Mitchella repens L. (Partridge Berry)

This a flower I never expected to be able to photograph using flash-lit white background.

The specific epithet - repens, means trailing or creeping. The plants lay prostrate on the forest floor. The flowers are less than an inch and are upright. The search wasn’t so much as for the perfect flower, as it was for one hanging over a small indentation to be able to set it apart without disturbance of the surroundings.

I found one, and this is the result.

For more info on the plant - https://www.fs.fed.us/wildflowers/plant-of-the-week/mitchella_repens.shtml

Specific Feedback Requested

Graphics, intent to present the plant as a portrait.

Technical Details

Is this a composite: No
DSLR, 100 mm, plant in situ, flash behind a small square of white translucent plastic, two fill flashes at the camera.

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This is a new plant for me to view. Must have been hard to get the detail in the fuzzy area of the flower. Nice placement in the frame. Well done.

This is a great portrait. Glad you find one to photograph. I like that you do not “clean up” the flower, but instead let it present itself as is.

The way the one leaf helps the flowers stand out is really excellent - great eye for detail. I’ve only ever shot these well once, so this is a treat. The little haze of pink and fuzziness is only there when you get really close. Even that little bit of debris is charming.

Another gorgeous botanical illustration!! I love the way the two leaves hold the flowers, like two hands, releasing them to fly away!

I really like how you do your studio style flower photography! I watched a tutorial on it and it doesn’t seem easy at all! Especially when you’re working with such small flowers. Really nice work!

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I second Vanessa - love this style and the way it (to me, at least) evokes a sketch a botanist might do while studying the plant. :smiley: Also second the point about the leaf helping to contrast with the flowers themselves. On that point though, it feels to me like the ends of the flowers get a bit lost with the white background, although maybe it wouldn’t have been possible to avoid this without finding a different subject. Also, I find the texture and sharpness of the lower leaf a bit distracting, and specifically feel that it takes away from the sense that it’s a drawing. Thank you for sharing, looking forward to seeing more images in this style!

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@Vanessa_Hill It’s not difficult at all. I haven’t seen the tutorial you mentioned, but some instructions about this style include bigger flash units, several tripods for flashes, and additional reflectors for fill light. I’ve always tried to keep the gear to a minimum, at times balancing a softbox on a tripod made from sticks found in the forest nearby. For low plants, the front flashes are on the ground, or they are on holders similar to the hot shoe on top of the camera and a stick holding them higher. I often handhold one of the flash units.

The camera is always on 1/250 sec (where the flash sycn), f22 for depth of field - and that works because of the intense light of the flash, and ISO of 250. The only setting that varies is the ISO. Once I know the background is pure white - by looking for flashing red overexposure on the LCD viewer, it’s just a matter of positioning the front flashes to light the parts of the plant that matter.

Sometimes it’s as easy as an iPhone, white paper and sunshine;

Here’s the raw image;

and the processed;

The final is fully processed on an iPad Pro with Lightroom Mobile. With a little extra processing, the image can be printed to an 8X10.

@Matthew_Chatham Thanks for the comments. It’s tough to get the white flowers to separate from the background. You have to rely on the flowers not being pure white. But the background is absolutely pure white. Contrast and clarity do most of the work, along with tender dodging. The detail of the front leaf is because I didn’t get the flash from the left high enough and it’s getting a sidelight that brings out the veins. I’d blame it on the bugs being awful that day, but in reality, I have no excuse for that mistake. I should have been paying attention to the left flash as much as the right.

Namaste

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Thanks for the demo, Paul! I guess maybe it’s not hard, but it seems like a lot of equipment! But that’s coming from someone who only has a camera and nothing else! But I will be getting a tripod soon! Something I can pack on my bike. It’s not anything fancy but I am excited to try it!

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