Print PDF
Favorite
Email
The first question you may ask yourself is: “Why would I read an instructable on photographing flowers?”
Well, other than photos of the family (“…and that’s aunt Alice after she shaved her mustache…”), what winds up on the walls of most people’s homes are images of landscapes, animals and flowers. Rather than purchase a framed picture at the local big box store and pay a premium, wouldn’t you rather just frame your own? Sure! It’s cheaper and you get vast bragging rights.
Also, flowers are by default the perfect subject. They are not reticent of being photographed, they stay in the same spot, and they are not too difficult to make beautiful (unlike, perhaps, aunt Alice).
A few caveats:
• Some of the tips listed apply to ALL photography, some only to flower photography. I will try to differentiate these.
• Some of the tips apply to ALL cameras, some only to more advanced SLR cameras with interchangeables lenses. I will differentiate these as well.
• Mix and match the tips below for various interesting results.
That being said, here are some of the tips I keep in mind when doing some nature photography.
Well, other than photos of the family (“…and that’s aunt Alice after she shaved her mustache…”), what winds up on the walls of most people’s homes are images of landscapes, animals and flowers. Rather than purchase a framed picture at the local big box store and pay a premium, wouldn’t you rather just frame your own? Sure! It’s cheaper and you get vast bragging rights.
Also, flowers are by default the perfect subject. They are not reticent of being photographed, they stay in the same spot, and they are not too difficult to make beautiful (unlike, perhaps, aunt Alice).
A few caveats:
• Some of the tips listed apply to ALL photography, some only to flower photography. I will try to differentiate these.
• Some of the tips apply to ALL cameras, some only to more advanced SLR cameras with interchangeables lenses. I will differentiate these as well.
• Mix and match the tips below for various interesting results.
That being said, here are some of the tips I keep in mind when doing some nature photography.
Remove these ads by
Signing UpStep 1Lighting
The Magic Hours (applies to landscape and animal photography as well)
Shoot during the “magic hours”. These are usually defined as the first and last hours of sunlight during the day. I fudge with this a little and usually shoot at any time that my shadow is longer than I am tall. Since the sunlight has to travel through more atmosphere at that time of day, the light is redder (warmer) than at other times. Also, the sunlight is diffused more in the atmosphere which makes for softer light and shadows that are less harsh.
By comparison, midday light is very white and casts very dark shadows, making it difficult to balance highlights and shadows.
Shoot during the “magic hours”. These are usually defined as the first and last hours of sunlight during the day. I fudge with this a little and usually shoot at any time that my shadow is longer than I am tall. Since the sunlight has to travel through more atmosphere at that time of day, the light is redder (warmer) than at other times. Also, the sunlight is diffused more in the atmosphere which makes for softer light and shadows that are less harsh.
By comparison, midday light is very white and casts very dark shadows, making it difficult to balance highlights and shadows.
| « Previous Step | Download PDFView All Steps | Next Step » |
I like your shot. Did you use the water bottle trick?
Keep on shooting!
While looking at your photos and cheapskates, I'm reminded of another tip: when shooting flowers, there's really no horizon frame of reference so feel free to tilt the camera any way you like.
Keep on shooting!
I must say that I have taken some very nice pictures of flowers with the flash ON....with a point-n-shoot . I have attached a few, could give me some pointers or advice so I can make corrections to my shooting that will help my photo quality, as I know I am partial to them and they may not be as good as I think. :)
I love your page, great information and your pictures are awesome!
However, there are times when the flash actually brings out something unseen. For example, there is no way you could make leaves look like they glisten as in one of your photos above. Not without a lot of work. It literally makes the leaves look "fat" (I can't think of a better term) which is a stunning result.
There are a lot of the "rules" that I listed that I break on a regular basis, just because a nagging voice at the back of my head tells me it's worth a try. Whether the shot truns out or not doesn't matter, at least it stretches my eye. Mostly it goes back to one of the other tips about shooting a lot of frames.
Your shots all have good composition, and I'm most partial to the third shot (the white round flowers on the leaf background). I would recommend that you get even closer to your subject, but you may be limited by the point and shoot that you are using, and the flash would wash out details. Keep up the good work!