Creative Flower Photography with Lensbaby Sol Series. Fabulous tips Rusty! So, I look for composition and contrast, and I think about what makes the plant look best, just like you would for a portrait. Check out these great articles and for more detailed information on using flash. While she's known for her photography, Kathleen also has a degree in education, which she mixes with her passion for flower to teach other macro photographers. There are situations when the dynamic range is just too great to capture in a single image. Early morning is usually the best time, plus you might get some beautiful light too. You may not be able to completely drop out the background in camera, but this can be accomplished easily in Lightroom. 4.1 out of 5 stars 56. Of course, I’m talking about wildflowers. However, note that photography guidelines will likely vary at botanical gardens, and that you may not be able to use the photos for commercial purposes without obtaining a permit first. One common mistake, and one I’m sometimes guilty of myself, when out shooting is to simply put the camera to your eye and shoot away. You’ll want to take several shots to adjust the amount of light and try different light patterns until you get a desirable result. Then, open the shutter to begin the exposure. Once all these images are captured, they are imported into Photoshop, Photoshop Elements, or focus stacking software, such as Helicon Focus or Zerene Stacker. Have fun and surprise yourself with the results. photography. Sometimes showing more of the surroundings will make for a more interesting and engaging image. A Plamp, or plant clamp, is essentially two clamps at either end of an articulating arm. In addition to holding the plant steady, the plamp can come in handy for a variety of things. When taking photos of flowers, you want your subject to stand out. Get started in floral photography. One common mistake, and one I’m sometimes guilty of myself, when out shooting is to simply put the camera to your eye and shoot away. This is due to the close shooting distance. This is called high dynamic range, or HDR, photography. You can always make adaptations to get the results you want. WE ARE COMPENSATED FOR REFERRING TRAFFIC. This way, you can get that ideal front-to-back sharpness. Imagine an insect’s point of view and go lower. Flowers are such beautiful things and some are so intricately detailed that you will want to shoot as close as possible. You’ll be shooting outdoors. If the location of the flowers is a little too dim, use an external flash to add light. We all generally see the world at eye level, so what you will end up with are images that are quite often just boring images. The images are aligned and the in-focus areas of each of the images are blended together into a single image with a seemingly amazing depth of field. Try using single-point focusing when taking flower photographs. However, the lighting isn’t always going to be perfect. Very nice article, Rusty. When you see the complete picture that these images provide, you’ll be glad you did. You then stack these images together in post to create a single sharp image. When your camera is in position, use Burst Mode and shoot a sequence to make sure you get at least one good shot. Strive to be unique and try different angles. As with any type of photography, there are general rules and guidelines, and tips and tricks to make the best images possible. Choose a small aperture in the range of f/11 and f/16. The best place to position your flash is usually beside the subject and off-camera. Give it a try…it’s a simple technique that could make a huge difference. This will require the lens aperture to be small, in the neighborhood of f/16 or f/22. Your lens won’t be hunting for focus anymore. But you can also find cheaper versions. Processed For Hue Visual. For instance, you can use a spotlight or a softbox to illuminate flowers. If you don’t have a cable release or wireless trigger, you can also use your camera’s self-timer mode to accomplish the same thing. There are lots of uses for this versatile and indispensable tool and it folds up to make it easy to carry with you. Sometimes you get lucky and find bugs flying around flower beds. The live view function on your camera is a very useful tool to help you compose the image and to establish critical focus. Just like you’re supposed to tuck in your elbows when you shoot in order to steady a camera, I recommend folding the Plamp’s length of links back-and-forth a few times to make it’s reach shorter. Fine Art Flower Photography: Creative Techniques and the Art of Observation Tony Sweet. I’ve found that from first light until about an hour after sunrise has the least amount of wind. So, if you are already familiar, we can adapt those principles to produce striking and evocative floral portraits as well. Once you have established the camera setting necessary for the shot, make an image and review it on the LCD. You can shoot in your room or studio and try lighting variations to create different effects. These settings are only a starting point and may need to be adjusted depending on the amount of ambient light that is present. Just like the name implies, focus stacking is the process of taking several images of the flower, with each image focused on a slightly different part of the flower, then stacking all the images together to create a single image that is mostly or completely in focus. The effect can be beautiful. I love pictures that play with sunlight. You don’t need to worry about a macro lens when you photograph flower fields. Either way, wear clothing that you won’t mind getting dirty and don’t be afraid to get down as low as you can go. Awesome stuff! zdcreativephotography.com I hope these tips are helpful and most of all, provide some inspiration. Flowers are willing subjects and lend themselves quite well to being photographed. Images of flowers can vary widely — from your typical sunny photo of a field of daffodils to an overcast shot of a single dried rose at an unexpected angle. A tripod may not always be necessary when shooting flowers, but if you shoot macro or close-up images, or try focus stacking techniques, you will need to mount the camera and lens on a very steady base. Learn how to be more creative photographing a subject everyone can get easily get their hands on, flowers. Try to incorporate elements that provide the viewer with some clue where you took the shot. Your picture will be very artistic. It folds down very small and is relatively light-weight and easy to carry with you on a hike. It can be challenging to keep the focus because you have to take photos at close range for macro shots. Good tips now completing a module for my degree on Macro love the images. Classes for all levels and types of … Paperback. Creative Boom is an online magazine looking for artwork in the following areas: Art, Crafts, Graphic Design, Illustration or Photography. An excellent backdrop is simple and should direct the viewer to the main subject. Flowers are colorful, come in various shapes and you can find them everywhere. Creative Flower Photography with Lenbaby Sol Lens. So wear appropriate clothing for flower photography. The flowers you want to shoot may be in deep shadows beneath trees or other vegetation or maybe overcast skies just aren’t giving you the contrast that you want. Hopefully these tips will provide at least a starting point to getting more creative images of flowers and inspire you to try techniques and ideas that you may not have tried before. home about me galleries contact PRINTS FOR SALE raves. . From meadows to coastal cliffs, you can find flower fields in different settings. When creating these types of shots, you will likely be near the minimum focus distance of your lens, zoomed in close, and have a very thin depth of field. This book serves to provide all the technical information and tips to help you master the use of the most popular Lensbaby lenses … This means that you will need to get up high or down low and shoot at different angles. The idea is to light only the flowers and not the background. Think of a butterfly’s point of view and shoot from a higher angle. In a pinch, these can be picked up at an office or hobby store, but they aren’t going to be the easiest to carry with you in the field and aren’t going to last very long before they get wet, ripped, or blown away by the wind. One lens I have tried in the past for flower photography is the Nikkor 50mm f/1.2 manual foc… Wireless flash trigger kits usually cost a few hundred dollars. She is very thorough, explains concepts clearly and is professional, yet kind. Details are great, but it may be a good idea to include some images that will tell more of the story. – by Anne Belmont. Wonderful tips and lovely photos of flowers — one of my favorite subjects too! The key is to try different things, or ‘work the scene’ as it is so often called. 'RealPlayer.RealPlayer(tm) ActiveX Control (32-bit)', Depending on your situation, you can use the gold side to provide warmer light or the silver side for a cooler image. I’ve utilized many of these tips, and I hope you don’t mind me sharing a link to my “flora” gallery: http://haber.phanfare.com/Gallery/4950824. A macro lens will allow you to get really close and still be able to focus on the flower. Also, take advantage of the beautiful colors in the sky just as the sun is about to rise or right after sunset. But there’s an easy way to take photos of flowers at any time of the year, no matter where you live. We Live To Create The Best Branding, Video, Web Design, & Marketing Strategy For Your Business. Great article. Lightpainting is a technique whereby a long shutter speed is used in a relatively dark setting and light is ‘painted’ on the subject while the shutter is open. Once installed, the flash will fire in sync with the camera. You can use it as a stand for a small reflector to provide fill-in light in locations with poor light. You can try a different background and learn how to compose shots. One way that you might be able to accomplish this is by using a reflector to direct more light onto the subject. The flower garden in the back yard might be a good place to start, or possibly the city park down the street. The best time to take photos is before and after sunrise in the morning or around sunset time in the evening. The shutter should remain open for a second or two as the wind is blowing the flowers. You need a blurry and simple background. In his article Best Macro Lenses: Unbiased Review of 8 Lenses, Jim reviews three dedicated macro lenses to consider, but also takes a look at some much less expensive alternatives that could provide you with great results. Anne bought her first Lensbaby … I took most of the flower photos for this article using a reversing ring made for Nikon. Clamp one end to a tripod leg or to a small tree nearby and the other end to the stem of the flower to hold it steady. I do have a “Plamp”. Flower macro photography is the subject in this Visual Art Photography Tutorial. If you want your foreground to be as sharp as your background, you need a large depth fo field. Anne bought her first Lensbaby … In this tutorial you’ll learn how to take high key flower photos using nothing but a light … This one is pretty basic, but should not be overlooked. What happens if you photograph an object, whether it is a … One effective solution is to spray sugar water onto your plants. It seems that whenever I decide to go out shooting flowers, and particularly macro or close-up shots, the wind is invariably blowing. Get started in floral photography. Take your photography from 'Oh that's nice', to 'Wow I love that!'. We hope that you will fall in love with these beautiful photos. F.M. You may decide to shoot straight down at the flower, or perhaps shoot from your knees so that you are shooting from the same height as the flowers, or maybe even lying down and shooting up at the flowers. Privacy Policy Terms of Use. Just be sure to set the timer for two seconds (instead of the default 10 seconds) or each shot will feel like an eternity to make. Use the focus ring on your lens to manually focus on the flower, then take the shot. In a previous article I wrote about my love for the Lensbaby Velvet 56mm and 85mm lenses. This is especially true of flowers, which come in so many different shapes and sizes, and with so many little details that need to be in focus to make the image more interesting. You may find that you need a little more light or that the reflector just isn’t reflecting enough light onto the flower that you are shooting. An illustrated guide to the magic of Lensbaby Lenses to capture stunning flower photos. Turn on your camera’s grid-line and place your subject where any of those lines intersect. Kathleen Clemons is a nature photographer known for her painting-like images of flowers. The subject, the background, and the light will dictate what angles will work best in a particular situation. I hope that you will find one or maybe all of these tips helpful and inspiring. As a general rule, the best light is going to be in the morning right before and shortly after sunrise and in the evening shortly before and after sunset. - Brian Schumacher. 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