One of the things I have noticed since I started looking at ikebana on the internet is that there is really a lot to look at, which is awesome. However, that being said, sometimes really excellent arrangements are let down by the way in which they have been photographed. I am conscious that not everyone has access to a top end camera and a fantastic lighting set up but even if you’re photographing your work using a mobile phone or tablet device you can still make the most of the resources you have. Here are some hints and tips, and please, feel free to print this page or share the link to it with anyone you think might find it helpful. Also please be mindful that this is just my opinion and it’s intended only as a guide.
Setting
For photography purposes try and place your arrangment in a space with good natural light that is clear of clutter and ornaments. Ideally it’s great if there is a wall behind the space where the arrangment is going to be photographed. If there isn’t a wall then temporarily hanging a piece of fabric or standing a screen at the back of the arrangement will help it be clearly visible in the photo. If using fabric or a screen it should be a plain colour, without any pattern and as smooth as you can make it, with fabric that means you should iron it first to get rid of any wrinkles or creases. It is also good to avoid placing your arrangement in front of any strong lines such as corners or stark shadows as these can be a big distraction and will detract from your photograph. If a strong line is unavoidable then try and photograph things such that the line is as straight and level as possible, (in the case of vertical lines it should be as close to 90 degrees as you can get it) this makes lines less distracting and easier to ignore. The surface on which the arrangement is to be placed should be nice and clean with no obvious marks and any debris or trimmings from making the arrangement should be carefully cleared away with any water wiped up. Ideally the arrangement should sit directly on the surface on which it’s placed but in the case of glass or wood it might be a good idea to protect that surface. This is because many ikebana containers can be a little rough on the bottom especially if they are handmade pottery. It’s ok to sit your arrangement on a cloth or a mat or even a piece of coloured paper but take care that whatever you sit the arrangement on does not compete with it for attention in the photo. Ideally a plain colour is best. Doilies, lace and highly patterned surface coverings are not advised unless they specifically relate to the theme or design of the arrangement.
Arrangement
Make the best of your work by making sure that any fixings are well hidden. If you can see them then so can the camera. This means that kenzans should not be obviously visible and that any wire, nails, screws, glue, staples, props etc, anything at all you’ve used to fix things in place, SHOULD NOT BE VISIBLE.
Make sure that your container is clean. Often in the hustle and bustle of life we can be in a bit of a rush and so sometimes containers get put away with a mark or smear on them, before you make a new arrangement check over the container to make sure that it’s nice and clean inside and out. This is especially important with glass containers and shallow vessels where the inside of the container may be seen.
If the arrangement is in a suiban or other shallow container where the water and/or inside of the container will be visible it is really important that the water is clean and clear with no debris or floating trimings that are not meant to be part of the arrangement. If you see anything in the water, floating or sunken, that shouldn’t be there then take a moment to fish it out.
Your material should also be in as best a condition as you can manage. Sometimes it is nice to show some of the work of natures little sculptors so leaves may have some little shapes chewed out of them or birds or the wind might have caused some disturbance to the material, this is ok to include so long as you have considered it as a part of your arrangement. However where plant material has been crushed, bruised, creased or torn through rough treatment or poor handling in ways that make the plant material seem tired and bedraggled or worse still make it appear to be beginning to decay or rot, this material should be removed. Obviously painted, dried bleached and dyed materials as well as unconventional materials have other considerations but in general, should still be carefully considdered and presented looking at their best.
Lighting
First and foremost, DO NOT USE FLASH. Flash photography will flatten out the image and make highlights and shadows much more hard edged and distracting, this should be avoided. Diffuse or indirect natural light is great for photography and strong direct light is not so good. Ideally some general overall light is a great place to start. This can be from a natural source such as daylight through the windows or an artificial source such as the lights you might generally have in the ceiling of the room. An important thing to keep in mind is that your should still be able to make out some level of detail in even the deepest shadows as well as in the brightest highlight (even if only just). It’s important to avoid black blobs and white holes as these can be very distracting and produce shapes and edges that detract from the overall photo.
It is helpful to keep in mind that light has a temperature. It can be warm, neutral or cool. Natural light in the middle hours of the day tends to be neutral and as we move towards late afternoon the light takes on a warmer temperature and colour. Artificial lights also have a temperature and colour. Most homes have warm lights as these tend to make us feel cosy and confortable and tend slightly towards yellow, office and classroom lights are often flourescent and have a cool temperature tending slightly blue/green or grey. Daylight bulbs are available in some stores and though they seem blue are in fact the most neutral. The temperature and colour of light may be hard or expensive to change in terms of the lights you have access to in your home or at the local store however most mobile devices will alow you to download an app where this colour temperature can be adjusted. In any case it is something to be mindful of in your ikebana photography as it can change how certain colours appear in your images.
Reflection and refraction. When working in glass or containers that have glossy or reflective surfaces (as well as when placing your arrangement on a reflective or glossy surface) it is important to keep in mind a number of things.
What are you seeing in a reflection or refraction? Is it distracting or does it add an exciting dimension to the arrangement? What can be done to minimise any distraction it might be causing?
Sometimes a reflection or refraction will show something that is not intended in the final photograph. This could be a reflection of you as the photographer or someone/something else in the room. It could even be picking up a colour from a piece of furniture that looks suddenly out of place in your arrangement. Minimise these things by wearing darker, neutral tone clothing without bright patterns and tucking in your elbows as much as practical when photographing work. In the case of something else reflecting/refracting, you can try moving it somewhere else temporarily or covering it with a cloth or drape so as it’s not as conspicuous. If the reflection/refraction shows some other part of the arrangement be conscious that it can show things in magnification making elements seem larger than they are. In such cases it is doubly important that whatever is being shown is looking its best even if it is the back of a flower, leaf, stem or branch.
Adding an extra light, can really make an arrangement pop in the image. You can use something as simple as a desk lamp or even a torch. A second light source should always be an enhancement to the lighting rather than the main player. The second light source can work well from a side, from low down and even from behind or below. do some experiments and see what you like and what works best for the particular arrangement you’re photographing. Be sure to keep in mind all the other considerations mentioned in terms of light temperature, reflection, strong shadows and highlights, etc for any additional lights you might be using.
Taking the picture
When you are finally ready to take your photograph it is a good idea to take several. With digital devices the only limitation is the amount of storage that you have on your device so there is no reason not to take a few photographs to ensure you get one that you are happy with.
On the note of storage, most mobile devices let you choose what file size you want for your photos, select the larger of the sizes. This will ensure that any images will have a good resolution and be usable on the internet as well as in print. Low resolution images won’t capture the full beauty of your arrangement so it’s best to get a higher resolution one first. You can always cull out the photos you don’t want later if you start to run out of storage on your device, or you can even back the images up to a computer or portable hard drive.
Other things to be aware of are cropping, composition and angles. Cropping is about ensuring that you fit everything into the image, even if that means there is a little bit of something else peaking in at one side. It’s best to make sure your arrangement is captured in full. You’ve spent time and energy placing your branches and flowers and any other elements just right so it would be a shame to chop them off in the photo. It is always possible to come back to the photo later when you have a little time and crop or edit out any unwanted intrusions at the edge of your image but if you haven’t included your full arrangement in the original picture you cant make it magically appear after the fact. So err on the side of caution and be sure to fit everything in and worry about cropping out things later. If you want a close up of a particular detail, take that as an additional photograph.
Composition of your photograph can make a big difference. As we know in ikebana, space or “ma” within an arrangement as well as around an arrangement is a critical element, it is equally so in your photography of ikebana. With this in mind place your arrangement in the image frame so that there is some space around the arrangement. This might mean centering it or it might mean having more space to one side or the other or even above it or below. In general I tend to go by the two thirds, one third rule and I turn on the grid lines option in the camera and line up my thirds with significant elements in the arrangement This can add an extra dimension to the final photograph that really lets your arrangement breathe and enhances the feeling it gives. Again if you want a close up of some part, take that as an extra image.
When photographing your arrangement try and set the camera so any edges of tables or plinths are as horizontal as possible. Alternatively if they are at an angle, make it obvious that the angle has been intended. A slight angle will look like a mistake, a bigger angle will seem more intentional. Once you have the position and angle of the camera how you want it, if you’d like to capture different sides of the arrangment, it’s a good idea to leave the camera and lighting as set up and simply turn or rotate the arrangement to show the angle you’re trying to capture.
So there you have it. My hints and tips on photographing your ikebana. It’s a lot to remember but it makes all the difference when photographing your work. Good luck and may your photos turn out fabulously. Feel free to comment, like and share.