HOW TO PHOTOGRAPH FLOWERS

PROFESSIONALLY
                                    

Article by Mina Thevenin HOW TO PHOTOGRAPH FLOWERS PROFESSIONALLY

Contributing Photographers Linda Sarmento, Nelin Reisman, Mina Thevenin, Sis Jimbo, and Cover Photographer Linda Covey 

HOW TO PHOTOGRAPH FLOWERS PROFESSIONALLY

HOW TO PHOTOGRAPH FLOWERS PROFESSIONALLY

A follow-up to Photography World’s recently published and widely read article about flowers,    Compromising Positions,

we decided to bring our readers this update: How to Photograph Flowers Professionally, the tips and how-to’s from the article’s professional photographer view point. As accomplished photographers and artists of all kinds know, practice-practice-practice!  HOW TO PHOTOGRAPH FLOWERS PROFESSIONALLY

Understanding and practicing the photography tips about how to photograph flowers professionally, takes non-descript flower photos to the next level. Flower photography is a hot ticket item across the world, so becoming proficient with even one tip bolsters the quality of the photographer’s image. And as for practicing these tips, the journey of a thousand images starts with one click. HOW TO PHOTOGRAPH FLOWERS PROFESSIONALLY

Deconstruction of the Artistic Photograph HOW TO PHOTOGRAPH FLOWERS PROFESSIONALLY

HOW TO PHOTOGRAPH FLOWERS PROFESSIONALLY 

“I often painted fragments of things because it seemed to make my statement as well as or better than the whole could. ”- Georgia O’Keeffe

Sometimes beginning with the whole and deconstructing the image piece by piece, gains insight into the whole. It certainly brings attention to the details within the image and its composition that is often, otherwise, not seen. People are busy, people rush by, unless it is a conscious effort- who takes time to see the details? The nuances of the flower and its specific beauty can be lost. HOW TO PHOTOGRAPH FLOWERS PROFESSIONALLY

• CROPPING FOR DETAIL HOW TO PHOTOGRAPH FLOWERS PROFESSIONALLY

Often an image can be improved by trimming it. With digital photography, the 21st century photographer no longer incurs the expenses of film photography, which makes experimentation of post-processing easier. So be not afraid! A saved original allows for countless opportunities to crop and re-size images at no expense. It only takes time and practice to develop cropping skills. Many budding photographers can move their photography into the next realm of class by simply experimenting and strengthening the basic crop technique.

Trimming the image allows the photographer, like the painter, to bring to life a specific detail of the flower. New York photographer and artist Nelin Reisman’s crop and detail of the lily’s pollen-covered anther and filaments brings the viewer into the macro world and its fine details. In this image (right) Reisman’s hand-held and manually focused shot finished up with post-editing software for lighting and cropping. HOW TO PHOTOGRAPH FLOWERS PROFESSIONALLY

“Seeing the diamond in the rough.” Usually I take my camera with me when I leave the house; however, this time I made a quick trip to the hardware store and did not take the camera. In the store flower boxes outside I shot several images with my cell phone. In the original image the flower composition wasn’t even completely in the frame and the lighting was poor! But what I was after was in the middle. I knew when I shot this image of the wild yellow rose that the center was the artistic action I was after. With lots of practice, the skilled photographer sees the diamond in the rough. Deconstructing the image revealed © Bees Around Candied Sugar. ~ Photographer Mina Thevenin

FLOWERS & INSECTS HOW TO PHOTOGRAPH FLOWERS PROFESSIONALLY

Photographing the flower with insect adds another layer of interest to the composition. Without staging, the photographer’s keen eye and patient observation of the flower(s) may capture the element of insect, which can provide humor, ah, or ew – but, nonetheless, it is sure to add and not detract from the image. HOW TO PHOTOGRAPH FLOWERS PROFESSIONALLY

Note: Flower photography is not solely dependent upon the live flower. Flowers that are dying or have gone to seed also make wonderful compositions, as in © Riding the Milkweed.

• POINT OF VIEW
• DEPTH OF FIELD

Capturing the flower within the flower (right), Photographer Linda Covey takes advantage of point of view perspective in her photograph of the purple-pink Bougainvillea with white flowering stigma at its center. HOW TO PHOTOGRAPH FLOWERS PROFESSIONALLY

In Photographer Sis Jimbo’s flower image (below), ©Eristalinus Megachepalus,  is the composition stronger in flower or insect? This great example of a macro point of view shot from the side, details both flower and insect- as the bee straddles its rich mound of anther, intoxicated by the pollen. It was so busy with its tasty bounty, it may not have even been aware of Jimbo snapping the image! HOW TO PHOTOGRAPH FLOWERS PROFESSIONALLY

Depth of field is the area of the image that is in focus. Most of the images in this article show good examples of depth of field. HOW TO PHOTOGRAPH FLOWERS PROFESSIONALLY

Photographer Linda Sarmento’s photograph © Morning Dew (article’s lead image of dew on tulips) illustrates point of view and depth of field. Sarmento shot this image in the early morning at ground level. HOW TO PHOTOGRAPH FLOWERS PROFESSIONALLY

• LIGHTING HOW TO PHOTOGRAPH FLOWERS PROFESSIONALLY

Linda Covey’s cover image of the rose & ant also incorporates the elements of point of view, or perspective, and of course- attention to lighting, which gives Covey’s rose photograph a dramatic statement with its forward lit orange petals in contrast to the black background. The black insect with its shadow falling on the rim of the petal was the perfect capture that adds that element of extra story. HOW TO PHOTOGRAPH FLOWERS PROFESSIONALLY

Appearing in Photography World’s previous article, Compromising Positions, we again incorporate Photographer Linda Berry. Berry says she is often drawn to images with vibrant color contrasts and in her awesome image of © Fire Hydrant & Flower, she captures nice contrasts with special attention to light and, yes, point of view.

• IMAGING SOFTWARE

There are many products in the photography market that transition us from the old film chemical darkroom to the ease of today’s digital image processing. Popular products range in price from free to $$$$; basic cell phone apps, PC and Mac desktop/laptop software imaging might already built-in to your system or available as a free trial. It is fun to experiment with and practice post-production of images! Registered companies like Microsoft’s Paint, Adobe’s Photoshop CC & Photoshop Lightroom CC, Phase One Company’s Capture One Pro 8, and ACD System’s acdseePro 8, among many other companies- offer all levels of imaging software products. Surely Ansel Adams would be thrilled at today’s technology!

As a child I began piano lessons at age four and continued seriously until I was sixteen. Although skilled at piano in my youth, my piano practicing suffered and I suffered right along with it. Why? Because although I found (and still find) piano beautiful, I had no passion for it- unlike photography for which I have passion! What a difference this makes- so much so, that I do not look at photography, and in this case the photography of flowers, as an effort in practice.
Achieving the art of how to photograph flowers is a joy within the process itself. Clicks of a thousand images (thank goodness we have digital at our fingertips) allows us to make lighting and angle adjustments, or even sometimes come back to the desired composition at another time of day. Then, sitting at our desks we can use imaging software to fine tune… until finally, yes, the printed image is produced. The flower.

Special thank you to New York Photographer & Artist Nelin Reisman for contributing her photography and art to this Photography World article.

HOW TO PHOTOGRAPH FLOWERS PROFESSIONALLY

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