Creative Flower Photography: Colin Harrison inspires Ilkley Camera Club
Sometimes the best way to take a great photograph is simply to start playing around and experimenting. That was one of the messages from acclaimed photographer Colin Harrison, who gave an entertaining and inspirational online talk to Ilkley Camera Club on Friday 4 September.
The subject was “Creative Flower Photography”, but this was far from a conventional guide to photographing flowers. Colin demonstrated how experimentation, imagination and a willingness to try something different can transform even the most familiar flower into an extraordinary fine-art image.
Colin Harrison has been accumulating photographic qualifications since 1983 and joked that there are now very few left for him to achieve. His photographs have been made in many parts of the world, although much of his work is rooted in the Cotswolds and America. His subjects have ranged from orchids photographed around the Cotswold Water Park to the dramatic cliffs of Dead Horse Point in Utah.
Flowers, however, offer an extraordinary range of possibilities. Colin illustrated the enormous difference in scale between photographing the delicate petals of a clematis, perhaps 150mm across, and the tiny flowers of a forget-me-not, only a few millimetres in size.
Among his inspirations are the exquisite botanical illustrations of the celebrated French artist and botanical illustrator Pierre-Joseph Redouté. But his own approach is anything but traditional. He explained that he is prone to getting a little bored and then “messing around” — a philosophy that clearly lies at the heart of his work.
His garden became an important source of inspiration during the Covid period, when restrictions encouraged him to explore flower photography close to home. Members were given a glimpse of his remarkably simple outdoor studio: essentially a wooden frame positioned on a crate and making use of natural daylight.
Natural light is an important part of his work, although he also experiments with torches and other artificial light sources. A simple spray bottle of water can add sparkle to a flower, while an intriguing ice-crystal spray can create entirely different effects.
Flowers may be pressed, frozen or photographed in unusual ways before being transformed digitally. Colin demonstrated how flowers can be pressed overnight using a simple wooden press. He also showed how flowers can be frozen in water, producing remarkably ethereal images with soft pastel colours.
The digital darkroom provides another huge area for experimentation. Colin makes extensive use of layers in Photoshop, sometimes combining several versions of the same photograph and blending them together. Software such as Topaz, PaintShop Pro and the more unusual Spektrel Art were among the tools he demonstrated, showing how dramatically the appearance of an image can be changed.
Composite images are an important part of his creative approach. Flowers can be carefully cut from their original background and placed against entirely different backgrounds, opening up almost limitless possibilities.
He also gave members an insight into the equipment behind the images, including a Sigma 105mm f/2.8 macro lens and a Canon lens capable of an extraordinary five-times magnification.
Perhaps the most important lesson of the evening, however, had little to do with cameras, lenses or software. Colin repeatedly returned to the idea that photography should be enjoyable and not too much of an effort. His willingness to experiment — and the humorous ideas behind some of his composite images — made it clear that he regards creativity as a form of play.
The final presentation of an image is also important to him, with carefully designed and often elaborate borders forming part of the finished artwork.
For the members of Ilkley Camera Club, it was an evening that demonstrated just how much creative potential can be found in a subject we might otherwise take for granted. A flower can be photographed as a flower — or it can become something dreamlike, abstract, humorous or completely unexpected.
Ilkley Camera Club would like to thank Colin Harrison for such an entertaining and inspirational evening.
To see more of Colin’s work, visit www.colinharrisonphotography.uk.
