Rose with Dew

Taking flower photos is often seen as an easier aspect of photography. Even with a simple point and shoot camera you can have very good photos for little effort. However, these tips will enable you to get even better photos and push you into the ‘pro’ category.

Taking flower photos is very much a learning experience. I have added an extra two tips at no extra cost 🙂

Tips for Photographing Flowers

1. Shoot From Different Angles

There’s a big difference between shooting down on top of flowers and shooting at the same level as a flower. Shooting at same level as a flower, means you might have to get down on your hands and knees but, it gives a more interesting less conventional perspective.

2. For close ups Shoot with smallest aperture your lens will allow

If you have a f/5.6 lens use f5.6

3. Try Macro Lens for really close shoot up.

A macro lens allows you to get exceptional close up shots. A macro lens has such shallow depth of field that when a photographing a flower, some petals at back can even be out of focus.

4.Good Quality Tripod

A good quality tripod enables the sharpest picture, it also enables you to use smaller apertures and a longer exposure time.

5. Other Tips to Reduce Camera Shake.

• If taking a tripod is difficult, try a monopod.
• Remote shot taker. When pressing button, the camera moves causes some camera shake. An external button release enables you to take a shot without moving camera.
• For important shots try multiple shot, which automatically takes several shots. At least one will be in super sharp focus.
• Very useful is this mini tripod. It supports weight of heavy SLR, but can be folded up into a small bag.

6. Canon Filter

A Canon close-up 500D lens can be fitted to a telephoto zoom lens and is like a traditional lens filter easy to carry around and gives a cheaper way to get macro shots.

7. Best Time To Take Flower Shots

On Cloudy Overcast days. When sun is very bright, flowers can appear washed out. On cloudy overcast days, flower colour can appear more vibrant.

8. The Rain Effect

After Rain. Drops of rain on flowers add an extra romance and beauty to flower photos (see Rose top). If it rarely rains – just take a portable sprayer to add your own water – no-one will know you sprayed it!

9. Use Backgrounds for constant Colour.

Daffodil

A solid background helps avoid distracting backgrounds. Black often works very well, especially for white, light coloured flowers.

10. Wind

Trying to hold stem of flower can work. If you have an SLR set a high shutter speed 1/ 125 will help capture and freeze any blowing wind.

11. Use Macro Flash

Indoor Orchid

This orchid and daffodil (black background) was taken with a macro flash
There is much more light so you can use a high f number – small aperture, big depth of field. You can get some very nice results with this. Another bonus is you don’t really need a tripod, there is so much light, you need a very fast shutter speed (1/200)

photos – Tejvan

12. Depth of Field

Don’t limit yourself to close ups of flowers. Also try take flowers, in context. For this you really need a big depth of field (high f setting). This allows less light, so you need a longer shutter speed (perhaps half a second) to compensate. Therefore, a tripod is essential. However, it enables you to capture a field of flowers and just a small number.

Related

• Give us some help and your view on photograph composition
• Top 10 Flower Photos
• Close Up Flower Photos
• The Perfect Rose