Tips & Tricks
Flower Photography Tips For Your Bouquet
If you’ve been treated to a beautiful bunch of blooms this Mother’s Day (or you’ve treated yourself!) why not take some time to grab your camera? Flowers are gorgeous, but they don’t last very long. With a few lovely photographs you can preserve that pretty posy forever. Flower images are a lovely way to add a touch of colour and romance to photo books… and perfect for making your friends jealous on social media! Our flower photography tips are here to help you capture your bouquet at its best, so you’ll be able to enjoy that beautiful bouquet for years to come.
Stay Fresh As A Daisy
Preparation is key, so take some time to get your flowers primped and pretty before you pick up the camera. Flowers can become droopy very quickly, so pop them in some water and leave their stems to soak before removing them for photography. Similarly, keeping your flowers in water between shots will help keep them looking fresh and peppy, especially if you’d like to separate out and photograph individual blooms. It’s also worth giving your bouquet a quick spruce; take a careful look at your flowers, and remove any that are slightly wilting, bent or have broken stems. If they’re being a little unruly, you can use clothes pegs, florist wire and even masking tape to gently position leaves and petals.
Zoom In To The Bloom
Flowers are the ideal candidate for close-up photography, giving you the opportunity to capture intricate details. Grab your macro lens, set the focus to manual and get in nice and close to capture images that really highlight all of the natural textures and hues of your subject. These zoomed in shots of flower heads make gorgeous wall art, too. It’s best to use a tripod for these types of shots, as even a little camera shake can blur your sharp point of focus. Better yet, use a remote or the camera’s self-timer to avoid shake when the shutter is released.
Soften The Glow
Natural light is usually the best light, but on clear, sunny days the sunlight you get might be too bright and harsh. This can result in images with unattractive blown-out highlights and loss of detail in the shadowy areas. If the light from your window is too strong, lace or voile curtains will diffuse it beautifully. This results in a much softer light, that compliments the delicacy of the flowers.
Play With De-Light
Another way to experiment with your light is to make the most of the petal’s translucency. Position your flowers directly in front of your window, and back-light the petals. The result is a very pretty, glowing effect that really brings out the colours in your blooms. This is a great technique to try later in the day, when the sun is closer to the horizon.
Dew Yourself Proud
Add some life and points of interest to your pictures by gently misting your flowers with a spray bottle of water. A light misting will give your flowers a fresh, natural look reminiscent of dew. Alternatively, if you’re feeling really creative, create droplets to draw the eye and highlight key elements in your picture. It’s an inexpensive way to add visual interest and really bring out the texture in the petals.
