The Southampton Press, July 26, 2007

Picture This

By Cheryl Machat Dorskind

Celebrating Summer Up Close

Summertime colors our world with imagery. Effortlessly, we visualize fields of yellow day-lilies, violet irises, Lilly Pulitzer patterns, children slurping watermelon, red and white gingham table clothes, a bowl of cherries, blueberries or strawberries; hot-pink pool toys, ocean's blue.

Celebrate summer's lush colors with macro, or close-up photography. By definition, macro photography identifies one subject as you move in, either physically or with a zoom lens. For any close-up image, you'll want to have your camera set to the "flower" icon, aperture priority, or manual exposure. A desirable by-product of close-up photography is a blurred background. For the SLR readers with a macro lens, rather than using the widest aperture setting possible, (such as f/2.8), close down to f8 (to counteract the extreme shallow depth of field inherent in macro photography). Use steady support or a tripod to avoid camera shake.

Getting close to the subject and using interesting borders can help make photographs memorable.

A good photograph demands organization. Design elements, such as lines, are important visual arrangers. Color and placement also help create a well composed and worthwhile photograph. And, don't forget to answer the two essential questions: What are you trying to say? How will you frame the picture?

This week's photograph appears in black and white, but imagine for a moment the colors of summer's hearty foliage dappled by a warm golden yellow sun. Purple and navy colors splash the shadows; bright lime shades of green speckle the highlights. The darkest fertile tone, a deep forest green hue on the right, adds depth and mystery.

The edges of the leaves create leading lines; we could say that this picture is a study in lines - even the caterpillar forms a line running horizontally across the picture. While placing the caterpillar in the center may seem contrary to the "off-center suggested placement (one of the rules of design), sometimes, these rules are broken. As Ansel Adams said, "There are no rules for good photographs, there are only good photographs."

Adding an artistic border to your close-up photograph automatically elevates the picture to the "artful" realm. In this picture, I used Kubota Image Tools software to create a "sloppy" border.

Many of the popular photo editing software programs enable you to add a border with just a few simple clicks. Adobe Photoshop Elements 5.0 (PSE5) offers mat borders (many sizes and colors) to choose from, and some more creative types. Corel Photo Shop Pro offers more choices. Even freeware, such as Picasa 2 and online print houses such as Shutterfly, offer border choices. For the digital savvy, there are many software options to add as plug-ins for Adobe Photoshop CS3, PSE5, or Corel Paint Shop Pro XI. A few of my favorites are Auto FX Graphic Edges (www.autofx.com), Kubota Sloppy Frames (www.kubotaimagetools.com), and Photo Frame 3 by OnOne Software (www.ononesoftware.com).

On your next walk, find a beautiful flower, open up the aperture, (or use the "flower icon), zoom in, and capture a summer souvenir. And don't forget to add a border.

contact: Cheryl@cherylmachatdorskind.com.