Andrew, your presentations are more than inspiring - they are like calls to action. Once I’ve watched one, I don’t want to continue scrolling through RU-vid. I want to get out of the chair and head outdoors with my camera! Thanks for your continuing stream of ideas and encouragement. And I’ll put in a good word, too, to RU-vid’s algorithms for sending your work my way.
Some wonderful images Andrew. I have just bought the Olympus 60mm macro to do exactly what you said, and get out to the local parks and take images throughout the year. 👍
Hi, Andrew. These are very nice close-up photos that you show here. I can't really choose which one I like best. They all look very good. I do think the pink one looks better than the red one. But without saying that I don't like the red one because I do. You have shown that it doesn't take much to have a nice photo afternoon. Take care of yourself and Nicky. Antoine.
The red ones, for me, are a bit too overpowering. But the colour is pretty life-like. They're incredibly rich colours. My favourites are the black and whites of the blossom. I just love the softness of them I hope you are well. Take care of yourself. Andy
Yes the weekend has started, scrumptious video, my fav the red flower (? Rhododendron) Agree the black and white has a place in flower photography. Thanks Andrew, inspired and will brave the rain and practice🙏📸
Yes, a Rhododendron as was the second and third pink ones. I think the third 5th flower is an Azalea. No need to brave the rain if you just pop to the shop and buy a bunch of flowers and then you can also enjoy them throughout the week.
Loved the video mate, flowers are great subjects to photograph, their simplistic beauty from many different angles and distance make them fantastic to photograph and you can some away with some amazing images, as you have past and present.
Photography is like having tea time with you or rum and coke time lol. You do a lot of explaining before 1 photo. Meanwhile, other channels will just snap snap snap snap with minimal talking. It really is a benefit and more enjoyable what you do. And that last photo is great. Im curious on a tripod hi-res ahot lol
Been shooting flowers today myself. Surely your steadiness problem would be helped by the self timer. I used mine for every shot today. Yes, arguably it could rob you of the decisive moment to press the shutter. Was very windy here and admittedly some shots changed composition because of it. But for some of the shots it added to the feel of the image. Obviously a few were just blown out of focus. Thanks for the video man 👍📸
I often use a 2 second timer but with the camera so high and difficult to get at the buttons, I just went for it as ghat took a long while to get the framing and I wasn't prepared to risk nudging anything. I didn't really believe in the shot either and I am no lover of the final image either, but it helped show what can be possible. Thanks for your continued support.
What a wonderful video that I must bookmark 'til our spring time 2.36 2 flowers : that is soo beautiful mate 3:52 macro lens ; I have always found them so hard to use . My best macro lens is often the crop tool (within reason) ; and I always have a good depth of field . 7:36 softness / noise ; so well explained --- sharpness is so over rated these days and there is nothing wrong with cropping 10:56 high angle ; great use of the wonderful swivel screen Again ; those photos are exhibition quality
Kind words, thank you. Macro is hard because of it's very thin depth of field. It's just practice. Note though that none of these shots are macro - just close-ups. No need to wait until spring - just buy cut flowers and do it today.
Beautiful captures, Andy. Being a disabled vet, I'm not able to get out and go on long walks, so I spend much of my time in the yard photographing flowers and wild birds that come in to visit the feeders. Once again, this video has inspired me and thanks for the noise and ISO explanation. Very helpful. Can you tell me what your thoughts were on picking a square crop on that one shot? Is it simply because you wanted to fill the frame with the subject ? I thought maybe it had to do with the background but then you blackened it out in your final image and didn't use the square crop anyway. Just curious ~ Thanks for another great video! Take care
Yes, you're absolutely right about the square crop thinking: fill the frame. Bit of a round peg in a square hole, but when editing it (and there's a lot of playing about with this, way more than I am comfortable with tbh), it needed more balance left and right so lighter petals were removed and replaced with darker leaves (all by hand though, none of this AI malarkey :-0 ) Thanks for your ongoing support. It really helps me get out and do it week in, week out.
Do you use continuous focus at times and have you ever tried any of the lenses by Lensbaby, I know Kathleen Clemens uses them flower work. Lovely shots Andrew.
I very rarely use anything other than single focus though that's more though my own inadequacies of memory than suitability. But, its also fair to say that the EM1mk2 is damn fast and it didn't miss once on this shoot. I haven't used any Lensbaby optics. I don't know anything about them tbh.
Oh no... it's a full moon and it's 0330 and here's a new AB extravaganza. So much for rolling over and trying to get back to sleep - push 'Play'........ [Fifteen minutes later:] Stonking good video Andy. Not only is your Pink Period really blossoming (will it challenge the 'Banana'?), but you said a lot of 'good things' around gear and shooting local and just having a go at what is available. Lovely images: the one you weren't sure about - sorry, i don't like to play favourites - was my favourite (i can explain why, but this isn't the time for politics and cultural critiques). Macro lenses... i have a couple, always carry one just in case, but rarely use them for blooms. My very bestist lens is my garden fave: the unprecedentedly awesome Oly ZD 150mm f/2 (gear does matter!). If i could have only one lens for my Olys, that lens would be it - oh, don't get me started! Anyway, 0400 and you've got me wideawake. Thanks so much... I may as well make a cup of tea and head over to the Beeb with a choc-biscuit or three to check out what's happening in the EPL. Have a great one Andy and thanks again for a lovely vid. Cheers.
You've got me howling again (or is that the moon?). You favourite was the top down one? The one that's most manipulated with cloned on leaves? :-) Cheers and enjoy that moon.
@@AndyBanner The reason i liked that so much is that the flower is closed. There's that sense of hidden treasure and promise. It's so normal to shoot a bloom in all it's fulsome beauty - almost cliched - but buds, closed blooms, the tea colour that seeps across a dying camelia, the last few petals hanging on something that has had it's day in the sun - these are the less told stories of life and death and no less 'beautiful' for that. 'Our culture' fetishizes 'The Spectacular' and impossibly beautiful - the composition and editing in so much photography (and especially in the landscape / fashion / celebrity genres)... i hate that shit aesthetic with a passion and that's without even beginning to touch on the harm it does regarding everything from people's self-image to expectations regarding what we see on holiday (and where we 'must travel to for our lives to be complete [this week]) and assessments of what is worth preserving of the natural world. I'll take the standard represented by a simple bloom at its least interesting any day, because it represents (regardless of whatever you'd done to it that i missed as the vid whizzed by) the Real World that the great and vulgar collective fantasies undermine. More tea. Cheers.
