Subject Focus: Flowers

'Daisies'..1/4000..f/2.8..200mm..iso100..0.00exp

Flowers are a favorite subject for many photographers. They can be found virtually everywhere, and are generally vibrant, colorful, and full of life. You need not only photograph healthy, perfect, colorful flowers. Sometimes broken, injured, or dying flowers can make the most interesting portrayals.

'Beauty'..1/4000..f/2.8..200mm..iso100..0.00exp

There are three main obstacles when trying to get the perfect flower shots, lighting, wind, and angle. Lighting is the easiest hurdle to get over. Clear bright sunshine can make for some very well lit shots, though often during mid-day shooting, it can be too harsh and cause your photos to wash out. This can be overcome by shooting during the 'golden hours' or by seeking out a shadier spot or a different angle.

'Old Roses'..1/1600..f/5.6..300mm..iso400..0.00exp

Overcoming the complications of wind can be more complicated. Movement can quickly ruin an otherwise beautiful shot. Try to take your shots when the wind is calm to limit movement of the flowers, particularly in low light situations. One useful tip I use to battle this obstacle (and that of lighting) is to take your flower pictures indoors, in a controlled setting. Go to the florist, and pick out the flowers you would like to photograph. Bring them home, set up your lighting, and get some perfect shots.

'Gerbera'..1/10..f/4.0..105mm..iso100..0.00exp

Angle can be the fun obstacle. Resist the urge to shoot your flowers while standing above them and looking down. This is how the world generally sees flowers, and tends to not make very interesting shots. Get down to the flower's height, and shoot it straight on, or see if you can get below it and shoot up. This is a much more interesting approach, as most people do not get to see flowers form this angle very often. Also, another tip, think about the whole flower. Though the flowers is face is typically the most beautiful part of the flower, sometimes you can some really interesting shots by shooting them from behind, or from the side. Use your imagination, remember, if you find it interesting, odds are others will as well.

'Gerbera-Back'..1/4..f/4.0..105mm..iso100..0.00exp

When shooting your close ups of your flowers, use a lower aperture, I generally keep it set between f/2.6 and f/4.o for my close up flower shots. This keeps the flower in sharp and in focus, and gives everything that nice blur. It really helps the flower pop out at the viewer. Another good tip is to remember the 'rule of thirds'. Get imaginative, and see how versatile flowers can be as your subject.

'Hibiscus'..1/500..f/8.0..300mm..iso400..0.00exp

All flower shots were taken with the flash off.

The two gerbera daisy shots were done indoors, supported by tripod. All others were shot handheld.

All images have had their size reduced for web posting.