Floral photography is one of the most popular forms of photography. And no wonder, with more than 3,500 species of flora native to Canada, not to mention hundreds of other species that are imported and cultivated here, you have a vast array of subjects to choose from. There are several approaches you can take to photographing flowers. You may want to:
- Photograph flowers growing in the wild
- Photograph flowers that are cultivated in gardens and greenhouses
- Photograph cut flowers and arrangements indoors.
Each of these types of photography has a unique set of challenges. In this tutorial, we'll focus mostly on flowers growing in the wild, and in gardens and greenhouses.
Your digital camera's macro mode lets you get very close to a subject for stunning close-ups, which is especially important when photographing flowers. It's no wonder that, on most digital cameras, macro mode is represented by a tulip-shaped icon.
What is macro photography?
The most common way of photographing flowers out of doors is close-up or macro photography. In the past, macro photography meant using SLR cameras and buying special lenses that cost anywhere from hundreds to thousands of dollars. But digital cameras changed that. As a matter of fact, most point-and-shoot digital cameras come with a built-in macro feature that makes them extremely attractive, even to professional photographers.
Your digital camera's macro mode lets you get very close to a subject for stunning close-ups, which is especially important when photographing flowers. It's no wonder that, on most digital cameras, macro mode is represented by a tulip-shaped icon.
Macro mode lets you get extremely close to your subject, usually in the range of 10-20 cm or less. Some cameras let you get even closer, as close as 1-4 cm. Consult your camera's manual to determine its macro range.
The ability to get so close to an object has its advantages, but it also has its limitations.
One of these limitations is very narrow depth of field. Depth of field is the distance in front of and behind your subject in which objects remain in focus. In macro mode, this distance is very short. As a result, a lot of the picture is blurred, but you can use this limitation to focus all the attention on the subject to create spectacular photographs.
The other limitation, increased exposure time, is more of a problem, but it is not insurmountable. Exposure time is how long your camera's shutter has to stay open in order to take the photograph. Because your camera's aperture is so small in macro mode, your camera needs more time to take a picture, and therefore it can't "freeze" motion as well as it would at lower exposure times. If a breeze disturbs the flower you are photographing or your hand is unsteady, you will get a blurry picture.
Floral Photography Continued: [1] [2] [3]
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Inside Floral Photography:
This floral photography tutorial teaches you the basics of macro photography by focusing on how to take great pictures of flowers. You'll learn how to set your camera's macro mode, how to take pictures out of doors, in gardens, in greenhouses and in your own home. You'll also learn how to avoid the pitfalls of flower photography in nature and how to get more information about where and when flowers bloom throughout the year.
To make the most of your close-up pictures, Black's recommends:
Compact Cameras
A built-in macro or super-macro mode. The closer you can get, the better.
Digital SLRs
A macro lens to give your photographs a one-to-one size ratio.
Accessories
A tripod to keep your camera steady while you set up and capture your close shot.
Processing
Use your flower photography to create
Other Photo Tutorials:
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