1. SEPTEMBER 2016 • sandiegohomegarden.com 9796 SAN DIEGO HOME/GARDEN LIFESTYLES • SEPTEMBER 2016
A FINE LINE l BY JANICE KLEINSCHMIDT • PHOTOGRAPHY BY BOB BRETELL
hen ‘Sweet Juliet’
roses bloom, your
heart soars. Such
is their beauty that
their ephemeral
nature seems as tragic as a
Shakespearean play. If only
you could capture the velvety
petals for time immemorial.
You may not be able to
preserve the fragrance, but you
can “freeze time” in the visual
realm.
Bob Bretell does, and he
offers gardeners and other plant
lovers botanical photography
instruction. He began shooting
W flowers professionally in 1998,
when Paul Ecke Ranch asked
him to help with its spring
catalog. These days, he shoots
for catalogs, retail displays
and websites and does all the
photography for the Southern
California Plumeria Society.
Once every three months,
he presents flower photography
workshops at San Diego Botanic
Garden in Encinitas (the next
one is Sept. 24); and he recently
established his own online
course.
According to Bob, the best
time to shoot flowers in San
give the picture contrast and
vibrancy,” Bob says, adding that
it’s helpful to have an assistant
hold the flash to one side or
another.
To isolate a flower from
its background, you can use a
panel. Bob carries backgrounds
in his car, “because I never know
what I am going to find or what
conditions will confront me,” he
says. “Foamcore works best. I
cover it with fabric and typically
use colors found in nature —
deep greens, sometimes burnt
red — so that they don’t distract
from the subject. I also have
white for a high-key look and
black for drama.”
The high-key technique
(using a white background with
no shadows) results in a bright,
clean look popular for catalogs.
“You light from different
directions,” Bob explains. “You
can have a key light and maybe
a fill light.”
For backgrounds, he uses
dyed or airbrushed muslin or
canvas and handmade paper.
“‘Shooting through’ offers
a neat effect in a garden,” Bob
says. “You don’t try to take out
everything that’s in the view.
The subject may be a rose,
but you have leaves and other
things vignetting it. You make
those part of your composition,
but the only thing that should
be in focus is your subject.”
If a flower is blowing in
the wind, Bob puts a bamboo
stake in the dirt with clothes-
pins glued back to back — one
clipped to the stake and one
to the flower’s stem.
Sometimes, however, you
may want movement.
Diego is first thing in the morn-
ing, because (1) the marine
layer provides a soft light that
is more flattering for outdoor
subjects; (2) wind, which can
present multiple challenges
for still photography, typically
strengthens in the afternoon;
and (3) flowers tend to look a
bit fresher and more plump in
the morning.
Although the majority of
his flower photography is out-
doors, he will shoot indoors
near a window if he wants a
specific effect or the weather
is uncooperative.
Bob Bretell photographed this sunflower in a darkroom using a studio flash, LED flashlight and five-second exposure. Holding the flashlight in his hand, he
“painted with light” by using a constant feathering motion across the center of the flower to add texture and dimension.
THE SUBJECT WAS ROSES … AND OTHER FLOWERSBob Bretell offers his expert advice for capturing blooming beauties
Similar to the sunflower image, these orchids were “painted with light” in multiple long exposures (up to 10-second
shutter speeds).
“That can be very effective,
because you have directional
light, which creates drama,”
he notes.
“Indoors or outdoors, if I
want to add a highlight, I use
an LED light or flash,” he con-
tinues. “I can position it behind
the flower for a glow effect. The
key is to add supplemental light
in such a way that the flower
doesn’t look like it has been
enhanced; it still looks natural.
“If you shoot in an area that
is primarily shaded and you
have some light but it’s kind
of flat, a flash can be nice to
BOB BRETELL’S TOP FIVE TIPS:
Slow down and be mindful.
Look for the“sweet”light. Is it coming in from the side, top or back?
If you are shooting a flower that you can move, such as one in a pot,
change the position of the flower to the light.
Study the background. If it distracts, what can you do to improve it?
Sometimes all you need to do is move in closer.
Walk around and look at the flower from different perspectives.
Chances are the first thing you see isn’t going to be the best angle.
If you want to see everything in focus, choose a small aperture.
If you want a specific area in focus, use a larger aperture. While doing a shoot for Jackson & Perkins, Bob made this test shot of a rose,
using a diffuser to soften the light of a Bakersfield afternoon sun.

2. 98 SAN DIEGO HOME/GARDEN LIFESTYLES • SEPTEMBER 2016
Bob combined effects in this outdoor shot of mallow, using a white background for a high-key effect and shooting through textured glass for a watery look.
He also shot through textured glass for the bouquet below.
“A handheld shot with a slow
shutter speed creates a soft blur
that gives a nice impressionistic
effect,” Bob says. “The shutter
speed must be from one-quarter
to two seconds, but you have to
compensate by stopping down
your aperture so it’s very mini-
mal — for example, one-half
second at f/22. To compensate
for the long exposure, I use a
neutral density filter, which
reduces the amount of light
entering the camera. This ‘Monet
effect’ is best done first thing
in the morning or on a really
overcast day.”
Bob’s fundamental coaching
involves being mindful.
“Take time to study not only
the light, but also the flower’s
composition and everything
that’s going on in the back-
ground,” he says. “We isolate
what we see mentally; the
camera doesn’t do that. As a
photographer, you have to see
the way the camera sees.”
And when you get it right,
others will see the beauty the
way you did. ❖
Flower photography by Bob
Bretell is currently on exhibi-
tion in the Ecke Building at
San Diego Botanic Garden in
Encinitas. For more information
or to register for his workshops
at the garden, visit sdbgarden.
org/classes.htm. For more
information or to register for
his online course, visit photo-
tipster.com.
“I use fixed focal length lenses, primarily because I have my
favorites. I use a 100mm macro lens, and that satisfies at least
50 percent of the floral photography I do.”
— Bob Bretell