Beautiful Flower Photography

What’s in Your Background?

One piece of your flower photo composition is the background.  Even an experienced flower photographer can get so focused on the main subject that he forgets to check the background.  It’s easy to end up with distracting elements in the shot.  Some things are more noticeable than others and most are easily avoided.  With digital cameras you can check your image before you move on.  You can also remove distractions digitally with your editing software. 

Here are a few examples of flower photographs that have unwanted elements in the background and/or foreground.  These are un-edited and un-cropped.  Most of them can be fixed by simply cropping out the unwanted elements.  Others might require a change of perspective or editing.

The car in this shot is pretty obvious.  It was difficult to find a good angle on the daffodils in this bed (at the Portland International Rose Test Garden) because it’s in the parking lot.  If I was really in love with the image I would either crop it in close or edit the car out, but since I got a bunch of good shots that day, I’ll just skip this one.

Here’s another shot from the Portland Rose Garden.  Feet (or tripod legs) are easy to get in your shot when you’re shooting down.  Again, I would just crop the feet out of this one.  You can also change your perspective to a lower angle that shoots across the flower more.

One more from the Rose Garden.  This magnolia tree is located between two tennis courts.  I successfully avoided the court fence by shooting from a low angle.  I’m not sure I could have found a better angle to avoid the wires as well.  I like this shot so I’ll probably edit them out at some point.

I took quite a few shots of this tulip at my sister’s house.  I completely missed that this one had the house in the background until later.  I was able to get the shot with different backgrounds (the pink azaleas and the brown bark) but I can’t decide if the pink is too much or not.  This one is easily fixed by cropping the image.

People walking through the background of your photo is a common problem.  It’s most easily fixed by waiting for them to go by, but if you’re in a busy park or garden you can try to change your perspective (just remember to stay on the trail!)  Cropping would work well on this shot as well as removing the guy with your editing software.

I hope these examples have given you some ideas of what to watch for in your background.  When you remember to check your composition before you snap the shot you can easily avoid distracting elements.  Thanks to digital cameras and editing software you can also easily fix things you missed.

Technorati Tags: background, composition

A New Angle on Flower Photography

As I look through my many flower photographs, I find that I tend to use the same angle for most of them.  Once in awhile, when I can’t seem to get a shot to come out right, I discover that shooting from a different angle makes the picture really come to life. 

It may be harder to set up the shot from an unusual angle; you might have to get down on your belly in the grass or stand on a step stool to get up high, etc.  Be sure to watch for distracting elements in the background as you compose your photograph.

Here are three photos of the one poppy anemone that came up in my garden this year.  (I like to think I’m good at photographing flowers, but I’ve had limited success with growing them!)  Each one is from a different angle.  Which one do you like best?  What other angles can you shoot from?

This is the view from the top, the angle I use most often.  I love to get in close and fill the frame.

This is the side angle.  I probably use this angle the least.  It can be very effective with the right composition.

This is an in-between angle that I’ve used effectively many times.  I like the feeling of peeking over the edge of the petals.

Technorati Tags: flower photographs, flower photography techniques, poppy anemones

Bugs Add Interest to Flower Photographs

Have you ever tried to photograph bees?  or dragonflies?  or lady bugs?  or butterflies?  They can be hard to catch because they move so quickly (especially the dragonflies!) but if you can get one that has landed on a flower, you will have a beautiful flower photograph with plenty of color and interest.

I caught this Monarch Butterfly in the demonstration garden at Natural Bridges State Beach.

I captured this bee as it worked on a tree at the park.  There were bees everywhere.  I could hear them buzzing from pretty far away.

Technorati Tags: flower photographs, flower photography techniques

Open Shade – the Right Light for Flower Photography

It is a common misconception that bright sunny days are good for making photographs.  Direct sunlight often results in pictures that have too high contrast and unwanted shadows.  This is true for flower photography as well as any other kind of photography.

Open shade is the best kind of light for your flower photography.  Open shade exists under many circumstances.  Shoot your flowers on a bright day without direct sunlight – early in the morning before the sun is high over head, late evening before the sun has gone down completely, or on an overcast day.  These are the times and days you can find the open shade you need to have well lit flower photographs.

But what if you can’t wait for the light to be perfect?  I often stop by the side of the road on a trip or see a beautiful flower while I’m out running errands and I want to make a photo of it.  What can you do to create the right kind of lighting?  Try making your own shade.

The easiest way to create shade is to simply stand (or crouch) in such a way that your subject is entirely contained in your own shadow.  Obviously this only works for close-up photographs since you don’t want the edges of your shadow in your picture.  If you can block the direct sunlight with your body, you can make a beautiful flower photograph that is free from unwanted shadows and highlights.

You can also use something else to make a shadow – a piece of poster board, a towel, etc.  You will need something to hang the object on or a friend to hold it for you to keep it in the right position.  Be sure you use something in a light neutral color so it doesn’t change the color of your subject (unless you want it to – using a gold reflector or very bright color can make a very interesting photo).

Play around with your lighting options and practice, practice, practice!  You will make beautiful flower photographs in no time!

Technorati Tags: flower photography, flower photography techniques, photography lighting