Plate IVSample
The conservatory shelf
Sunlight broken up by leaves, falling across a book on a shelf or sill. It's the most alive light in the collection and it changes by the minute, so this recipe is mostly about working quickly.
Light
Direct sun through a bright window, filtered through a plant. Stand a leafy plant one to two feet (30 to 60 cm) in front of the glass, between the window and the book, so its leaves throw a dappled pattern across the shelf. Late-morning or mid-afternoon sun, coming in at an angle, gives longer, softer shapes than midday.
Bounce or flag
A white card held low in front of the book, just out of frame, lifts the shaded parts of the cover so the title stays legible inside the pattern. No flag: here the shadows are the subject.
Angle
About thirty degrees above the shelf and slightly to one side, so the leaf shadows run diagonally across the frame. Step back and use a longer lens (50 to 85 mm, or the phone's 2x or 3x) to draw the plant and the book together.
On the table
Four things, counted
- A trailing pothos or ivy in a terracotta pot
- One fern frond or a sprig of eucalyptus
- A small brass plant mister
- The book, standing or leaning
Settings
- On a phone
- 2x or 3x lens. Tap the cover, then drag exposure down until the brightest leaf still shows its veins. Turn Live Photo off so the shutter fires the moment you press it.
- On a camera
- f/4 · 1/250 s · ISO 100 to 200. Meter on the brightest patch of sun on the cover and dial in about −0.7 EV. A circular polarizer cuts the shine on glossy leaves and gloss covers.
Method
- Find the patch of sun first, then bring the shelf, the book and the plant to it.
- Set the plant between the window and the book, and move the plant, not the book, until the dappled light falls across the cover.
- Check where the title sits: in a patch of light, never under a leaf shadow.
- Lay the fern so it crosses one corner of the book, and stand the mister at the back, half in shade.
- Mist the leaves lightly for sparkle, then wipe any drops off the book.
- Shoot a short burst every couple of minutes. The pattern moves with the sun, and the best one rarely comes back.
What we used
- A circular polarizing filter for your lensLink coming soon
- A small A-clamp, to hold a frond in placeLink coming soon
- A white reflector cardLink coming soon
Some links on this page are affiliate links. If you buy through them we may earn a small commission, at no extra cost to you.