I remember a couple of years ago a few of my friends who are professional photographers asked me for some tips on floral photography. One in particular who specializes in models fell in love with a particular image I took of a white Bellis daisy. He couldn't quite figure out how I was able to get perfect clarity on the full flower on such a close up shot as well how I was able to capture my whites so well outside without them looking overexposed.

At the time I hadn't really given it much thought as it just came natural. I had been taking photos of flowers for quite some time, selling them online, entering them into competitions and taking floral photos for magazines so I suppose when you do something enough everything does tend to come naturally, without much effort or thought going into it, apart from photoshop and the marketing side of it that is.

Doing a lot of article writing lately, it was only this year that I actually sat down and took the time to contemplate my knowledge of floral photography in order to put it into words so I could share my knowledge with others.

Though you may think it may be easy to snap shots of flowers I have to admit it is as with any other image for that matter, that is why they are called snap shots but in order to capture a great shot it is not, there are many factors to be considered including preparation.

My Tips On Capturing A Great Floral Image.

Positioning

First things to consider is if taking photos outside you must make sure you don't do it on a windy day if at all possible. It is too difficult to capture still life it when it it moving about, the end result will be a blurry photo, especially if using macro. If necessary hold the bottom of the flower still with your hand trying to exclude your hand from the photo.

You should be level or just a fraction above level with the plants when capturing an image. If you have a tripod set it up level or just above level with the plants, if not kneel or squat down but find a position where you can have a steady hand.

If going for an individual plant you can use macro, however; sometimes if too close, macro will only capture a section of the plant, blurring the rest, such a the front petals or the stamen and so on. If you want the whole plant you will have to use manual or automatic but make sure your well enough away from the plant to capture a clear image but not so far that it is blurred. Macro can go very close while auto cannot so you will literally have to double the amount of space if not triple it in distance when using auto. The image can then be later cropped with an editing program.

If you want to take multiple plants or garden scene never use macro as this will only capture a tiny fragment and blur most of the image if not all.

If you are trying to capture a garden scene and you want good D.O.F (Depth Of Field) you again will have to be level or just above level with the plants and either have a tripod or be very still taking multiple shots and angels. Eventually if you take enough photos that you will get that one spectacular image that you will want to hang on your wall with the perfect D.O.F.

If you can help it don't ever zoom on a plant as this can distort the image sometimes and/or will not pick up the clarity you require.

Lighting And Exposure

Always have the light behind you. I find the best time of day to capture a better floral image is in the late afternoon or early evening. Too much light will overexpose the image.

Never stand over the flower and snap directly down on the flower except if your taking a macro/close up shot of the stamen, sepals or petals. If using a flash this can overexpose the plant and in this position it will look too much like a plain snapshot.

Never use a flash on individual plants although unless it is a very dark day I would not recommend a flash for any floral or garden scene, it will often overexpose the plants and tends to distort the intensity of the rich colors.

If you are using auto mode find a way to cover the flash if it is coming on. The flash will distort the proper colors and overexpose the image. A flash and floral photography do not mix!

Try to stay away from darkened areas unless you have a great editing program. Although cameras that have high ISOs are excellent to have, I would know I have one, when in a darkened area, high ISO can cause a lot of grain in the image which looks horrible when blown up, especially on a floral images as it creates to much noise.

End note

Last but not least find a good editing program such as photoshop and get familiar with it. Cropped images are just as good as macro sometimes. Also I suggest just to use automatic setting until you do get familiar with it such as auto levels.

Good luck with your floral photography! You never know you may become a wonderful floral photographer in no time, as they say practice makes perfect!

About Author

Tanya Kime-Wallace is a writer and freelance writer as well as the owner of a small gardening business. She developed a love for writing at a very young age and is extremely passionate about the written word. She is capable of writing virtually anything she sets her mind to and is an upcoming horror novelist. She has extensive knowledge about horticulture and gardening teaching workshops relating to this subject and enjoys being able to share it with others. She has many interests and when she feels something is interesting or important enough to share, she will write about it. She is also a mother of two beautiful children and cherishes every second of it.

All images used in this article are the Copyright © of Tanya Kime-Wallace and have been downsized and embedded with a watermark.They are not of the high quality they normally are. If you would like any information regarding the images please ask.

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Copyright © 2010 Tanya Kime-Wallace