How to Find Flowers to Photograph

I'm an avid photographer and love to take close-ups of flowers. Macro photography really shows the delicate lines of a flower. If you're hooked on flower photography, here are ways to find more subjects to capture with your camera.

Difficulty: Moderately Easy

Instructions

1. 

   Probably you've already exhausted the landscaping in your back yard as subjects for your pictures. Take a walk around the neighborhood with camera in hand. Don't enter anyone's yard, but no one will mind if you take a picture of a plant right by the sidewalk.

2. 
   They have great flowers at Valentine's Day

   Stop by the local Wal-Mart. I find lovely bunches of flowers in the refrigerated case. Move in close and take your macro shots. Usually no one pays any attention to what you're doing. Only once have I had an employee tell me that Wal-Mart has a "no photography" rule.

3. 

   Go out to Wal-Mart's garden center (or Home Depot or Lowe's) and look for interesting flowers there. A local nursery would have a good variety as well.

4. 
   Florida wildflower

   Find the nearest wild area to where you live. Maybe it's just a field where the developer hasn't started building yet. Wander around in the scrubby growth. Look close to the ground for tiny groundcovers and what might seem like insignificant blossoms. Even a dandelion or a clover flower takes on interest when it's captured in close-up.

5. 
   Don't limit yourself just to close-ups

   Take a special excursion to the nearest arboretum. Visit it in the spring to catch the tulips, azaleas and other colorful spring flowers. Return at intervals during the growing season to capture whatever new blooms it has.

6. 

   Carry the camera with you on shopping trips (look for planters in shopping malls, table arrangements in restaurants). Have it on hand when you go to a theme park or are traveling (flowers in the rest area). You never know when you'll see a stunning flower that you want to add to your photo album.

7. 

   Go to a flower show, a garden show or an orchid show.

[joanhaines]

on 4/4/2009 I also enjoy photographing flowers and have written about it. Thank you for the great ideas on where to find flower photography subjects! I had not thought of some of them.

[mosscampion]

on 2/25/2009 Excellent tips for creative flower photography!

[sunshine11219]

on 11/17/2008 great tips

[Gardengates]

on 11/17/2008 I particularly love going out to hunt wildflowers with the camera -- especially in the spring. It can feel like a journey into another world. I have a whole page of wildflower photos I shot for my web site. The hard part was identifying them all!

[lynnhsmomof2]

on 11/16/2008 Sounds like a nice hobby. I have taken a few flower shots before. I'll have to try some of your tips. 5*