HELP with Photographing Flowers

[believer]

I will have the opportunity in a few weeks to take photos of tulips and maybe a few other flowers. I would love to be able to use the water color effect on some of my shots like Jerrilyn and some of the others.

My equipment - Canon EOS 30D - Tamron 18-200mm lens - Canon speedlite 580EX flash - tripod -monopod - just bought a small reflector sets with 5 colors (have not used yet)

When is the best time to take the pictures?

PLEASE give me instructions and tips.

Thank you ahead of time for all the help,

Montine

[NMarti]

I can't offer expert tips but you want to try to avoid the flash. It could wash out your colors and over-expose areas of tulips. I believe early morning or late day - just before sunset is the optimal time for getting the softest, most natural light. If there is not adequate light, you can also use a white jacket or shirt or piece of paper to reflect a little light onto the flowers.

There are plenty of experts here who will be along throughout the day to offer tips.

[Sonita]

Also, use a large aperture (small number) for a shallow depth of field. This will keet the eyes just on the flower and not the background.

[Lesa]

Nancy's right on the times: about 30 minutes on either side of sunrise and sunset are consider the "Golden/Magic/Exalted/Add Other Adjective Here" hour :)

You might also try getting super close to the flowers and experiment with macro photography (some great sensual shapes are to be had with flowers). Also, get down on the flower's level (or below) if you can. Some interesting perspectives await! Have fun :)

[lexcell]

As Nancy and Lesa mention, right around sunrise and sunset are the "golden" hours. Once the sun moves higher in the sky, the light gets harder and not as flattering for flowers. but, don;t put your camera away, pull out your diffusser and use it to diffuse the sunlight...you will be amazed at how nicely it works.

Another option is to use the reflectors to bounce light back into the shadows...depending on the color reflector you use, you may introduce a color cast to the image so I'd stick with a fairly neutral reflector.

Ideally, a high overcast sky will give you the best results. The sky will act like a giant reflector softening the shadows and making for some lovely "flower" light.

Play with both wide and small apertures for different effects.
When shooting closeups, your depth of field is quite shallow even closed all the way down so you will want to play with a variety of apertures to see which one gives you the amount or lack of depth of field. Wide open apertures will give a very selective focus look and smaller apertures will increase your depth of field.

Before you go, check your lenses minimum focus and see just how much area you are able to get in your frame. If you would like to get even closer, you can add a Canon 500D Closeup lens to the front of your lens and achieve a macro effect which is fun with flowers.

[Chuck S.]

Laurie's guidance on depth of field is important. If you really do want the flower to be in focus from front to back, you need that stopped-down aperture (high f-stop). However, when you do that, the required shutter speed becomes very slow, and you may need a tripod to avoid camera shake. Even then, if it's an outdoor photo, the movement of the flower in the breeze can also result in a blurry image at slow shutter speeds. Lots of tradeoffs....

One 'cheat' that sometimes works if you're not trying to make big prints: back off from the flower to achieve more depth of field and crop the resulting image. Works better if you have a lot of megapixels to work with....

[lexcell]

And, if you want depth of field that would normally be physically impossible...try out Helicon Focus. It's a cool program that allows you to take several images at varying focus points and it combines them to increase depth of field as much as you want/need.
http://www.heliconsoft.com/heliconfocus.html

[Not4wood]

On top of all of the great advice, you still dont want to write off your flash. I am not talking about your built in flash either. If you have an external flash you can bounce it off of any of the reflectors you had mentioned to use as a fill light. Just keep the power levels down on the flash and it wont effect your overall exposure, just to fill-in the shadows and help keep the details alive.

Flash isnt a dirty word, its a major tool in our toolbox and as long as you keep an open mind you can be very creative using it for almost any and all situations. Just try not to use it as a direct light, its way too harsh.

for more information:

Build a Better Bounce Card
http://www.abetterbouncecard.com/

Strobist
http://strobist.blogspot.com/2006/02/welcome-to-strobist.html

My Examples of using the bounce card:

http://photocamel.com/gallery/data/1312/medium/DSC_0576.jpg

http://photocamel.com/gallery/data/1312/medium/DSC_0583.jpg

http://photocamel.com/gallery/data/1312/medium/DSC_0566.jpg

and here I was draggin the shutter. Be nice, this is my live in model LOL.

http://photocamel.com/gallery/data/1312/medium/DSC_0695.jpg

[Bob_Benner]

Also try shooting flowers at angles and levels that they are not normally viewed at. Everyone has looked at flowers from above and maybe eye level but you can get some interesting shots by lowering you camera below the flower and shooting up at it.

[Chuck S.]

Building on Bob's excellent point, photographs taken from the side and the back, instead of 'face-on' can add a great deal of interest. Backlighting can also provide some striking semi-transparent effects.

And then there are the black backgrounds such as Ron uses...love 'em!

[billd2]

You have received some great advice. A few more thoughts. I would recommend a tripod and remote shutter release, and if possible a macro lens. Close-up photography magnifies any movement of subject or camera. The aperture setting should be high but not so much to blur parts of the flower. Sometimes a black cloth placed behind the subject will help in composition. Also if possible use the RAW setting. Adjustments in RAW provide a greater means of improving the final photo result. Also, as mentioned previously use different angles, up, down, sideways, etc. Also, have fun.

[Codebreaker]

Water droplets can often add interest to a flower. You can always give them a gentle spray with a 'mister'.

Can you guess if this was for real or added later? Click on image for larger view.


http://www.pixentral.com/hosted/1lPLuDmdhVNKLCq4vG5NZmXX1aTB_thumb.jpg (http://www.pixentral.com/show.php?picture=1lPLuDmdhVNKLCq4vG5NZmXX1aTB)

Colin

[believer]

WOW! Everyone is so nice and helpful. I can not thank you enough. I plan on going April 9 and 10 and wish I had some of the equipment mentioned, but I will do the best I can with what I have. (mentioned in my first post) I am really looking forward to my outing and hopefully will have a few for everyone to view.

I will keep checking back to see if I get more great advice before my outing.

Montine

[Chuck S.]

Montine, you'll do fine with that Tamron lens. It has a close focusing distance of less than 18 inches, so you should be able to get some very nice flower shots with it. Enjoy your photo shoot!

[billd2]

I just received this article from Ritz Camera and thought you might enjoy reading it. I will have to post in three parts due to it's length.



This article was written by the New York Institute of Photography, America’s oldest and largest photography school. NYI provides professional-level training via home study for photographers who want to give their images a professional look, and perhaps earn extra income with their camera.
HOW TO PHOTOGRAPH FLOWERS - PART 1
Every year, the April showers do their job and in all parts of the Northern Hemisphere, flowers abound in May. Far to the North, spring may just be getting started, but wherever you are you'll find lots of flowers just waiting to have their picture taken. Read this article and then get going. Flowers are great subjects but they won't wait indefinitely!
http://a1672.g.akamai.net/7/1672/116/20080301/www.ritzcamera.com/etc/articles/images/flowera0304.jpg
When you photograph flowers, you have to make a couple of important decisions.

As with any photograph, your first decision is to decide: What's my subject? Is it a bouquet of flowers, or the macro view of a stamen? A single flower closeup? A bed of hundreds of flowers? A field of thousands?

From this decision will flow many specifics of the picture you want to take and how to go about it.
http://a1672.g.akamai.net/7/1672/116/20080301/www.ritzcamera.com/etc/articles/images/flowerb0304.jpg
Let's start with the macro photo — that is, with extreme closeups. Of course, you can only take this type of picture if your lens has a macro mode. This rules out most film point-and-shoot cameras that can't focus closer than two or three feet. With a macro, you're focusing from a few inches!

Notice that we stressed the word "film" in the last sentence. By contrast, many of today’s digital point-and-shoot models can focus very close to the camera’s lens. We have a 5-megapixel camera that can capture subjects as close as one inch from the lens! That’s a great macro capability and one of the most exciting aspects of today’s digital models.

When we talk about what you see in your camera’s viewfinder, bear in mind that we’re thinking of the viewfinder in a single lens reflex (SLR) camera, where you see the image as the film or chip will see it – through the lens that takes the picture. The viewfinders on point-and-shoot cameras don’t work very well when you’re extremely close to your subject. That means with a digital point-and-shoot, you should use the camera’s LCD viewing panel to make certain the lens is pointed at your intended subject.

When you take a macro photo, focus is all-important. Your plane of focus is very shallow — just a fraction of an inch. So you have to make another decision: Exactly what part of the flower do you want to be in sharp focus? The pistil? The stamen? A petal? (We've run out of high-school biology terminology, but you get the idea.) Unless you're a botanist, you will probably make this decision "on the fly" — that is, as you look through the viewfinder. When you see the image that you want, press the shutter!
http://a1672.g.akamai.net/7/1672/116/20080301/www.ritzcamera.com/etc/articles/images/flowerc0304.jpg
While it is possible to take a good close-up photo handheld, our advice is to use a tripod if at all possible. Particularly if the flower is swaying in the wind, changing the focal point every moment, you're better off not adding the additional confusion of a swaying camera too. Use a tripod and be patient. Most often, the wind will die down from time to time and the flower will stand still and "pose" for an instant. That's the instant to shoot!
http://a1672.g.akamai.net/7/1672/116/20080301/www.ritzcamera.com/etc/articles/images/flowerd0304.jpg

While on the subject of wind, here are some other tips: If the wind is blowing hard and steady, the flower will probably sway incessantly and fast, so that you will be hard-pressed to get the shot. Consider waiting for another time — perhaps, the next day — when the wind has died down. If you must shoot during an unremitting wind, place a makeshift shelter around the flower to protect it from the wind. A few sheets of poster board may be sufficient. (Of course, keep the shelter out of the picture!) Or tie the flower stem to a thin post (the type you will find in any garden center).

How should you expose this shot? The easy way is to trust your meter. It will generally give a fairly accurate reading in this situation. For pinpoint exposure, however, we recommend that you use a gray card or take an incident reading. (These alternate methods have previously been explained on this site. If you are unfamiliar with them, you can find the articles on our Reference Shelf in the Subjects/Techniques (http://www.nyip.com/sub_idx_pgs/referidx/ref_sub_tech.php) section.) By using one of these alternative methods, you end up with an exposure that is precisely calibrated to the light, and is not affected by the color or reflectivity of the flower.

[billd2]

Macro flower shots can be pretty. But if you want to turn the ordinary macro shot into an extraordinary photograph, try to add something of interest. What? How about a bee gathering pollen? Or a spider crawling inside? Or a butterfly? Now you've got something to grab the viewer's attention beyond a pretty picture. This type of photograph may not come easy — you have to wait for the critter. But if you wait long enough and your patience is rewarded, you can end up with a really great photograph.
http://a1672.g.akamai.net/7/1672/116/20080301/www.ritzcamera.com/etc/articles/images/flowera0406.jpg
Let's move on to consider the shot of a single flower head. Much of what we said for the macro view applies here too. As before, you can't get close enough for this type of picture with film point-and-shoot cameras. Once again, you'll be better off using a tripod if possible. Remember also that you don’t have to make pictures of single flowers while you’re bent over in the garden. Over the years many great photographers have made wonderful still life studies of flowers in a studio setting where there’s no wind and the photographer has precise control over the lighting. Whether you’re taking pictures indoors or out, once again exposure will be more precise if you use a gray card or take an incident reading. And the picture will often be improved if you can add a crawling critter.

Good focus is still important, but it's not so critical as it was with the macro. The zone of good focus is now a few inches, not just a fraction of an inch. So, while you still want to focus well, you don't need to watch focus quite so critically.

An added decision for you to make with this type of shot is to consider the direction of light. It's possible to take a very attractive picture with the light in its "usual" position, streaming from behind you toward the flower. But give strong consideration to backlighting — that is — light coming from behind the flower, toward the camera. Since flower petals are usually translucent, backlighting can give them an iridescent glow that accentuates the flower's color and brings it to life.
http://a1672.g.akamai.net/7/1672/116/20080301/www.ritzcamera.com/etc/articles/images/flowerh0304.jpg http://a1672.g.akamai.net/7/1672/116/20080301/www.ritzcamera.com/etc/articles/images/flowerb0406.jpg
How should you decide which light is best? Easy. Walk around the flower, observing how it looks through the viewfinder from different positions. Keep a sharp eye. You may see an appealing shadow from one position. A glow of iridescence from another. Maybe you can get both together. Walk around, and then take your picture from the position that appeals most to your eye.

We should add two words of warning here. First, when the light comes from behind you, watch your own shadow carefully. Usually, you want to avoid casting a shadow on the flower. Second, when you are shooting with the flower backlit, watch out for flare. You don't want the incoming light to shine directly into your lens producing ghostlike blobs. (You can avoid flare by either positioning your camera so that the light doesn't shine directly into your lens, or by shading the lens with your hand or a hat or any other opaque object. Just be sure that the object is kept out of the image frame.)
http://a1672.g.akamai.net/7/1672/116/20080301/www.ritzcamera.com/etc/articles/images/floweri0304.jpg
There's a second additional decision to make when you are shooting a single flower head. How high or low do you want the camera to be?

In other words, from what angle do you want to shoot the flower?

Once again, the answer is best determined by your eye. As you walk around the flower to watch the play of light from different sides, also look through the viewfinder to see how it looks from different heights. Don't be lazy. Lie down to see it from a squirrel's-eye view. Stand up and raise your tripod to see it from a bumble-bee's view. Let your eye decide which you prefer. Also, in addition to the lighting, consider the tonality of any background that will be visible in the photograph. Brown dirt, green grass, or blue sky can give a very different feeling to the photo.

Let’s move on to bigger floral subjects. What about a bed of flowers...or a field of them? Here, you can probably use a point-and-shoot as well as an SLR. A tripod is less necessary. Focus is no longer critical — it can extend for feet or even miles. And metering with your built-in meter will probably produce a good result.

[billd2]

What about the direction of light? It still can make a difference. If you can check how the flowers look from different sides, by all means do so. Frontlighting may be all right. Backlighting — or sidelighting — may be better. Camera angle — that is, height — is usually less important in this type of long shot. (You should still stoop down to see if the image is improved from a low angle that will accentuate the nearest flowers.)
http://a1672.g.akamai.net/7/1672/116/20080301/www.ritzcamera.com/etc/articles/images/flowerk0304.jpg
What should you look out for here? We think you should go back to the very first decision: What's your subject? A bed or field of flowers may look exquisite to your eye, but often makes an awfully dull picture. Look for something that will add interest to the picture. Something else that will draw the eye of the viewer and be the subject of your picture, with the flowers acting as swatches of color that complement it.


http://a1672.g.akamai.net/7/1672/116/20080301/www.ritzcamera.com/etc/articles/images/flowerl0304.jpg



If you're photographing a flower bed, look around. Perhaps, a child playing amidst the flowers will make a far more interesting picture. Or the house behind it. Or the apple tree in the foreground? Or the fence in the background. Or anything else you can find to draw the viewer's eye and add interest.

Do the same with a field of flowers. Is there a barn that would make a better subject? A tree? A windmill? A lone person far out in the field. A babbling stream? A majestic mountain landscape? http://a1672.g.akamai.net/7/1672/116/20080301/www.ritzcamera.com/etc/articles/images/flowerm0304.jpg
Chances are if you look around you'll find lots of potential targets that will add considerable interest to your photograph.

To sum all this up: Flowers are colorful and can make beautiful subjects when you're close up and they fill the frame. You're better off finding another subject, and using the flowers as an "accessory," when you're shooting from farther away.

In the concluding installment of this article, we’ll take a look at some of the ways you can add other elements to your flower pictures to create even more dynamic images.
© 2007 | New York Institute of Photography (http://www.nyip.com/) | 211 East 43rd Street, Dept. WWW | New York, NY 10017 U.S.A. | info@nyip.com

[GaryK]

Hi

I was just reading about extensions tubes and was wondeirng if they may be an inexpensive alternative to a true Macro. Im sure that there are limitations and considerations. Just wondering if they may be another way to go?
I am thinking on trying one out once the snow melts .. sometime in August.:D

[Bob_Benner]

Hi

I was just reading about extensions tubes and was wondeirng if they may be an inexpensive alternative to a true Macro. Im sure that there are limitations and considerations. Just wondering if they may be another way to go?
I am thinking on trying one out once the snow melts .. sometime in August.:D

I have used extension tubes with my nikon 50mm f/1.8 and have had really great results.

[lexcell]

Extension tubes are definitely an excellent option. You can use them on just about any lens broadening your options. The greater the extension, the closer you can get. Kenko makes a set of three that work in auto. Canon has a couple of their own.

You do lose infinity focus with extension tubes but, when trying to move in closer to your subject, infinity is usually not an issue.

[muskokan]

Great advice from everyone re flowers. Once you have tried the traditional shots you might like to try something like Freeman Patterson's abstract style photos. By taking a close up of a flower he uses the shapes and colour variations to create images that look like a sunset or a landscape. It takes some playing around, but then that's the joy of digital, right?

[Not4wood]

I was just re-reading this thread and found it to be a very informative, really interesting and got the creative juices flowing.

Thanks for sharing.

[mljrbg]

Photographing flowers is one of my passions. Thanks for the great info.

Mary Lou