How to Take Pictures of Flower Gardens

Whether you're in it for fun or for profit, photographing flower gardens can be a very pleasurable experience. Depending on what type of pictures you're thinking of taking, you will need to use different equipment and photographic methods. You will probably experience the best results with a digital camera.

Instructions

Difficulty: Moderate

1. Your flower garden pictures will look better if taken in bright sunlight. Walk around the flower garden looking for photo opportunities. Check the lighting on that flowers that you would like to photograph. Are they in full sunlight or in shadow? Is the day bright or cloudy?
2. Determine what type of shot you wish to take. Taking a long shot, for example, requires different methods than taking a medium shot or a close-up of the flower or flowers in question.
3. Set up the camera on a tripod if you are concerned about camera shake. This is especially important on cloudy days and in shaded areas. However, certain shots can only be taken with a hand-held camera.
4. An example of a framed photograph. Set up the shot so that it has dynamic composition. Select your subject, the center of interest for the shot. This can be anything, and will not necessarily be a flower. Use the rule of thirds as a basic guideline for setting up your picture. With the rule of thirds, you divide the screen into thirds both vertically and horizontally. Then you set your subject at the one of the intersections of those divisions. Work to get diagonal lines into your composition, rather than horizontal or vertical lines. You can also use other objects within the scene to frame your subject.
5. Try to keep any busy or unnecessary elements out of your picture. For example, don't take pictures of a flower garden from the parking lot, and wait for passersby to move on before shooting. Pay close attention to your background, and how it interacts with your subject. For example, if your subject is a lovely field of flowers, you won't want to have an ugly concrete building looming in the background. Change your position so that the building is out of the shot.
6. An example of a well balanced shot. Check your shot to make sure it's properly balanced. Are all the elements of the picture juxtaposed in such a way as to complement one another, or does something seem out of place? Change the camera angle until the photographic elements create a more pleasing impression.
7. A close-up of a flower taken in macro mode. Begin taking your pictures. For extreme close-ups, taken within a few inches of the flower, you will need a digital camera with a macro mode. Set the camera on macro, then holding the camera in your hand, approach the flower and watch the LCD screen. Do not look in the view finder, as this will give you an inaccurate view of the shot. Focus on the flower, take a deep breath and hold it. Click the shutter button. Take as many shots as possible to ensure that one will be what you want.
8. Never think of a picture as "bad." Instead, only think of how you could improve that picture to make it better.If you see a great picture which seems to violate these guidelines, go ahead and take it. Experimentation is one of the best ways to learn photography. Never let rules get in your way.Watch out for objects in the background which seem to be growing out of your subject.

Tips & Warnings

• Never think of a picture as "bad." Instead, only think of how you could improve that picture.
• Experimentation is one of the best ways to learn photography. Never let rules or guidelines get in your way.
• Watch out for objects in the background which seem to be growing out of your subject.
• Many photographic corrections can be made in your favorite image processing software.

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