Students concentrate on waterlilies.
Waterlilies are not only seasonal, but also time-sensitive. Think of them to be rather like pop-up stores that are here from July thru September, but only open from 9 am – 5 pm. That’s what we did in the recent Waterlilies Workshop last Saturday at the Chicago Botanic Garden. A fine/fun time was had by everyone. Students captured many images that are certainly wall-worthy and should be printed by my friend Igor at the VIP Pro Photo Lab in Park Ridge, Il. I know there are some great shots because students have, per my request, sent them to me. If you have wondered when to use a longer lens, this is it–at least at the CBG–since the water areas which contain the plants are just far enough out to require a 100+mm focal length lens (full-frame).
Find patches of water lilies and get there asap. Once you’re there, remember to saturate the color by using exposure comp (+/-) to slightly underexpose the scene. Some students used a diffusion filter to get a “Monet” effect.
Waterlilies without diffusion filter
Diffusion filter creates “Monet” effect.
