Simple Photography Tips for the weekend - make the most of spring - Ferns

Seven simple photography tips on catching unfurling fern fronds - Camera and Phone-Camera

• Late Spring is the best time

• As ever, beware of background distraction

• Play around to get the best composition

• If you have lens options, then experiment

• check the depth of field and shutter-speed if you're using a camera or latest model phone

• These are some of the most architecturally artistic plants to photograph

• Put some on your wall as prints

  
  

Ferns and their fossil remains have been found on every continent, so wherever you are in the world, possibly barring Antarctica, this blog on photographing ferns may be of relevance.

Over the last forty years and more I've been mesmerised by these amazing plants, especially in the spring, when they go through the most intricate processes as they unfurl.

In terms of simple photography tips, perhaps the most important advice is to be very careful about the background. The more recent your phone, the better the camera on it is likely to be. There are all sorts of adjustments you can make, but all of these take time, and have to be understood.

Far simpler, and satisfying is to become more adept at using your phone-camera in it's basic mode. If you're using a standard camera then depth of field is easier to use, but you need specialist lenses to get in as close as you can, funnily enough this is immediately easier with your iphone or similar.

For the purposes of this blog on fern photography, I'm going to concentrate on an amazing species, the Harts Tongue Fern.

As you can see in the non close-up pictures, Images Four and Five, as the fronds unravel they becomes quite sword-like in shape, or as it's name implies, they resemble the tongue of a deer - I'm not an expert on deer tongues and have no intention of trying to catch one to check!

It is native to Europe, Asia and North America, so I feel it's a good choice to chat about, as it makes it applicable to many international subscribers. (If you've yet to subscribe, please help me by doing so at the bottom of this blog)

Image One - Harts Tongue Asplenium scolopendrium

One of the first things to comment upon is that old cookie of depth of field. I feel that Image One, suffers from the background being too near being in focus. If the background were less 'shaped' than the ivy makes it, then it might be ok, but as is, it's quite interfering.

Image Two - Harts Tongue Asplenium scolopendrium

But all you have to do, Iphone, or camera, is zoom in / move closer, and it changes the balance of the background. In Image Two, the ivy leaves are still there, but they are less significant and more balancing.

Image Three starts to pick up the whole plant, and it's togetherness. As you know I'm against post production, i.e. adjusting the contents and balance of the image after you've fired the shutter. In this image I failed to notice the stalk and leaf in the top right, out of focus - but still interfering with the image, and the uncurling fern frond bottom right.

A simple photography tip is to bend them out of the way. If i'd cropped them by different composition, then the balance of the picture would have been too tight I think.

Image Four - Harts Tongue Asplenium scolopendrium

I really rather like Image Four - I nearly got it right, but not quite!

What do I mean? Well I was relishing the sunlight through the leaves, and noticed that there was a dark background - BUT I could have composed it better, by just a slight move of the camera to exclude the sunlit fern in the background to the right.

Image Five - Harts Tongue Asplenium scolopendrium

Image Five is the same 'fern family' as Image Four, and has another similar plant behind. Also in the picture are other ferns, including the frond I was moaning about in Image Four. Somehow their presence makes a well balanced picture, adding background interest.

Image Six - Harts Tongue Asplenium scolopendrium

Images Six and Seven have been included to encourage you to make the most of any Macro facility you have on your phone. My Iphone 14 Pro enables me to get in pretty close, and both these images highlight the wonderful textures you can get, and indeed in Image Six, you can see a fluffy seed that has got caught in amongst the hairs on the unclurling frond.

Image Seven - Harts Tongue Asplenium scolopendrium

Ferns coming to life in the Spring, wherever in the world you happen to be, provide a wonderful opportunity to take some very satisfying images.

One thing I would suggest is that you find time by yourself to concentrate on taking the photographs. The images I'm showing you here include some Dorset ferns taken while walking with friends last weekend. They are the ones where I've pointed out a number of 'negatives', caused probably by aware of the need to stay with the group, rather than stay awhile and focus on the images.

Have some real downtime wandering around taking photographs of ferns, you may well end up taking some that would look great on your wall.

Or maybe this would be an excuse to travel the world, taking pictures of one of the most fascinating and ancient of plants!