Beautiful Flower Photography

Sunflowers Through an Old Fence

While most of my flower photography involves the macro setting on my camera, it is also fun to pull back and see what else is around with which to make an interesting image.  It is also handy for those situations in which you can’t get close enough to the flowers to take a macro shot.

I took this at 1880s Town in South Dakota.  Since I didn’t want to climb over this old fence (nor did I think it was allowed!) I incorporated the fence as a frame in my flower photograph.

What do you think?

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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

Flower Photography – A California Wildflower

I found clusters of these wildflowers scattered around the Donner Pass Rest Area on a recent road trip. While my kids were climbing around on the rocks and eating their sandwiches, I practiced my flower photography. I think this is some sort of snapdragon, but I’m not sure.  If you know what it is, please comment below!

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The Rule of Thirds in Flower Photography

The rule of thirds is a basic principle in artistic composition.  Imagine that a grid divides your picture into nine equal sections, and then place the most interesting or most important elements of your picture at the intersections of the grid lines while avoiding placing your subject dead center.  This is supposed to create aesthetically pleasing and well balanced photographs.

For instance, which of these flower photographs do you like better?  The one above has the largest bloom centered in the image with the long stem basically dividing the image in half.  It looks okay, but the photo below has much more impact.  I cropped in closer and moved the large bloom to the upper corner at a diagonal to the bloom in the bottom corner.

When applying this rule to flower photography, remember that it’s really a guideline, not a hard and fast rule.  There are many situations in which the subject centered in the frame makes a striking and beautiful shot, as in this example…

So what’s the best way to compose your pictures?  Practice seeing the rule of thirds through your camera (many digital cameras will even display the grid in the viewfinder for you). Then when you find that one stunning blossom that fills the frame you can put the rule of thirds aside and shoot  away.

Eventually, you won’t have to think about the rule of thirds.  When I sat down to look through my images and find examples to illustrate this article, I had a hard time finding poorly composed photographs.  I’ve internalized the rule of thirds through years of taking flower photographs and you will to.

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Appalachian State University Flower Photography Workshop

Have you ever taken your camera to a flower farm when carpets of colorful blooms spread across the landscape?  I haven’t, but I’d like to – I always seem to miss the prime blooming season.

If you live near Appalachian State University in North Carolina, and you love flower photography and the out of doors, you’ll want to check out their Nature Photography workshop on August 24th and 25th. 

It looks like a lot of fun and very helpful if you’re still learning the techniques of photographing flowers.

Read all about it here!

If you don’t live near Appalachian State, you might want to find a flower farm near you that would let
you take photos of their flowers.  Just “google” flower farm tours or something similar.

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Flower Photography – The Art of Seeing

Flower photography is one of my passions.
 
I’ve made hundreds of photographs of different kinds of flowers in close-up (also known as macro) and in landscape. I’ve shot cut flowers and bouquets, living flowers in gardens and fields of wildflowers by the side of the road.  I’ve used color film and black and white film, and I’ve used editing software to turn color images to black and white and sepia. I’ve used both digital and film cameras for my flower photography and natural and artificial light.

I’m not a very technical flower photographer. Both of my cameras have automatic or partially automatic settings that I use most of the time. I can’t explain to you how I set up this shot or that shot, or what the shutter speed or the aperture setting was (although the digital files include this information). I don’t pay that much attention to these factors. I can show you some beautiful flower photography and explain what I was trying to see through the camera and whether or not it worked the way I saw it.

Finding a new way of seeing flowers is a large part of successful flower photography. You have to take the time to look at your subject in different ways and be willing to challenge your traditional sense of what makes a good photograph. The “rule of thirds” (more on that later) may not apply to a close up photograph of a sunflower in which you are filling the frame with the bloom. Or you may look at the setup and discover the rule of thirds can be applied to some small part of the flower or a bee or butterfly on the petals.

You can take this new way of seeing as far as you like. Some photographers make stunning photographs that make you want to reach out and pick an exquisite blossom right off the page. Others take flower photography to such abstract extremes that you look at their beautiful and surreal images and wonder what kind of flower that really is. And many other flower photographers create lovely photographs that run the range in between.

You don’t have to run out and buy a special camera or lens to succeed at photographing the flowers in your garden. You don’t have to take expensive classes or workshops to develop your “eye” or have an in depth understanding of the technical aspects of photography. Just start with what you have and practice. As you practice seeing through the lens you’ll start to discover your own style and art of flower photography.

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