Spring flowers

One of the most wonderful features of spring are the flowers. I absolutely love making images of flowers using the colors, shape, lines, etc. to create interpretations that delve in the abstract. Over the last 3 weeks I have been busy leading workshops and field sessions that introduce participants to this approach. A few years ago I realized it was rare for me to take a photograph of a single flower just by itself. I'm usually going in closer to abstract it or backing up to include multiple flowers. This just comes naturally to me. It's the way a see flowers.

The following 2 photographs are from last weekends Macro Boot Camp. The workshop was attended by a enthusiastic group of photographers that were open to different ideas that I presented to them. The first evening they were challenged with a breeze and the next morning with rain. The third session was held indoors in a more controlled environment. They had the opportunity to photograph a variety of flowers in bloom at the beautiful Meadowlark Botanical Gardens in Vienna, VA. The following two image were the only photographs that I made during the workshop.

The photograph above was created while demonstrating the use of shallow depth of field and picking a focal point for the image.

This image was created indoors while demonstrating how to control backgrounds, finding a composition and deciding where to focus.

You can view more flower photography at - http://www.nikhilbahl.com/portfolios/in_bloom/index.html

This weekend I have another flower photography field session that is sold out. It is the last of the spring series but I will be announcing a couple of more field sessions to photograph summer flowers. The  Kenilworth Aquatic Gardens Field Session  already has a few registrations.

Next week I'm off to Florida to photograph a variety of avian species. I'll be doing some of my own photography before leading a workshop in Titusville and St. Augustine.

Upcoming workshops

May 6, 6pm - May 11, 11am

Florida Avian Photography Workshop (Titusville and St. Augustine, FL)

July 21, 6:30 - 9:30am
Kenilworth Aquatic Gardens Field Session (Washington D.C.)

September 8, sunrise - sunset
Digital Nature Photography One-day Workshop (Chincoteague Island, VA)

October 20, sunrise - October 21, sunset
Great Falls Digital Worflow workshop (Great Falls, VA)

November 16, 1pm - November 18, 1pm
Chincoteague Island Workshop (VA)

February Featured Photo on NikhilBahl.com

Rhythm and Light (_NIK0207)

Walking along the beach on a lovely morning, I came across this unusual pattern in the sand. It seemed like there was potential, but the pattern by itself was not interesting enough to make a strong photo. I chose to include the seaweed and setup the composition to create diagonal movement. Even then, the photo did not feel complete; the water had to be included. As I decided how much space the water should occupy in the picture frame, the seaweed got swept away by the next wave. I quickly found more seaweed. Now I knew I had to act fast and time the release of the shutter perfectly. Serendipitously, the next wave stopped perfectly at the top of the frame to give me the pre-visualized photo.

Having only a little bit of water in the composition allows the photo to be about the pattern in the sand. The seaweed acts as a focal point and the foamy water is a supporting element that adds interest and enhances the movement created in the photograph. Let’s not forget, the early morning light helps bring out the texture in the sand and adds the warm hue.

None of these elements were strong enough to make a photo by themselves, but brought together in harmony they make an effective photograph.

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