Lessons: Taking Photographs of Flowers

When I take flower photos, I take the following steps:

1. Light: Outdoor color photography for any subject is about finding and managing light. Good quality light occurs in three circumstances: 1. the early morning and 2. late evening when the sunlight is filtered and softened by its travel through the atmosphers. And, 3. on overcast days where the light is filtered through light layers of cloud. If you take flower images at other than those times/circumstances, you are unlikely to get good color.

3. Background: Whey you frame your image, make yourself carefully inspect the background to see if there will be much interference with the image you have in mind. It's surprising how much 'noise' is in a frame that the eye doesn't register. Our eyes naturally scan for the central image and eliminate the rest and also even out the color contrast. But the camera & film are absolutely true to the scene. Look for strong lines from other elements in the frame that will interfere with the image you have in mind. Look for other colors that will interfere. Look for bright or hot spots ... places where the sun is shining directly on the background. In short, make yourself look at everything in the frame, not just your main theme image. It doesn't hurt to snip a blade of grass that will produce a distracting form/color on your shot. And, it doesn't hurt to move a leaf that is in the wrong place. Rarely does nature produce an easy shot.

4. Depth  of Field: This is perhaps the most important element in flower photography. If you want to highlight the main subject, a good way to do this is to  use a small depth of field by setting on your camera on a small f-stop in the range of 2.0-5.6. This puts the subject in focus and puts most of the rest of what's in the view frame out of focus. It intensifies the image you have in mind.  I've put a lesson on depth of field here: http://raysweb.net/photolessons/pages/lesson02.htm

5. Tripods: Flowers are almost always moving. The slightest breeze can interfere with an otherwise perfect shot. Even if you are shooting at 1/60 sec or less, this will interfere with an otherwise good shot. A tripod helps considerably. At first tripods are awkward to use, but you quickly become accustomed to them.

6. Films: Films range from slow [ASA 50, 64] needing lots of time to expose the film to fast [ASA 200-400] needing less time to expose the film. Slow films produce better detail/grains and color, but they are harder to use because they take longer to expose and, remember, the flowers are moving and will be more likely to be blurred.

7. Good Color Films: Shoot slides and try the Fuji Films: Velvia, Provia, Sensia. You will be amazed at the quality of your shots when viewed on a slide as opposed to the flat pics that come from the labs.

8. Lenses: the lenses make more difference than the cameras. If you are serious about closeup flower photography, buy one macro lens. I have a Nikon 105 mm Macro Lens which allows me to get close to a flower and yet keep it in focus. Your normal lens set at 100 mm will not allow you to get nearly as close. Some lenses have 'macro' features which may allow you to get close. Normal lenses often produce blurred, out-of-focus shots because you can not get close and have the lens in focus.

9. Whatever film you shoot, have a CD made of your images so that you can pull them right onto your computer.