| There's a certain skill to photographing flowers but | | | | push light back into their photographs. A proper |
| grasp the basics and you won't look back. Great | | | | reflector usually has a gold side to add a warm |
| colour, shape and texture make them captivating | | | | glow, and a white side for a more natural effect. |
| subjects. As a bonus you can use these to make | | | | If you don't want to splash out on a reflector try |
| a great personalised mug to remind you of | | | | using a piece of white card instead. Just look at |
| summer while warming your hands over a hot | | | | where the light is coming from and angle your |
| chocolate. | | | | reflector accordingly. A piece of paper can also be |
| Focal feature | | | | used overhead to diffuse harsh sunlight. |
| Before you start snapping think about what's | | | | Fake it |
| drawn you to a particular scene, or individual | | | | Faking it with editing software is easy to do and |
| flower, and made you want to photograph it. | | | | great fun. For example, with our own Picnik editing |
| Perhaps it's the rich colour, the unusual markings | | | | package you can enrich colours by boosting the |
| or shape of the petals. Whatever it is concentrate | | | | saturation, or even change the colours entirely. |
| on this striking characteristic to make sure it | | | | Play around until you get the effect you want, |
| shows in your photos. | | | | whether it's realistic looking or not - it's sure to |
| Perfect specimens | | | | look great in photo albums! |
| Finding flowers at the height of perfection isn't as | | | | Shallow depth of field |
| easy as it seems. You see a garden full of | | | | A shallow depth of field gives you a sharply |
| glorious flowers, on closer inspection though they | | | | focused flower against a blurred background. This |
| can look disappointing. That's why going to flower | | | | is a good way of keeping the viewers' eye where |
| show where everything is in peak condition is | | | | you want it, without being distracted by the |
| such a great idea for photos, not to mention the | | | | background of the photo. With a shallow depth of |
| huge amount of variety on offer. | | | | field though even the slightest movement can |
| Flower friendly features | | | | give you fuzzy looking images, so be sure to take |
| On a compact camera, use the macro or close-up | | | | plenty of shots and avoid windy weather. It's also |
| setting and a wide-angle zoom, the symbol for | | | | a good idea to use spot metering to ensure the |
| this setting on many cameras is a flower for | | | | important part of your photo is sharp. |
| good reason! A quality macro lens is the best | | | | Tricks to try |
| option for SLR users. Or a lens with a long focal | | | | Here are a few other ideas for you. Place a sheet |
| length, say around 200mm, will allow you to get a | | | | of coloured card behind your chosen bloom to |
| bit of distance between you and your subject. A | | | | give a clean background. Try a really tight crop |
| cheaper option is a close-up lens that screws onto | | | | where the flower takes up the entire shot |
| the front of your usual lens, just like a filter. You'll | | | | without any background. Get low down and use |
| need to get much closer to your subject for the | | | | the sky as the perfect backdrop. Wait for an |
| perfect photo though - they're not called close-up | | | | insect to land for added interest, or photograph |
| lenses for nothing! | | | | just after it's rained so you get lots of lovely |
| Correct exposure | | | | water droplets. If you're working in strong sunlight |
| Expose correctly for the flowers not the foliage. | | | | a polarising filter is really useful to saturate your |
| Even if there's a huge difference between the | | | | colours, and cut down on any shiny reflections in |
| two it doesn't matter that the foliage will look | | | | leaves and petals that you don't want. |
| dark, it's the blooms that count. It can even work | | | | More ideas! |
| to your advantage by emphasizing the shape of | | | | That personalised mug? With their glorious colours, |
| the flower. | | | | flowers photos are perfect for bright cheerful |
| Find a reflector | | | | home gifts to remind you of summer this |
| Professional photographers often use reflectors to | | | | Christmas. |