Flower photography photoAC

10 Tips for Flower Photography – Beginners Guide for Awesome Shooting

This article aims to provide you with everything you need to get started with flower photography. Flowers images are also available for free download.

You don’t need to be an expert to take beautiful flower photos. What you need is the right tips, and this article aims to provide you with everything you need to get started with flower photography. Flowers are so beautiful, they come in different shapes, colors, patterns, and you can find them almost everywhere.

Unlike other aspects of photography where the subjects are usually unwilling, like in animal photography, you’ll enjoy taking photos of flowers. Taking pictures of flowers is super easy, which is why today, there are so many flower photos on different social media platforms.

Because of the beauty of flowers, people constantly take pictures. What’s more is that people take these pictures from different devices, including mobile devices. However, when you take a critical look at these pictures, you’ll realize that they are not all equal.

flower photography tips for beginners photoAC
Flower photography – photoAC

Like every other field of photography, flower photography also has guidelines and rules that every photographer must follow. The goal is for every flower photo you take to come out unique and stand out, and to make this happen, and you need the right tricks and tips to help you. Continue reading to find out the tips for flower photography.

1.      Have a Plan

Remember that flowers constitute an integral part of nature, and as such, you’ll need to know how to time yourself if you want to take great pictures. Some flowers only grow at a certain time of the year, and this means that you’ll need to know when these flowers come out.

With that in mind, as a flower photographer, you’ll need to know how to research about the flower you have in mind. In general, springtime is the time where most flowers grow. However, it varies for every flower breed.

If you want to explore flower photography, you must be ready to go to a different location to find your preferred flower. You’ll also need to ask if these flowers are for private properties or public. For people who live in big cities, finding flowers to capture can be a daunting task. If you live in a big city, you can visit botanical gardens to find flowers.

2.      Be Creative with the Composition you use

This comprises the elements you include in the photo. Depending on your preference, compositions can make your photos look chaotic, unpleasant, harmonious, or balanced. There are different rules that govern the use of compositions. These rules include the rule of thirds and the golden ratio.

Time of the day and environmental conditions are factors that also determine how you lay these compositions and elements. For example, if you’re taking photos in lightroom, overlays will come in handy for you.

flower photography tips for beginners photoAC
Flower photography tips for beginners – photoAC

3.      Change Perspective

Most photographers are usually quick to place the camera close to their eyes and take photos from a distance. Everybody views the world from their eye level, and as such, taking pictures this way only makes things boring. You need to be dynamic and creative when taking pictures. One way to achieve this is by changing the perspective you use.

You’ll need t go lower or higher and take pictures from different angles. As a flower photographer, you can only take amazing pictures when you are ready to try different things. You’ll also need to be deliberate with everything. The key things that determine how a picture will come out include the background, the subject, light, and the angle the picture is taken from.

Flowers are a beautiful gift of nature, and if you want to take amazing pictures, then you should be ready to get dirty. We advise people to wear clothes that will allow them easily go on the ground to take pictures from different angles.

4.      Choose the Right Lens

When it comes to flower photographer, macro lenses are your best option because they can easily focus within close distance and also make small objects come out bigger. With zoom lenses, you may not have anything beyond f/2.8 which is not as good as you’d want it. This is particularly for small flowers and cases where you want smaller insects like a ladybug to feature in the picture.

However, if you have enough money to spend, then you can opt for a DSLR camera that features a macro lens. These types of cameras are designed to make flower photography a lot easier. What’s certain is that you’ll marvel at the quality of pictures you’ll get when you use this type of camera. Also, by virtue of their design, you can be sure that they will capture even the slightest detail in a picture.

DSLR cameras with lenses are expensive, and if you’re on a budget, you might as well make do with macro lenses. Other options include extension tubes reversing rings, and bellows, all of which are available at lower prices.

5.      Know How to Focus Subject on Flower Photography

Since most of the pictures you’ll take are from close range, you’ll need to understand how to focus. Somethings, this can be challenging, especially when taking macro shots, but with the right lens, you can easily change the field depth and improve your focus. Another way to get the right focus is by controlling the f-number. In general, a smaller aperture will give a better result. Choosing a smaller aperture will also increase the field depth while allowing the background to remain blurred.

Selecting a wider aperture on the other hand will only make it difficult for you to focus on the flower. It will make the focus area a lot smaller, and you will not be able to capture the complete flower. In addition to understanding how to focus, you also need to know the right way to isolate the subject.

As a flower photographer, one thing you should always have at the back of your mind is that the images you capture should always accentuate the natural beauty of the flower. With that said, you need to know how to focus the flower to ensure that it’s the focus of the image and avoid other distracting objects. It is worth mentioning that these distractions can alter the pattern and color of the image, thereby making it unpleasant to viewers.

6.      Keep it Steady

The easiest way to keep it steady is by using a tripod, and it is a useful tool to get, especially if you’re using focus stacking techniques or taking close-up images. These require the use of a steady base, and the tripod is your best option. Since you’re taking these shots from close range, the need to keep it steady cannot be overemphasized. Using your hand will produce good results only when you’re steady.

One benefit of using a tripod is to let you take your time, especially when setting the camera and taking pictures. In addition to this, you can use a wireless trigger or a cable shutter release so that you won’t need to touch the camera at all. In the absence of these two tools, you can use the camera timer mode.

The bottom line is to ensure that the camera is steady when taking a picture. Remember that a slight movement can shake the camera and alter the quality of the picture you get. Therefore, the importance of stability cannot be overemphasized.

Flower photography tips for beginners - photoAC
Flower photography tips for beginners – photoAC

7.      Brighten your Flower Photography by Using Fill Flash

If you have taken pictures at a different time of the day, you’ll notice that they come out differently. This is because the effect of light is not the same across different hours of the day. In general, the best time to take flower pictures is before sunrise, after sunrise, or at sunset. Morning and evening are generally the best time for you to take flower photos because the time is perfect at this time of the day.

However, it’s not always easy to get good lighting, especially for photographers that work outdoors. If the flower is in a dim environment where you cannot rely on nature for light supply, your best option will be to utilize an external flashlight.

When choosing an appropriate flash, you need to note that not every flash is a great option for flower photography. For example, the pop-up camera flash is not good for macro photography, and as such, you should avoid them. This is because getting a good angle with this flash is almost impossible. When using a flash, always place it beside the subject if you want to get a good result. You can also make use of a diffuser to reduce the intensity of the light.  

To make things a lot easier for you, you can use a flash that can be triggered with a remote. Remember that the flash will not be on your camera or within reach. Therefore, a wireless flash trigger is a handy tool to use.

8.      Make the Picture Appear Lively with Water Droplets, Bugs, or Butterflies

These are elements that you can include in the pictures you take to make them appear more natural. It’s not always easy to get insects to interact with flowers, but when you get this, the picture will undoubtedly come out great. You might be lucky to get bugs or other insects flying around the flower, and in some cases, you may not find any insect around the flower.

One way to get insects around the flower is by using baits or attractants. You can spray a solution of sugar around the flower to attract the insects. Smashed fruits can also serve as an attractant for these insects. Even though these methods are effective, you need to be careful not to attract mosquitos.

Taking pictures with insects requires that you apply extra caution. Any funny movement from your end will scare the insect away. The camera burst mode is also a great way to get a good shot. For people who don’t want to go through the stress of looking for insects, water droplets are a great option. You can take flower pictures after a rainfall, or you can spring the water yourself.

Water droplets come out great on leaves and flower petals and will also add to the details of the pictures you take. Good lighting and a good camera angle will give you the sparkle you need.

flower with water drops photoAC
Flower photography – photoAC

9.      Indoor Flower Photography

Most flower photographers only take pictures outdoor. However, taking these pictures indoors also gives amazing results. Taking pictures indoors eliminates so many external variables and barriers. It also gives you complete control over a lot of things. You can decide the type of background you want, and also the light mode to use.

Another reason why you should consider indoor flower photography is that it makes it a lot easier for you to experiment and try different things. All you need to do is buy enough flowers from the supermarket and place them in a flower vase. You can place it anywhere, depending on your preference.

10. Be Creative

The last tip on our list is being creative when taking flower pictures. The goal is for the final picture to be a piece of perfection. Therefore, you need to be creative with everything you do. Photography gives you the freedom to try anything you feel will make the image look great. With that in mind, you don’t need to always do what every other photographer does. Create your own style and take beautiful pictures.

Conclusion

Before now, you probably thought taking flowers pictures was difficult, but with these tips, it becomes easy. Flowers are static objects, and as such, you can also take many pictures until you’re satisfied. With these tips that we have provided above, you can start taking pictures like a professional.

You can also visit photoAC to view flower pictures that have been taken by the best flower photographers. Pay attention to how they take their pictures, the camera angles they use, the background, and the lighting of each picture. You can also download the pictures on photoAC for free and use them for branding or other purposes.

Download woman and flower images.