I do a fair amount of macro and not-quite-macro, especially outdoors. I'm a sucker for flowers, especially more delicate ones like wild geraniums and roses (far fewer petals than their cultivated cousins). I also happen to generally prefer slower film, and I don't have a digital back for my GX680. At any rate, I find myself shooting at f/8 at the widest (usually), with an ISO around 100, with my bellows eating at least half a stop of light, so of course I have a limited shutter speed. This morning I took a picture of a rose on Velvia 50, with a 150mm lens at f/11, in the shade, at one eighth of a second. To my dismay a breeze picked up right as I locked up my mirror. Mirror down, waiting for the breeze and rose to settle. Fortunately, the rose quickly went back to the exact same position, so after confirming my composition and focus were good, I popped the mirror, waited a moment, and pressed the shutter release - right as the faintest breeze came in.
I've found some advice online, like using multiple exposures (which is a fun idea but I don't know if I would use it for macro), and of course using a faster film or wider aperture. I could use a flash, but I know I would want modifiers and possibly multiple units, and there's only so much I can carry on a six mile hike. I've thought about ways to make nature submit to me but would rather not manipulate my subjects (as a matter of principle, rather than some notion of photographic purity) and I can't blow hard enough to cancel out the wind. Ultimately, I find myself doing a lot of waiting and gambling with the wind.
I know some photographers wait for perfect light, but how often do you wait for perfect wind (or lack thereof)? Have you found ways to incorporate the wind into your work, especially macro? I love the idea of capturing waves of grass on rolling hills, and have done a few nice windswept portraits, but sometimes I just have Velvia loaded up and I'm looking at a perfect rose in the shade. And there's a gentle breeze tormenting me.
I've found some advice online, like using multiple exposures (which is a fun idea but I don't know if I would use it for macro), and of course using a faster film or wider aperture. I could use a flash, but I know I would want modifiers and possibly multiple units, and there's only so much I can carry on a six mile hike. I've thought about ways to make nature submit to me but would rather not manipulate my subjects (as a matter of principle, rather than some notion of photographic purity) and I can't blow hard enough to cancel out the wind. Ultimately, I find myself doing a lot of waiting and gambling with the wind.
I know some photographers wait for perfect light, but how often do you wait for perfect wind (or lack thereof)? Have you found ways to incorporate the wind into your work, especially macro? I love the idea of capturing waves of grass on rolling hills, and have done a few nice windswept portraits, but sometimes I just have Velvia loaded up and I'm looking at a perfect rose in the shade. And there's a gentle breeze tormenting me.
