Whether in your garden or a vase, flowers charm and enchant the eye with their dazzling colors and delightful shapes. Here are some tips to help make your flower pictures equally charming and enchanting.
Use a simple background Find a position that provides a plain, non-competing background. Or place a black or pleasingly colored cardboard behind the flower.
Get close If your camera has a close-up focusing mode, use it and get as close as the camera manual suggests. With a digital camera, use the display screen to compose the picture. Accessory close-up lenses are mandatory for dedicated flower photographers.
Shoot at different angles Vary the level of your viewpoint. Shoot down to create attractive pinwheel patterns of daisies; kneel to the level of other flowers, such as tulips and daffodils.
Use creative lighting Observe the lighting on your flowers. Backlighting shining through some flowers gives them an appealing glow. Cloudy-day lighting reveals subtle hues.
Control the wind Is the wind tossing the tulip about? Bring the tulip indoors and create an attractive still life that you can easily photograph. Put the tulip in a vase and place it near a window. Or use a piece of cardboard to block the wind. Choose your camera angle so the cardboard doesn't show in the picture. Or choose a colored board and position it to block the wind and to serve as the background.
Display and share your pictures To show those bold colors and details, use Kodak ultima picture paper or Kodak premium picture paper when you make prints on your inkjet printer.