Still Life of Sword Fern
Still Life of Salal Leaf
Before I went to school for photography, I learned how to use my first film camera from my Dad. We used to go out for walks in the woods and we’d take photos of leaves and flowers, rivers and light streaming through trees. Ottawa’s many green spaces provided plenty of opportunities for practicing with my first SLR. It was a peaceful time in my life, and my father taught me a great deal about how to use a camera - not only how to pick the best shutter speed for any given situation, or which lens to use but he also taught me about mindfulness in photography. Taking pictures of nature was then (and still is) a meditative act as much as it is a creative one for me.
One particularly blustery day last week, I picked up some greenery at the florist and did some macro still life just for the fun of it. Pulling out my video light and a set of two rather large gold reflectors, I set to work taking photos of these leaves. Some time later, I produced the above imagery. Photographing nature needn’t always involve a plane ticket to a national park and a hike through spectacular terrain. Nature’s beauty can be found much closer to home - whether it’s in Ottawa’s green belt or at the florist down the road.