Flowers pictures 2
If you want to take natural shots of flowers pictures, you will be taking a wider view and your focus will be more general. You will thus possibly use a greater depth of field. This in turn means that you will have to pay more attention to foreground or background distractions, which can usually be moved. The best lighting for natural shots is a lightly overcast sky providing diffused lighting without harsh shadows. You will also be faced with problems caused by wind. You can help this situation by creating a three-sided box (probably black inside) which can be flapped open to create a wind shield. Another method, handy for taller plants, is to make a bucket from black card or even use a preformed black plastic bucket. The bucket needs a hole in the bottom to attach it to a tripod and two slits down the sides for holding the stem or branch of the plant, which can then be photographed inside the bucket.
Artistic pictures
If you intend to take more artistic pictures you will need to pay even more attention to framing, the focal point and depth of field. Do you want to take the entire flower or only a certain part? Do you want to limit you focal point and use a minimum depth of field? And if so, where will you place the focal point? Once you have decided on the focal point, make sure that it is as sharp as your camera lens will allow to create maximum visual impact. You may also chose to create abstract images by simply using colours, patterns and textures. Here, experimenting is the key. Anything goes for lighting artistic images; indoors or out, natural light, tungsten or flash. Again it’s a matter of experimenting. And why not break a few rules…
Photographing flowers is a very common procedure, and many people are trying to get the best out of it. However, if you want to get the perfect photo, you need to make some preparations beforehand. Bellow, we will provide a full guide, on how to take a successful flowers photo.
Buy Some Macro Lens
If you like to take close-up flowers photos, then some macro lens would be extremely helpful for you. They will allow you to focus better and to frame the flower more effectively. With the macro lens, you will be able to catch all the details of the flower, making the photo look professional. The shadows will be displayed better as well, and they will look more natural.
Use a Tripod
When you’re photographing flowers, having a great camera isn’t enough. Even though you’re able to get the right focus and light, you can ruin a good photo if your hands starts shaking. Because none of us can hold a camera perfectly still, you will need a tripod to do that for you. Besides that, a tripod could let you modify the point of focus, in case you don’t like the current one. For better results, it’s better to choose an adjustable tripod. They are more flexible and will allow you to take photos even at the ground level.
Don’t Use Autofocus
When photographing a flower, the distance between you and the camera is so small, that even the smallest disturbance can ruin the photo. When it comes to short distances, autofocus tends to be imprecise, altering the pictures colours and details. Manual focus will allow you to adjust the camera, until you get the perfect quality. For a successful picture, it’s better to focus after you deal with the zooming.
Check the Weather
Even though today we have high tech cameras, weather is still an important factor. As you can imagine, you can get the best pictures when it’s sunny outside. When photographing a flower, pictures colours are very important, and you can only achieve that on a bright day. However, if the sun is too intense, this might alter the photo, distort the contrast and affect the details. According to some professional photographers, the best flower photos can be taken by noon, when there are no clouds on the sky.
Choose the Perfect Flower
The good thing about photographing flowers is that you have plenty of options. So, if you want to immortalize a certain type of flower, search until you find the perfect one. If the flower is positioned in a bad location or it’s affected by the weather, check your surroundings and find a better one. Many photographers ruin their pictures, just because their flowers look unappealing. For example, if you want to photograph a rose, you shouldn’t stick to one rose. Instead, you should go through the entire garden and find a better looking rose. It will have a major impact over your photo.
Conclusion
Photographing a flower is a very easy task when you know what to do. If you want to make a flower pictures collection, take your camera with you, whenever you’re traveling. You never know when you will get a perfect occasion.
