Ten Creative Flower Photography Tips

Make your botanical shots stand out from the crowd with these simple guidelines

Flowers are one of the most popular subjects for amateurs and pros alike, but it can be difficult to capture something a little bit different to make your images really stand out. That’s why sometimes you need to get a little bit creative.

1. Think about location – garden or not?

If you’re shooting somewhere that isn’t your own garden you need to be extra careful not to trample or damage any plants. Sometimes this can mean that stray leaves and twigs spoil a picture. Carry with you some garden twine which you can use to gently manoeuvre distracting elements out of the way.

2. Remove flowers from their natural surroundings

If you can take a flower somewhere it’s not supposed to be or place it on an unfamiliar background you should be able to get an unusual shot. A bunch of flowers sprouting from the kitchen sink, a daffodil in your computer keyboard – use your imagination and see what’s the oddest place you can come up with.

3. Scout out the best location

Take a good look around the entire garden or park to ensure you have the right specimen for your shots. Don’t just stop at the first one you see. If you’re trying to be creative this doesn’t necessarily mean stopping at the most attractive flower – try looking for something a bit unusual for the best results.

4. Bring the right equipment

You might not think it’s necessary for close up shots, but probably the most essential piece of kit you’ll need for flower photography is a good tripod. If you’ve got them, macro lenses and filters will certainly come in handy also.

Posted by Amy Davies on Friday, Aug 2009 at 11:04am GMT.

See more techniques:
Creative
Flowers
Macro

Comments (16)

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bluepen (not verified)

hi there a brilliant article which has given me lots of food for thought. can you tell me when the site goes live all the best mike hutchinson

#1. Posted on Friday, 11 Sep 2009 at 02:59pm GMT. Report this

Amy Davies

Hi bluepen,

Thank you for your kind comment - On September 11 the site was already live :-)

Thanks,

Amy

#2. Posted on Friday, 25 Sep 2009 at 11:38am GMT. Report this

MikeLegend

Another tip:Yellow flowers reflect a lot of light and you can easily end up with yellowish glare where you hoped for detail. Dial in a stop or 2 of negative exposure compensation. You can always brighten up darker areas again in your photo-editing software.

#3. Posted on Wednesday, 30 Sep 2009 at 09:43am GMT. Report this

walsay

this is the first comment for me is this site your words and imagination are very nice and educationally thank you

#4. Posted on Thursday, 01 Oct 2009 at 12:42pm GMT. Report this

lengteckchiang

i am not sure about european countries but in asia the only good time to snap flowers are in the early morning cause after a while the sun is too harsh.

#5. Posted on Thursday, 22 Oct 2009 at 08:17am GMT. Report this

setowibowo

Excellent tips. I really love the pic #2, that's a splendid idea.

#6. Posted on Saturday, 24 Oct 2009 at 07:30am GMT. Report this

phootbyjewell

GREAT ARTICLE THANKS FOR THE INFORMATION IT IS VERY USEFUL AND THE BEST THING IS ALWAYS HAVE FUN WHEN OUT CAPTURING MACRO SHOOTS

#7. Posted on Sunday, 01 Nov 2009 at 04:59am GMT. Report this

ekariyono

many things that I am not realized, thanks for your article.

#8. Posted on Sunday, 15 Nov 2009 at 04:38am GMT. Report this

ronbpix

this is really informative. thanks for sharing.

#9. Posted on Monday, 23 Nov 2009 at 10:57am GMT. Report this

DonWilliams

Some valuable tips; I find extension tubes an inexpensive but effective way to get good close-up shots. A visit to a flower show (i.e. Harrogate flower show http://www.flowershow.org.uk/ ) for great resource shots.

#10. Posted on Sunday, 29 Nov 2009 at 03:13pm GMT. Report this