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How to take high-quality photos of your plants with an iPhone
I eagerly watched the double peonies in my garden this spring, and the timing of their blooms was perfect for a Georgia O'Keeffe-inspired smartphone photography session.
For better image quality, you can purchase a macro lens adapter, but for this package I just used my iPhone without adapters.
While my last feature used direct sun and underexposure for dramatic color and contrast, this week I was interested in using the soft textures and layers of petals to create a more abstract image. Photographed on Monday, June 1, 2020. (Liz Martin/The Gazette)
To bring depth to the many layers, I cut a small hole in a piece of printer paper taped in a window, and mounted the peony on the paper. A folded piece of poster board bounces light back onto the flower, to provide fill light. I did this before full sun was shining on the window, to ensure even, bright light. Photographed on Monday, June 1, 2020. (Liz Martin/The Gazette)
In this photo, I have the poster board in place to bounce light back onto the peony. It softens the shadows, and warms up the image, but it also flattens out the depth and layers. Photographed on Monday, June 1, 2020. (Liz Martin/The Gazette)
In this photo, the sun is shining above, but not on, the peony, and only ambient light is used. Sometimes the simpler approach is best. I prefer the depth and texture of this image, when compared to the photo using the bounce card. Photographed on Monday, June 1, 2020. (Liz Martin/The Gazette)
Compare this photo to the first vertical image. Here, the most interesting parts of the peony are lost in the shadows somewhat, and it would have benefited from some additional fill light. Photographed on Monday, June 1, 2020. (Liz Martin/The Gazette)
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