Floral photography is very beautiful. It's a relaxing type of photography because it doesn't talk. You have complete creative control. And some flowers smell really nice! There is literally nothing bad to say about floral photo taking.
It's only a pleasure to photograph.
Now onto, how to take beautiful pictures of flowers. It's quite easy, you see. The first thing you need to do is to go outside. Maybe it's your backyard or you're walking in the streets of downtown. It is now your mission to find a beautiful flower. The funny irony about this is, you can find a pretty flower in the most ugliest place, or vice versa. Where ever you do find it though, just make sure your camera is ready.
Now, it's not terrible to use your smart phone to snap a picture because they've come a long way from low pixels. Smart phones are quite remarkable in its photo quality these days. Sometimes you aren't able to tell the difference between phone and DSLR's images. So yes, you can use your phone. It has colour editing software for enhancements. But for most of the time, a DSLR is the way to go.
So now that that is ready, you are now able to take your picture. I use the "no flash" setting on my camera but you can use whichever setting you are comfortable with. Sometimes I experiment with different settings because I want to familiarize myself with them. I'm guilty of having no knowledge or lack of knowledge with at least 60% of the camera settings. It's sad. I wish I knew more but whenever I try to at least learn how they work and what they mean, I just get lost and very confused. But don't worry, I'll try again and again and again, until I know.
It's important to get the framing right. Composition applies to every type of genre. It enhances the photo and gives your picture the balance it needs. There are many kinds of ways you can frame your picture. I will list the ways in which you can achieve them below:
Rule of thirds - This rule places the subject 3 thirds into the photo. Left or right. It's great if you want to include part of the background into your shot. Just make sure that the background is blurry.
Fill the frame - This rule places the subject fully into the cameras frame. Every detail is focused on the screen. It is different from a close up but that can depend on the size of the subject.
Lines - This uses "leading lines" in a photograph to draw the human eye along the lines, whether they be, curved, straight, diagonal or otherwise, through the photo.
Try these "rules" out and see how it works out for your photography. You might find that you enjoy using the rule of thirds (it's my favourite) or lines or which ever! It's important to test out different angles because that's the only way you'll know if something works or not.
The next very important part of floral photography is editing. Of course, you took a very well framed photo of your flower but your camera makes it look dull. It needs a little something extra like colour enhancements and contrast adjustments. Maybe a little sharpening up. It all depends on what you think it needs. I bought photoshop actions a long time ago and it comes in handy anytime I need quick editing done. I bought actions from a designer that created very dreamy and bright actions sets and it really does spark up a photo. These actions from Phlearn are beautiful too! If you are using a smart phone, you can probably find a photo editing section in your photos folder. I know that iPhones have a great editing software included inside.
So if you completed all of my tips then you're well on your way to a beautiful image of a flower! It really is a simple and relaxing genre of photography.
