From one simple natural light set up, with the same camera and lens, you can create many different images.
1. Focus point
These two images are exactly the same, with the same camera settings, except the focus point was changed from the stem of the flower to the head. A change of maybe 3cm gives a completely different image:
Canon 6D, 100mm macro, ISO 100, f2.8, 0.3 secs, tripod
2. Change the aperture
Exactly the same set up but a switch in aperture opens up the image:
Canon 6D, 100mm macro, ISO 100, f2.8, 0.4 sec, tripod
Nothing at all changed for this shot except the aperture to f32, and the shutter speed therefore to 30 secs
3. Change your viewpoint
Once you've got all your shots from position A, tilt the camera slightly and try for a different perspective:
4. Move further away
Lastly, move slightly further away to reframe your flower:
Behind the scenes
This was a behind the scenes taken when I was shooting nigella on the same day. The light is coming from a window to the right of the camera. The camera is a Canon 6D with a 100mm macro lens, and I shot the ammi at about the same distance away. Plain white boards at the back and to the left reflect the light back onto the flowers, creating an even flat light.
The second photos shows the mechanics behind the ammi shoot - the device is called a Plamp (for "plant clamp") and holds the stem softly at one end whilst making a firm connection to the table at the other.
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