. You can feel the damp lingering in the air when you step outside. This isn’t the best weather for camera gear, and to be honest it doesn’t feel so great to me either. Despite the wet overcast day, the sun managed to shine down on us a few times, though not as brightly as on days past. It was in one of these dry, slightly better lit periods that I went out to take some photos.
Morning dew and rain droplets have been some of my favorite photographic subjects for some time. It’s interesting to observe how these water droplets look so different on the varying objects they land on. On the Tiger lily pictured above, they rest on the speckled smooth petals. The tiny transparent gatherings of liquid distort the appearance of what lies beneath them, in this case, the flower petals’ design.
Unfortunately, shooting photos with only the natural available light when it’s still a bit overcast can make for rather dark backgrounds as the photo above exemplifies.
A rough dark green cloth covering is currently being used outside, and the rain gathering on its surface made for the best photos of the day! You can see the fibers of the cloth. The eye beholds hundreds of droplets, only a small number of which can be clearly made out.
Those further in the background or foreground are blurred. The softness of aperture is an amazing effect, particularly for backgrounds. I find objects like lights, jewels, and water droplets (bright or reflective surfaces) make great background subjects when this attractive effect is employed. It’s one which can never be overused in visual imagery.
Photography by: John Tuttle.
Editor’s Note: This post was originally published here at OIAI’s main website.
