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Photographing Wildflowers:
5 Tips To Prepare You for Spring

Ira Spring, whose outdoor photography appeared in national magazines such as Life magazine and scores of hiking guides, shoot photos in the spring.

“Taking pictures of flowers is easy nowadays, what with modern 35mm single-lens point and shoot cameras, close-up lenses, and excellent color film,” he wrote. “All a person needs is appreciation of the subject, patience to find the best angle, and a willingness to kneel to the level of the blossom.” These are his five top tips:

For close-ups a camera with a macro lens is excellent but costly; inexpensive attachments are available for most cameras that work nearly as well.

· At any exposure under 1/100th of a second the camera should rest on something solid. For ground-level pictures a handy rock is good, or a child’s beanbag. For higher angles a sturdy tripod is best.

· The major problem is wind—even a breeze the cheek can barely feel sets blossoms dancing. High-speed color film and a fast shutter speed thus are recommended. Working early in the day often helps; winds frequently are thermals caused by the heat of the sun and don’t start until well along in the morning. Sometimes if the camera is set up and patience exerted it will be rewarded by a momentary lull—stay alert and be quick on the trigger.

· Sunshine is nice—but some of the most interesting pictures have been taken in the rain while huddling under a clear plastic umbrella.

· Do not be guilty of trampling a hundred flowers to photograph one. Were every photographer to crush even a single plant apiece, soon there would be no flower fields. So, hike far from the crowds to lonesome meadows. And then be careful where you put your feet—and your knees.

—Adapted from Mountain Flowers of the Cascades and Olympics, 2nd Edition by Harvey Manning, photographs by Bob and Ira Spring, The Mountaineers Books, $9.95.

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