The best photos of flowers

You don't need to convince anyone about the importance of creativity in photography. However, many people still seem to think that the camera takes the picture and the photographer is only meant to press the shutter button. But this is a myth. Let's see how unique can pictures of flowers be!

You shouldn't have a problem finding wildflowers near your home, so you can pick the moment that suits you and take pictures of them, for example, in spring - when the weather conditions are perfect and when the plants look their best. From wide-angle shots to stunningly colorful abstract close-ups, there are many ways to depict flowers.

Flowers are always a very gratifying subject for photography. They are beautiful on their own, so it doesn't take a lot of effort to create a beautiful picture. However, we have some tips on how to improve your original photography skills.

What equipment do you need to take a photo of flowers?

There are no rules about using any concrete list of tools for making such images, but here are just some of those often used:

• In photographing flowers, shooting with macro lenses works best, but if we shoot for fun and aren't doing it professionally, any camera we have will do.

• If you want to dive into the world of macro photography, you will need to buy a dedicated lens that reproduces objects at their actual size (1:1).

• You can also use screw-on magnifying lenses - filters - on the front of the lens.

• Another way to take close-ups is to use spacer rings that are placed between the camera and lens to shorten the minimum focusing distance.

• Use lenses with a focal length of 50mm or more. Telephoto lenses work well.

• Light up flowers from below or the side with the sun or flash. This will increase the transparency of the petals.

• Sunlight is the most important assistant of the artist, who is passionate about photographing the flora. Study it, and your pictures will always be distinguished by originality, quality, and style.

Remember that if you shoot without backlighting against the sun, then you risk only getting a silhouette, so use the frontal flower illumination with a flash or reflector.

What recommendations do we have?

One of the nicest things about the warm season is the natural light and green surroundings. Even cityscapes can offer many natural wonders: almost every green spot on the city map sprouts small and large flowers and showcases their colorful splendor.

Flowers are a true masterpiece of nature. The more you know about natural light photography, the more effectively you can capture the shapes of flowers. Here are some tips on how to make a good image of flowers well below. Use them to make blooming content.

Define the idea and composition

An idea can be either thought out previously or suddenly appeared at the sight of something interesting and unusual. In other words, this is what gives the photographer emotions and desire to share it with others and display it in the picture. After all, photography is filled with feelings and emotions that are frozen in a picture but ready to appear again and again when looking at it. Composing the shot, think about how you can emphasize the flower’s beauty, its uniqueness, and how this photo will evoke the same emotions in the viewer.

Choose the right perspective

You will get the best image by shooting from the ground. The tilt screen on the camera can make things easier for you, but precise focusing in this way is often almost a miracle. Of course, this is not a rule that cannot be broken - flowers photographed from above can also look great.

Take a broader look

By focusing on one tiny flower, you may miss many interesting things around. First, look around, don't attack the first flower you meet. Choose the right place, take care of the background, get rid of unwanted elements from the frame. There is slight chaos in the natural environment. It is a good idea to tidy it up a bit and tilt the unwanted blades of grass aside or tidy up the twigs so you can get a good flower picture.

Be creative

There is an endless list of advice for this type of photography. But the best we can give is: get out of the house and take pictures. Experiment. Take pictures against the sun, in the shade, carding wide or narrow - as you like. Take advantage of the opportunities that your camera gives you, whatever it is. Get to know its functions and have fun with them. Making flower images using double exposure is also fun - it stimulates creativity!

Find your special flower shooting style

If you look at the pictures of flowers, you can see a great variety of photographic styles. In the past, photographers had a fairly conservative and very documentary approach to depicting flowers and took encyclopedic photos of them highlighting their main features. This is a good starting point, but you can get more interesting results by changing the lens and perspective. Weird and unusual shapes, patterns, and forms as well as their contrasting colors and textures are perfect for composing abstract paintings.

Shoot against the light

Take photos with backlighting to emphasize the texture and shape of the plants. If you capture a shaded area in the background, you get a geometric image in the foreground.

Try to take photos at different times of the day

Photographers advise taking pictures during sunset or sunrise, saying that the light is better then. However, photographing flowers is not demanding, so you can also do it in the middle of the day and experiment with shadows.

Precision matters

A good shot plays a very important role in macro photography. Choose the most beautiful flower as your subject and make sure that the autofocus does not slide on the leaf lying on the flower or behind the flower. Act by the rule: if you cannot change the direction of shooting, change its timing. In case of unfavorable conditions, instead of strenuously taking more pictures and counting on correcting shortcomings in the graphics program, it is better to postpone the shooting for a later time - for several hours or even for another day.

Bring props

Use a spray to add water drops. If you want a sleepy look from distorted lighting, make a plastic wrap diffuser around the lens. You can create a lens flare effect by holding the petals of a flower that have fallen near its edge. Refract the light shining onto the flower using a prism lens or a fractal filter.

Better not to use too little exposure

It is always better to make the mistake of setting too little exposure. Whether you're taking photos on your phone or using a DSLR, you can always brighten the photo during post-processing, as the data you need will still be there. But in the case of too much exposure, the data will be destroyed in the overexposed areas. Minimize your exposure on your phone, or narrow the aperture by setting a higher maximum aperture value. A faster shutter speed can also help.

Try using the flash to increase clarity and depth of field

Especially on days when the light is a bit dull and flat, use the flash ring to give the image real clarity. The reason for using it is that if you used a regular flash, the light would be off-axis (either from the side or from above) and would result in uneven lighting and very noticeable harsh shadows. When working with close-up objects, there is even a risk of the lens shadow falling onto the flower. Therefore, investing in a ring flash is very useful, because all the light of the flash is spreading over the subject evenly and in a forward-facing manner. This gives the subject great clarity and means that it is not disturbed by intrusive shadows.

In spring, when nature comes to life, there are many interesting sites to photograph. One of them is flowers. Their added benefit is affordability. They grow at almost every step. Therefore, it is worth focusing on flowers at this time of year, even if you are not interested in this type of photography every day. This is a great training option and an opportunity to practice macro photography. There are also many examples of creative pictures of flowers on our website, which can be used by you to get inspired! Now you know how to photograph flowers correctly. Just find them, and please your loved ones with the results of your work!