How Your Smartphone Can Help You ID Plants

And stay out of trouble! Plus, Bare Bulb Flash.

Like many photographers, I use my iPhone as a versatile backup camera. But it’s also handy for a variety of other tasks when I’m working in the field, including plant identification.

The image above is a perfect example. I was hiking in Cottonwood, Arizona when I came across this intriguing flower. I didn’t touch it because I didn’t know what it was. But I did photograph it with my iPhone.

When I viewed the image in Photos for iOS or for macOS, all I had to do was enable Get Info. On the iPhone, gently swipe upward to reveal the metadata including location. On the Mac, click on Info (Window > Info).

On either device, if you spot a little leaf icon (circled in red above), then your device has identified the plant featured in the picture. Tap on it for more information.

In this case, I’m so glad I did! That pretty flower is a Sacred Thorn-apple, and it’s poisonous. I decided that I was satisfied with my picture and didn’t need any further interaction with the plant.

This identification technique works on many, many plants and trees. It’s helped me understand the environment that I’m working in. And I’ve increased my field knowledge as well.

Give it a try. Then, when people ask you what flower that is, you’ll be able to tell them.

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TDS Photography Podcast

Make it Better with Bare Bulb Flash

Last week I talked about holiday portraits and discussed the importance of good lighting. Many photographers these days opt for existing light snaps. They're fine, most of the time, but what if I told you about a brighter way to create pleasing portraits? I'm going to do exactly that on this week's TDS Photography Podcast. Here’s more about it…

Some photographers have moved away from flash photography because they don't like the images produced with shoe-mount strobes or those built-in to the camera.

And often for good reason. The light can be over-concentrated on the subject leaving the background murky and off-color. But what if you could use a flash that evenly illuminated the entire scene, including your subject? Wouldn't that be better?

There is such a technique. It's called bare bulb flash. And instead of focusing the light through a rectangular fresnel lens, you use an exposed flash tube that spreads the light everywhere.

These used to be expensive and bulky units. But I've been testing the Godox Lux Senior Retro Camera Flash ($119) that is super compact, easy to use, works on practically any camera, and allows you to use bare bulb flash.

If you want to learn more about bare bulb flash, tune into this week’s TDS Photography Podcast. Available on iTunes and wherever you listen.

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