How to Step Outside the Box With Your Flower Photography
Remove the color from your shots., Instead of making the flower the focus of your shot, use it as a foreground., Take your flower photography indoors., Try for double exposures., Shoot for an abstract look., Use water reflections., Show the perfect...
Step-by-Step Guide
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Step 1: Remove the color from your shots.
That might sound heretical, but sometimes black and white can be so much more striking than color...think Ansel Adams.
Textures and patterns will jump out at your viewer much more readily. -
Step 2: Instead of making the flower the focus of your shot
This may be something you are already doing, but try doing it consciously.
This will help liven your shot by adding color to it. , Maybe you have flowers in the house, or you have some flowers at the table or something like that.
This particular shot is a fuchsia set in a martini glass on top of a glass sheet. , With film, that is much more easily done, but if using digital, use software to create the same effect. , Make it so its hard to tell that you are looking at a flower.
Odd angles and perspectives can help with that. , You can shoot flowers on or in the water, or you can set something up inside your studio. ,, That will take some work and preparation on your part, but can open up a whole new photographic field for you! , Get a nice fast lens, get out there and find an insect doing its thing with the flower.
Be sure your camera is set to macro. , Get on the ground and shoot straight at the flower/plant, or if the plant is big enough, get under it and shoot up into the sun or sky. , A quote from Jurassic Park, "Life will find a way" and it's true.
Grass, dandelions and trees have been known to find their way through concrete and asphalt. ,, Add it to someone's ear, put it in a portrait, or however you can think of it. -
Step 3: use it as a foreground.
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Step 4: Take your flower photography indoors.
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Step 5: Try for double exposures.
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Step 6: Shoot for an abstract look.
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Step 7: Use water reflections.
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Step 8: Show the perfect symmetry of your flower and nature in general.
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Step 9: Try using light photography to 'create' a flower.
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Step 10: Add an insect to the shot.
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Step 11: Change your perspective.
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Step 12: Find unexpected flowers or plants.
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Step 13: Get a good macro lens and shoot through/around dewdrops.
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Step 14: Use it as a prop.
Detailed Guide
That might sound heretical, but sometimes black and white can be so much more striking than color...think Ansel Adams.
Textures and patterns will jump out at your viewer much more readily.
This may be something you are already doing, but try doing it consciously.
This will help liven your shot by adding color to it. , Maybe you have flowers in the house, or you have some flowers at the table or something like that.
This particular shot is a fuchsia set in a martini glass on top of a glass sheet. , With film, that is much more easily done, but if using digital, use software to create the same effect. , Make it so its hard to tell that you are looking at a flower.
Odd angles and perspectives can help with that. , You can shoot flowers on or in the water, or you can set something up inside your studio. ,, That will take some work and preparation on your part, but can open up a whole new photographic field for you! , Get a nice fast lens, get out there and find an insect doing its thing with the flower.
Be sure your camera is set to macro. , Get on the ground and shoot straight at the flower/plant, or if the plant is big enough, get under it and shoot up into the sun or sky. , A quote from Jurassic Park, "Life will find a way" and it's true.
Grass, dandelions and trees have been known to find their way through concrete and asphalt. ,, Add it to someone's ear, put it in a portrait, or however you can think of it.
About the Author
Deborah Smith
Dedicated to helping readers learn new skills in pet care and beyond.
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