Henrik Spranz

Small world and super close-up photographer Henrik shares his passion for nature photography and the Canon gear and equipment he can’t live without

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I got into photography in 2006 to document my travels, though a lot has changed since then. I take most of my images where I live close to Vienna, where you can still find natural meadows and forests. In my small world nature photography, I strive to show nature’s tenderness and beauty.

I use a wide open aperture on long lenses almost all of the time – to achieve the dreamy bokeh. An open aperture results in a very shallow focal plane which makes it hard to focus. Additionally I always try to use a very low point of view to be eye-level and to catch more light from the sky in the background.

I always use manual focusing in a magnified Live View on the screen of my camera – this makes exact focusing much easier. I also use a cable release to reduce the risk of moving the camera and to shoot at the right moment – for example when the wind is calming down. For butterfly photos, I use the sturdy Berlebach mini tripod with some accessories for an extra-low camera position, or I use a bean bag or the bare ground for flower photos.