Playing with light is a photographer’s dream, so what could be better than creating magical rainbows and mystical haze?! Chris had seen some of the effects that a prism could make, so he bought me one to play with. How to use a prism in photography? – it is simple enough – you just hold it in front of the lens, and have a play with what you get. It gives an original look to photographs, and I think works particularly well for flowers. I think it would take a fair bit of practice to actually predict the results and know how to get them though. I discarded many photos because they just looked plain weird, or had too much rainbow or too much glare from sunlight. I tried it first with a bunch of flowers on my table, just to see what it would be like; then I took all my photography gear to Lytes Cary Manor to photograph their gardens, and particularly the apple blossom. This is the result….
Rose photography
Flower photographer
Prism photography
Lilac blossom
Flower photography
Using a prism for landscape photography
I love the way this looks like the trees are reflecting in a calm pond or perhaps flood water; when in fact it was meadow. Surreal, but fun!
Apple blossom
Flower photography
Prism flower photography
I cropped in quite tight on most of these photos to really emphasise the difference between the sharp areas and the abstract blurs or reflections.
Apple blossom
I’m definitely going to continue using the prism for my photography, and hopefully I’ll get to the point when I can actually foresee the results I’ll get from holding it in different ways. I’d also like to have a go with portraits – particularly for the bohemian wedding dresses I’m currently making for Oshun; and then have a play with split-toning the highlights. Such fun! Let me know if you’ve tried using a prism or any other object to give special effects to your photos.
Equipment:
