Photogenic Schiermonnikoog (part 1)

Saturday 10 July 2021, 13:31 by Erik Nevels | 6,018 views | 2 comments

This article was translated from Dutch with the help of AI. Read the original.

I was recently on Schiermonnikoog. No, not on holiday, but for a photography workshop by nature photographer Johan van der Wielen, and it was hard work.

From early morning until late evening, I was busy with nature photography together with my photography buddy and eight other photographers, from macro to landscapes.

In this blog, and my next one, I will take you along on my photographic adventures on this beautiful Wadden island.

The pearl-bordered fritillary

With a full camera backpack and tripod on the luggage carrier, we cycle quickly after Johan with the group. He explored the area beforehand and leads us to a flower-filled field. Early marsh orchids and saw-wort steal the show.

Hundreds of saw-wort plants with their beautiful purple flowers stand on both sides of the path. Johan has already seen the pearl-bordered fritillary here, and I am going to look for it. In the Netherlands, this butterfly is only found in Noord-Holland and on the Wadden Islands.

I soon see several of them flying around. They are beautiful and very busy. It is also quite windy, and we are not allowed to leave the paths. How am I going to approach this?

The macro lens is of little use. The insects do not stay still for long, and they usually do not land close to the path. Then I use the 200-600mm telephoto lens. I set it to 600mm, ISO 640, f/7.1 and a shutter speed of 1/1250 second.

Patiently, I walk back and forth along the path. As soon as the butterfly visits a flower, I crouch down and try to let continuous autofocus do its job.

That is not easy, as the flower sways back and forth in the wind and the butterfly flits over the top of it.

I take many dozens of photos, knowing that patience and a bit of luck are needed to achieve a good result. Following Johan's motto, 'When you think you are finished, you are only halfway there', I keep going enthusiastically.

After an hour and a half of kneeling and standing up, I am happy with a few photos that I can see through the viewfinder. I wonder whether I will still like them on the big screen at home.

Sony A7 mark III, 600mm, f/7.1, shutter speed 1/1250s, ISO 640

The early marsh orchid

This beautiful orchid is in full bloom on Schiermonnikoog. The trick is to find one standing clear of the others, so that it can be separated from its surroundings.

Lying on the path, I use my 600mm to bring a fine specimen closer. Because I am photographing through the grass, the flower becomes diffuse and the surroundings have soft colours.

When I look at the photo with Johan that same evening, he gives me the valuable tip of taking several photos like this while varying the aperture. This makes the background more or less blurred and gives you more images to choose from afterwards.

Sony A7 mark III, 600mm, f/6.3, shutter speed 1/640s, ISO 400
I swap the telephoto lens for my macro lens to take detail photos of the early marsh orchid. There are two beautiful specimens right next to the path, and I decide to use the flash to isolate the flowers from the busy background.

I have worked with the flash on mushrooms before (see my blogs: 'Illuminated mushrooms, parts 1 to 3') and I try to apply the same technique now.

Place the flash behind the flowers and control it via the trigger on the camera. But whatever I try, I cannot take the photo I have in mind. Two orchids lit from behind, set against a black background.

For starters, I cannot place the flash on the ground behind the flowers without it appearing in the frame itself. When I flash from above, the light from the flash remains faintly visible in the photo. In addition, I cannot make the background dark enough.

That is why I place my reflector with its black side behind the flash and ask Johan for advice. Step by step, we arrive at the solution. Flashing diagonally from behind, keeping the flash out of the frame, produces a fine photo after a few attempts, I think.

Unfortunately, our time is already up. Dinner is waiting, and we get back on our bikes. On the way, I am already making plans for more flash photos. I am keen to do more!

Sony A7 mark III, 90mm, f/18, shutter speed 1/1600s, ISO 400

An instructive day

Photographing in a different environment is very instructive, as is taking part in a workshop. I was not only immersed in the beautiful nature of Schiermonnikoog, but also in a photographic learning experience.

With new photographic ideas and skills under my belt, I am very curious about the evening activity of the workshop, which features landscape photos with the setting sun.

Whether the sun actually showed itself, you can read in my next blog about photogenic Schiermonnikoog.

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