By Patrick Simons
One would think a photographer with over six hundred flower pictures in his catalog would actually know something about flowers. Alas, this is not the case with me. I recognize common blooms, but I'm completely lost when it comes to anything exotic. I've thought a great deal about what it is that keeps me photographing flowers. After researching this article, I concluded people are attracted to flowers for many of the same reasons birds, butterflies, and moths are. It's all about seduction.
Just as in the animal kingdom, seduction is part of reproduction. Every species, whether plant or animal, tries to perpetuate its own kind. This is the most fundamental aspect of nature. Every species has the inherent right to exist. The endless cycle of birth, seduction, reproduction, and death provide we humans with our own survival. Without flowers, there is no food.
In addition to things like apples that begin as blooms, we eat actual flowers. Although you may not realize it, cauliflower, broccoli, and artichokes are all edible flowers. Flowers have been used as medicine for as long as there have been people. Even today, some flowers, roots, and leaves have pharmaceutical applications. Flowers have long been used to create perfumes, paints, dyes, and inks.
Flowers seduce, using a variety of methods. Each flower has a specific design that encourages the transfer of pollen. Form, color, scent, mimicry, and high calorie nectar are examples. Entomophilous flowers commonly have glands called nectaries that attract insects, bats, birds or other animals to transfer pollen from one flower to the next. Anemophilous flowers spread polen via the wind. Anyone who has seen a maple tree casting 'helicopters' to the wind, has seen this happen. Cleistogamous flowers are self pollinating. Self pollination increases the chance of producing seeds, but has a limiting effect on genetic variation.
Flowers have been used as decoration for thousands of years, as gestures of love or friendship, and served as the inspiration for artists and writers. Flowers are a common theme in romantic poetry, and the visual arts abound with flower images. The impressionists took flower pictures to an entirely new level. Flowers have great symbolic meaning in many cultures, often being identified with the feminine. Western culture associates flowers with weddings, funerals, and other special occasions.
The effect of flowers on people is well documented. Flowers can impact happiness in ways that are both dramatic and immediate. Flowers have long-term positive effects on mood and tend to make people fell less depressed, anxious and agitated. The presence of flowers can trigger happy emotions and have an effect on social behavior that goes far beyond what was once believed.
The preceding paragraphs delve into the 'why' of flowers. Lets turn our attention to taking good flower photos. Although its not always true, certain aspects of a particular bloom tend to stand out. Your eye will be automatically drawn to it. This is that seduction thing at work. This is where the focal point of your photo belongs. If it's a nice calm day, and the flower isn't bobbing and weaving, I like to go with maximum depth of field. Maximum depth usually means longer exposure times, so movement must be considered.
Some blooms look better very close. In this case, you may wish to use the micro setting on your lens if you have one. If the micro setting isn't an option, use a short zoom lens. This will allow you to get in tight on an individual bloom. The 28-85mm zoom is my personal favorite, but I have tried every lens in the bag. I've even used my 500mm on a tripod. The effects will differ with every lens. Years ago, I often used a 200mm telephoto mounted on a bellows. This unusal arrangement allowed me to get in tight on a flower, while standing a few feet away. This effect can also be achieved by using an extension tube with a longer lens, and it's a great way to photograph butterfly's.
Regardless of what you're photographing, remember there are no absolute rules. Go with what works. It's almost always a good idea to avoid subjects that are strongly back lit. Some back lighting may be acceptable or even desirable. Too much back light will give a washed out look to the shot. Take shots at different distances, using different depth of field settings. Walk around the subject and look at it from all angles. I have a theory that nearly anything can make a good picture given the right perspective and lighting. This is especially true for flowers.
Strong back lighting can be overcome, by inserting a backdrop. A backdrop can be just about anything that will look good in the picture. A piece of matte black paper, or matting material, can produce dramatic results. A black background can effectively separate a particular flower from it's surroundings. A translucent white backdrop can soften and diffuse the light. Experiment with different combinations, that's how you learn.
If the subject is only slightly, and acceptably backlit, try using a flash to fill in the center. The built in flash on most SLR's is adjustable and nearly all detachable flashes can be adjusted. Add just enough light to fill in the middle. Bracketing is still a good idea. First, take a shot using the setting you think is correct.
Take at least two more shots using both more and less depth of field. I like to go up and down a full f-stop, in one half f-stop increments. If you have the option of shooting in the RAW format, I strongly encourage you to do so. With RAW, parameters are not fixed as they are with the more common JPEG format. The range of adjustment possible in RAW is far greater than with JPEG. Convert your finished result to JPEG for posterity.
The soft diffused light of a cloudy day, is a great for photographing flowers. Shadows are softer, and some colors become more vivid. After a rain, with the blooms dripping wet, is even better. Using the flash when it's cloudy can produce great results. The opposite condition is around noon on the longest days of the year. In my experience, this is the worst time for about any kind of outdoor photography. At mid-day the sun is at it's most vertical, and natural light is at its harshest. This is an especially bad problem when trying to capture subtle hues of a flower. Under exposure helps, and using an overhead screen works. In early summer or late spring, it's best to shoot just after sunrise, and just before sunset.
Watch the insects. Butterfly's and bees know exactly what they want. Let them be your guide. Let your eye be drawn where the flower wants it to go and remember the three basic rules - composition, composition and composition.
One would think a photographer with over six hundred flower pictures in his catalog would actually know something about flowers. Alas, this is not the case with me. I recognize common blooms, but I'm completely lost when it comes to anything exotic. I've thought a great deal about what it is that keeps me photographing flowers. After researching this article, I concluded people are attracted to flowers for many of the same reasons birds, butterflies, and moths are. It's all about seduction.
Just as in the animal kingdom, seduction is part of reproduction. Every species, whether plant or animal, tries to perpetuate its own kind. This is the most fundamental aspect of nature. Every species has the inherent right to exist. The endless cycle of birth, seduction, reproduction, and death provide we humans with our own survival. Without flowers, there is no food.
In addition to things like apples that begin as blooms, we eat actual flowers. Although you may not realize it, cauliflower, broccoli, and artichokes are all edible flowers. Flowers have been used as medicine for as long as there have been people. Even today, some flowers, roots, and leaves have pharmaceutical applications. Flowers have long been used to create perfumes, paints, dyes, and inks.
Flowers seduce, using a variety of methods. Each flower has a specific design that encourages the transfer of pollen. Form, color, scent, mimicry, and high calorie nectar are examples. Entomophilous flowers commonly have glands called nectaries that attract insects, bats, birds or other animals to transfer pollen from one flower to the next. Anemophilous flowers spread polen via the wind. Anyone who has seen a maple tree casting 'helicopters' to the wind, has seen this happen. Cleistogamous flowers are self pollinating. Self pollination increases the chance of producing seeds, but has a limiting effect on genetic variation.
Flowers have been used as decoration for thousands of years, as gestures of love or friendship, and served as the inspiration for artists and writers. Flowers are a common theme in romantic poetry, and the visual arts abound with flower images. The impressionists took flower pictures to an entirely new level. Flowers have great symbolic meaning in many cultures, often being identified with the feminine. Western culture associates flowers with weddings, funerals, and other special occasions.
The effect of flowers on people is well documented. Flowers can impact happiness in ways that are both dramatic and immediate. Flowers have long-term positive effects on mood and tend to make people fell less depressed, anxious and agitated. The presence of flowers can trigger happy emotions and have an effect on social behavior that goes far beyond what was once believed.
The preceding paragraphs delve into the 'why' of flowers. Lets turn our attention to taking good flower photos. Although its not always true, certain aspects of a particular bloom tend to stand out. Your eye will be automatically drawn to it. This is that seduction thing at work. This is where the focal point of your photo belongs. If it's a nice calm day, and the flower isn't bobbing and weaving, I like to go with maximum depth of field. Maximum depth usually means longer exposure times, so movement must be considered.
Some blooms look better very close. In this case, you may wish to use the micro setting on your lens if you have one. If the micro setting isn't an option, use a short zoom lens. This will allow you to get in tight on an individual bloom. The 28-85mm zoom is my personal favorite, but I have tried every lens in the bag. I've even used my 500mm on a tripod. The effects will differ with every lens. Years ago, I often used a 200mm telephoto mounted on a bellows. This unusal arrangement allowed me to get in tight on a flower, while standing a few feet away. This effect can also be achieved by using an extension tube with a longer lens, and it's a great way to photograph butterfly's.
Regardless of what you're photographing, remember there are no absolute rules. Go with what works. It's almost always a good idea to avoid subjects that are strongly back lit. Some back lighting may be acceptable or even desirable. Too much back light will give a washed out look to the shot. Take shots at different distances, using different depth of field settings. Walk around the subject and look at it from all angles. I have a theory that nearly anything can make a good picture given the right perspective and lighting. This is especially true for flowers.
Strong back lighting can be overcome, by inserting a backdrop. A backdrop can be just about anything that will look good in the picture. A piece of matte black paper, or matting material, can produce dramatic results. A black background can effectively separate a particular flower from it's surroundings. A translucent white backdrop can soften and diffuse the light. Experiment with different combinations, that's how you learn.
If the subject is only slightly, and acceptably backlit, try using a flash to fill in the center. The built in flash on most SLR's is adjustable and nearly all detachable flashes can be adjusted. Add just enough light to fill in the middle. Bracketing is still a good idea. First, take a shot using the setting you think is correct.
Take at least two more shots using both more and less depth of field. I like to go up and down a full f-stop, in one half f-stop increments. If you have the option of shooting in the RAW format, I strongly encourage you to do so. With RAW, parameters are not fixed as they are with the more common JPEG format. The range of adjustment possible in RAW is far greater than with JPEG. Convert your finished result to JPEG for posterity.
The soft diffused light of a cloudy day, is a great for photographing flowers. Shadows are softer, and some colors become more vivid. After a rain, with the blooms dripping wet, is even better. Using the flash when it's cloudy can produce great results. The opposite condition is around noon on the longest days of the year. In my experience, this is the worst time for about any kind of outdoor photography. At mid-day the sun is at it's most vertical, and natural light is at its harshest. This is an especially bad problem when trying to capture subtle hues of a flower. Under exposure helps, and using an overhead screen works. In early summer or late spring, it's best to shoot just after sunrise, and just before sunset.
Watch the insects. Butterfly's and bees know exactly what they want. Let them be your guide. Let your eye be drawn where the flower wants it to go and remember the three basic rules - composition, composition and composition.
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