The Photocraft Forum

Occasionally, photographers have combined their images with actual material from whatever they've been depicting - sand from the beach or even locks of hair. I thought it might be fun to try this with some of our sweetpeas. So I took a conventional shot of the flowers, picked just after a rain shower. Then I printed and mounted the image. I then pressed several of the flowers and waited several weeks for them to dry out. Finally, I got some spray mount and stuck the pressed flowers on the mount. I'm not sure if the hybrid image would be allowable in a photo competition, and I've not really learned how to press flowers well, but this is a picture of the finished result. An example, maybe, of photography's ability to capture beauty for all time, in a constantly changing world!

We've finally been able to go out and about a bit more and so I've enjoyed a few trips to some National Trust gardens and a quick visit to a new part (for me) of the West Sussex Coast over the past few weeks. I have to admit, I had not really picked up my camera much at all over the last three months so when out, I didn't know what I would feel like photographing. I'm not that much into flowers, etc. but as I walked around the gardens (no, not like a teddy bear 😃 ), there were some good colours and on each of the visits, the wind got that bit stronger over the course of the morning. I watched the plants and flowers being blown about and it struck me that I could give Intentional Camera Movement (ICM) a go again! I really do like the challenge of getting an image to look "right" with some ICM and I'll bet many of you who have tried it know it is completely hit and miss...probably more of the latter! Here are a few of my attempts, some of which I really do like personally and others where I think it will be nice to know what others think. Do they work with the movements and colours? Is the crop right? Can you make out what the image is of...where I might leave a clue or two? This one was at Scotney Castle in Kent. 70mm, 1/10th at f22, iso 100. I've only really edited it for colour and a tweak to increase the exposure. The same place and practically the same settings but 1/13th shutter speed. This is the only one that worked (I hope) from many attempts to make the white daisies stand out from the yellow. Taken at Sissinghurst Gardens. 61 mm, 1/6th at f22, iso 100. I've boosted the reds. This one is probably the one with the most obvious detail of the flowers and I think the colours work so well together. Ightham Mote this time. 50 mm, 1/25th at f22, iso 100. This was a brighter morning with little wind when I took this but the way the flowers worked together drew me in and I am pleased with this one. Still in Ightham Mote. 61 mm, 1/20th at f11, iso 100. Again, helped by the wind blowing and creating the movement for me to work with. Sissinghurst again and a moment when I went in among the flowers to get the best composition. 70mm, 1/20th at f22, iso 100. This one is from a new place for me - The Widewater Lagoon, Lancing. This is between Brighton and Worthing. Just a lagoon on one side and the beach and sea on the other. Taken on 29th June. It was not a Summer's day! But again, with the wind blowing, I thought it would be good to try ICM here and work with different features as well as the wildflowers. 70mm, 1/30th at f22, iso 100. A person and a bench to add some different things. 70mm, 1/15th at f22, iso 100. Last one from Lancing. 70mm, 1/20th at f22, iso 100. The wind was really up and so I could shorten the shutter speed but still get the movements. OK. Maybe you don't shake it quite as much as a polaroid picture! But one of the great challenges with ICM is guessing a shutter speed that works along with how much movement you need. The above are just a few that I think are ok compared to the many, many others on my memory cards. All of them took a few attempts and each time, my first was so overdone as I was moving the camera far too much. It takes a while to get something that you might feel you can keep and edit. I would really like to know what you think. Do you have a favourite? Do any of them fail? What would you change? Right, that's all from me. Hope you have enjoyed the images. Brian

Some unprocessed images taken on a Photocraft evening recce earlier this week.