The Art of Seeing: Macro Techniques for Flowers and Plants

The beauty of nature runs deep. Every growing thing hides whorls, patterns, and subtle shadings of color that escape the cursory glance. Macro photographers are driven to capture these secret details, but it can be hard to master the techniques that allow them to truly evoke nature at its best.

Join renowned National Geographic photographer and naturalist Frans Lanting for this class as he walks you through the Arboretum at the University of California at Santa Cruz.

You’ll learn:

• How to take great impressionistic shots freehand
• How to use combinations of natural light, flash, and light modifiers
• How to set up beautiful and controlled images

Frans Lanting has documented wildlife from the Amazon to Antarctica, and has made a career of recording the beauty of nature in vivid, transporting imagery. In this class, you’ll learn how he has distilled the quiet joy of discovering hidden beauty, and bring it home with you. Best of all, you'll be able to apply these macro photography approaches and techniques in the field or even at home with a bouquet of flowers on your kitchen table. 

• Class introduction
• Macro Photography Overview
• Playing With Plants
• The Importance of Light
• Using Filters, Reflectors, & Diffusers
• Working With Afternoon Light
• The Lighting Toolkit Wrap Up
• Why Macro Photography?
• Create A Simple Indoor Macro Set
• Macro Lighting From Below
• Advanced Macro Lighting Techniques
• Macro Photo Accessories
• Downloading Macro Images To Lightroom
• Live Photo Critique
• Frans' Studio Tour & Final Thoughts