Photographing Holly Outside

Hello

I produce a photo for the back of the parish newsletter in Each month. I try to make it simple, beautiful or of a recent parish event. For the December copy, I have decided to take a photo of the berried holly in the churchyard. When I looked at the ones I took this morning, I realized that because holly leaves are shiny, they looked white. I have tried a few things in Elements 11, but nothing improves the photo.

I have a polarizing filter that I intend to try when it stops raining (!), but is there anything else I can do apart from picking some holly and photograph it at home?

Answer:

Trying the polarizing filter should help reduce the glare that you are getting from the holly leaves that is causing them to "white-out".

The likely cause of the problem is glare from the light source which in your case would be the sun unless you are using fill flash. Therefore I think an alternative method you could try would be to diffuse the light some way or find some holly that is indirectly lit.

Solving the problem could be as simple as taking the photos at a different time of day when the glare is not as strong. Or taking the photos on an overcast or cloudy day when the sun's light is more diffused would also likely help. You could also try to photograph holly that is shaded from the direct light either naturally or artificially through some type of reflector or light modifier. Something as simple as a piece of cardboard or some type of translucent panel to diffuse the light might help reduce or eliminate the glare and solve your problem.

If you have success with any of these ideas please let us know which one worked best for you.

I hope this helps you get a great picture of the holly.

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