Photographing Flowers

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Flowers make excellent photographic subjects. In spring and summer they're colourful, beautiful and everywhere you look. Although they may look like one of the simplest forms of photography they can sometimes be a bit of a challenge. If you enjoy taking photos of flowers as much as I do then here are a few tips you might find helpful.

Start early in the day

Variants in sunlight and shade affect the appearance of flowers, as does before and after rain. Most flower petals are translucent so avoid taking photos in strong light conditions (bright sunlight) or you may end up losing much of the flowers details leaving your photos looking washed out. This is particularly true with red flowers. Just after it has rained and while the sky is still overcast is an ideal time for taking flower photos. The clouds diffuse direct light from the sun and enrich the colours.

Start as early in the day as possible when the light is softer and you can sometimes catch morning dew (or frost) still on the flowers or wait until the late afternoon or evening to take your shots. The soft diffuse morning and evening light is warmer and less harsh than it gets during during the day enhancing colour saturation, so if you wondered how or why pro photographers flower images seem so deep in colour this is one of the reasons why.

Tip: Dew and water drops can add interesting and intriguing details to your shot. Early morning dew on a flower makes an attractive photo, but if you missed the early morning, or there wasn't any, you can create your own. If you have a misting bottle or spray bottle, you can use this to create a false dew on the flower or make a solution of three parts water and one part mineral oil/glycerine and spray the flower you want to photograph. This will not harm to the flower and the drops last longer than misting with just water. If taking macro shoots try to focus on individual drops of water and you may be able to even capture reflections from it. Include part of the foliage (such as a leaf tip) for added interest.

Compose your shot

Learn to view a plant from every angle, then make a decision as to whether it lends itself to a central shot or to something more oblique. Keep contrast and colour in mind at all times as you try different compositions. An undamaged flower will look nicer than that of a damaged one. If you are in an area with lots of the same flowers, take your time to look at a few of the flowers and try to find the one that is in the best condition. Look for great colours, shapes and textures, a flower in full bloom next to a bud and other interesting compositions.

Shoot angles that are rarely seen by the eye as well as those that are. Shoot from below, directly above, at eye level, from the side. Take some horizontal, some vertical, some in colour, some black and white, some wide angle, zoomed in and macro.

• Do you want the entire flower in focus or just its centre?
• Do you want to the background blurred or sharp?
• Are you going to centralise the shot?
• Is the flower going to fill the frame? Photos where the flower fills the frame can be very dramatic.
• Do you want to capture a large area covered with flowers? When you find a large area covered with flowers, you may want to take a photo of the whole scene. Include some foreground, middle-ground, and background to create a sense of depth and scale. Use leading lines and the rule of thirds when composing the photo.

Tip: Don't forget to look for and remove any blemished petals, unwanted foliage, twigs or blades of grass (when shooting at ground level) that will distract from your photo. Inspect the flower for insects hiding amongst the petals. I have had many shots ruined by discovering an unwanted insect or tiny holes chewed in the petals that were only visible when enlarged on my computer screen.

Get up close and personal

Many photographers and gardeners delight in taking close-ups of flowers. For flower photography you need either a macro lens or a zoom lens to get the best shots. If your camera has a macro mode setting or you have a lens with macro capability - use it. If not, depending on your lens, you can only get so close to your subject before the camera can't focus on it. You may be able to back up a bit and zoom in, but without a special macro lens or close-up attachments, your focusing distance will be limited. Check the minimum focus distance on your lens, and stay farther than that distance. When taking close-ups or macro photographs of flowers, you may need to use flash or long shutter speeds to illuminate the flower. At these very close distances, flash will usually appear relatively soft, and more like natural light.

Tip: Try getting in close and filling the frame with the flower. And then try getting even closer to isolate just part of the flower. You can find some great abstract compositions when focusing on only a very small part of a flower.

Use a low ISO

Try not use use an ISO setting above 400. ISO is the camera's sensitivity to light. Using a low ISO the camera will be less sensitive to the light coming in (a high ISO will be extremely sensitive to light). I Use ISO 100 or 150 to accentuate the colours with good saturation and little noise or grain. Shooting in lower ISO mode also allows you to use wider aperture or slower shutter speed or a combination of both.

Choose the Right Aperture

The right aperture or f-stop setting can make or break a successful photograph. Aperture controls the intensity of light entering the camera and also controls the depth of field, or selective focus that will present in the final image. Many professional photographers will adjust their aperture so they can minimize or maximize what is in focus in their images. Often the best flower photos have only one flower in sharp focus and the rest of the image has just hints at what is in the background. f/2.8 is a good setting to use. If the background is in sharp focus, it can really distract from the beauty of the flower.

Use a tripod for best results

It is possible to obtain a sharp flower shot just holding your camera and even in windy conditions patience can reward with some brilliant photos once the wind drops. If it is windy, make sure you set the camera to use a fast enough shutter speed to freeze the motion of the flower avoid the photo coming out blurry. One technique I have found useful is to use a small clamp (without teeth) attached to a thin metal or wood rod stuck in the ground to hold the flower in place and to minimize motion. Be careful not to include the clamp in the final shot.

One of the problems flower photographers encounter when using a shallow depth of field is that any camera shake is magnified when you are close to a subject. Serious camera shake can leave everything streaked in the direction you moved the camera, usually vertically. This is where a suitable tripod comes in handy. When placing your tripod try to be careful not squash other nearby flowers and not to knock the flower you are wanting to photograph. There is nothing like finding the perfect flower only to knock the petals off while trying to position your tripod.

Tip: In a pinch a beanbag can be used to keep your camera steady. You can buy photographic beanbags or make your own by half filling an old sock with rice.

Go to a Public Park or Gardens

Everyone will have a favourite place to photograph. There are many wonderful botanic gardens, parks, malls and private gardens where you can take photos. The beds are weeded. The plants are well cared for. And they're often labelled. If you are at a garden that labels the plants be sure to take a photo of the sign so you know the name of the flower you just took that great photo of. Experiment with photographing flowers (and trees) at night. They can appear quite surreal after the sun goes down.

What are you waiting for? Set up your shot, get everything in sharp focus, start shooting and most of all have FUN.

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