How to Take Perfect Floral Photos

Floral photography isn't always easy. You need just the right lens or just the right distance, and other factors can get in the way as well. This handy guide will help you to get the most out of photographing flowers and bouquets.

Instructions

Difficulty: Moderate

Things You’ll Need:

• Digital camera with built in optical zoom and macro lens capability

1. Prepare for an outdoor photograph. Secure the stems of the flowers to keep them from blowing in the wind and ruining your shot. Special clamps can be used to accomplish this, or in the case of extreme closeup photography, the photographer's hand holding the stems in place can be useful as long as you arrange the shot cleverly to avoid the hand itself.
2. Prepare for an indoor photograph. Steady the camera, most typically with a tripod.
3. A medium distance view of a cluster of flowers Arrange the flowers to capture the light, the human eye and the array of colors to the photographer's liking. Sometimes just turning the bouquet a little bit to capture a slightly different angle is all it takes, or moving the camera itself can accomplish the same thing. Just remember that any movement on the part of the camera, the photographer or the subject will be recorded on the picture as a blur. A fast shutter speed will eliminate the need for all the painstaking care due to the fact that it will compensate for dim light or motion.
4. An interesting point of view of a goldfish pond. Find a new and unusual viewpoint. Get above the subject, or below it, or beside it to some extent, rather than just aiming dead on like the traditional snapshot. Take your time and set up your point of view before you ever aim the camera, and try to get a unique but not overly frivolous frame of your shot. This will create a lovely and very original photograph when all is said and done. Most professional photographers try to capture the main subject just slightly off-center in the frame. This is intended to add interest to the shot, but is for the most part a matter of personal preference.
5. Consider lighting. Sometimes using a flash can "wash out" your subject, making it appear lifeless and flat. If good natural lighting is present, try experimenting without a flash and see what happens. If you are using a digital camera you can always delete your mistakes and save the good stuff. The plus side of the lighting issue is that with digital photography you can easily adjust the quality of the lighting later on, with your camera software. With SLR photography you will likely take up at least one roll of "garbage" shots. Get them finished as cheaply as possible.
6. Decide how to frame your subject. The optical zoom lens is a very handy device as it can bring you up very close and personal, but watch that flash as it will "white out" the image if you happen to be too close to your subject. Take a peek through the lens and see how it frames up, then try zooming in or out just to see how it looks. If your lens is too close to the subject you may need to switch to macro mode to avoid blurring, which in most cameras is represented by a little flower icon. Just keep adjusting your lens and distance until the image shows up clear and bright in the viewfinder. Then click your picture and you're good to go.

Tips & Warnings

• Experimentation is the key here. Photographers learn as they go, and develop technique as they learn.
• Don't let a bad photo or two bother you, it happens to even the best photographers from time to time, probably more often than we think.
• If you are using a digital camera don't be stingy with the delete button. If a photo doesn't work it doesn't work. You will never get it to work.
• Always be careful with your old batteries. Dispose of them properly by throwing them away. Do not attempt to burn them as they will explode.

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