Flowers are one of the best subjects for photography and here are some quick tips to take with a phone. Flowers surround us with their wide range of color, shape, and sizes. They are excellent to capture with mobile photography.
Unfortunately, it is easy to make errors when taking pictures of flowers. This can result in pictures that are dull and lack the vibrant view that each flower gives.
Here are a few tips to improve your flower photography that will give your pictures more life. You will learn how to capture flowers that include more color and detail which will impress. Learn how to spot pictures that may lackluster and alter the picture to be appealing.
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15 Tips to Instantly Improve Flower Photography With a Phone
1. Improve Your Background
Simplify the Background
The easiest tip for flower photography is to look for a simple background. Begin by looking around to see what angle is the best to take in the photo. Can you take the picture and capture the sky? Can you create a blurry background by getting closer or using portrait mode? This will create a shallow depth of field.
A background with distracting shapes and colors will draw your eye away from the subject. A great background is a single color. If you are taking a photograph of a flower one tip is to have some trees in the background. Then you have a green contrast in your background. When taking pictures of flowers a simple background will make the colors of the flower pop.
Shoot Towards a Cloudy Sky
Clouds in the sky are perfect for creating a white backdrop for the vibrant colors of the flower. You may need to get low to the ground so you can place the sky in the background.
Shoot the Glow of the Sun
Light can alter the feeling of the flower in the shot. Often, it is easy to shoot photos with the light falling on the subject. But the opposite effect can help you capture the golden light that comes from the sun as it sets. If you choose to shoot the golden view of the sun. Make sure you get close to the flower and shoot toward the golden light and not the eye of the sun. This will give the image a golden glow.
2. Light Conditions
One of the biggest questions for flower photography is when is the best light? Getting the best light depends on what story you would like to create. If you would like to capture the contrast of color between the flower and the sky. Then taking pictures during day hours will work well.
To capture a calm look the best tip is to take your flower photography when it is shady or at dawn and dusk. This will lead to beautiful pictures without a great deal of effort. An overcast day will be great for even shadows and diffused light.
If you end up taking flower photos in bright sunlight the flowers can look bright with many shadows. You can use a piece of paper as a mini reflector. With flower photography, a 3×5 index card will work great as a mini reflector.
3. Get Low and Aim High
One of the easiest flower photography tips is to get low and take the picture of the sky. This shows a different perspective of the flower and shows the size and strength of each flower. This low angled shot will show the detail of the stem and each petal.
Create contrast by taking a low angled photo. You can capture the color of the flower and color of the sky. Try this shot if you are in a field of various wildflowers. You can show the depth and breadth of each flower as it reaches toward the sky.
4. Fill the Frame
Filling the frame refers to edges of your photograph. This tip means to get in close and to make your subject a significant part of your final photograph. One flower photography tip is to take a picture of a flower to the edges of the frame. Does it go beyond the bounds of your photograph Then you are capturing the story and doing a great job filling the frame.
One example is to take a field of wildflowers. This establishes the flowers size and background as the story and context. Fill the frame by narrowing down on a cluster of flowers. Next, focus on a single flower and take the photo. This is an excellent way to tell the story of a scene and also to fill the frame.
Try creative ways to fill the frame by getting close to a flower that is about to bud. Try and get as close as you can to capture all the beauty. Also, you can fill the image with the pedals of the image showing the color and detail of each individual frame.
5. Creative Cropping
How you crop your flower photo will add emotion and life to a simple still life photo. The first tip for better photography is to crop the center part of the flower. You can also crop the image so that your image is on the left or right side using the rule of thirds. This will create a focal point and lead the viewer into the image. The second tip is to make sure that your crop looks intentional. Cut off the edge of petals to shoot a dynamic photo.
6. Capture Water Droplets
Raindrops add interest to a photo and bring out the feeling of spring. What if it is not a rainy day. One flower photography tip you can try is to add water. You can drop water onto a petal with an eyedropper or use a spray bottle for many drops.
The reflection of water can act like a miniature lens. That can reflect and refract tiny images of whatever is behind or around them. Get close and focus on the colors within the raindrop.
7. Try A Macro Lens
To get a beautiful closeup of a flower and to capture the detail you will need a macro lens. You will be able to increase the magnification by 7x, 14x, or 21x. You will be able to capture each detail as you use a macro lens. Also, increase the background blur by adding a macro lens. With a macro lens, you will need to get as close as you can to the subject and then take the photo.
If you are serious about taking better macro photos of flowers, I suggest trying the Olloclip macro lenses. They are known for their high-quality mobile lenses that clip on. They have three types of lenses where you can capture every detail. Click on the link to learn more about Olloclip lenses.
8. Use a Tripod to Keep the Subject in Focus
When taking pictures of flowers it is very hard to stabilize the shot. One tip is to use a tripod to stabilize the shot. Often you will be close to the ground and it will be hard to get very close to the flower.
Here are a few things to look for when buying a tripod. First, is the size. With mobile photography size matters, the smaller the better. Joby makes a small tripod for your smartphone that is 7 inches long and can fit into any bag or purse. The GorillaPod comes with adjustable legs that balance on rocks or can wrap around a tree.
Next look for a sturdy tripod. When taking pictures outside something sturdy is important for balance. A cell phone could tip over and get scratched. The Manfrotto Pixi is one of the best small tripods.
9. Use a Flash in the Middle of the Day
If you choose to shoot flowers in the middle of the day your flower may have a lot of shadows. This will create a picture that is high contrast and does not look crisp and clean.
One flower photography tip is to turn on your flash in daylight. The flash will diminish the harsh shadows and will create better light. This will create even light and your flower will look balanced.
10. Capture a Butterfly or Bee
Adding an extra element to your flower can help you create photos that stand out. Combining flowers with insects brings life to the flower. You might have to get close to get the detail. This can be hard to do without a telephoto lens because you can scare away the bee.
11. Have Fun With Sun Glares
Adding sun glares to a photo is a great way to add life to add depth to a flower. To do this notice where the sun is in the sky. It is best to take sun glare photos mid-morning, late afternoon or evening where you can capture the sun. Get low and notice when the sun peaks through the petals. To create a sun glare, frame your phone between two petals and flowers. Then adjust the image until sun glares peak through. You can also add sun glares using an editing app.
12. Use a Shutter Remote for Still Photos
Flower photos can be hard to capture with a cell phone due to hand movement. Images can be blurry due to camera shake. I have found that it is much easier to take pictures with a Bluetooth remote because my hands are too shaky. With Joby Impulse Bluetooth Remote you can take photos from a distance. This remote is small so it fits in a pocket and is easy to set up with Bluetooth. Also, once it is set up you do not need to pair it again.
13. Try Back-lighting the Subject
Taking pictures of flowers using back-lighting shows a creative twist. This flower photography tip adds contrast and color to your photos. You can add a majestic glow around your photo which captures the beauty. Also, taking back-lit photos of flowers will show the opaque colors and vibrancy of each petal.
14.Contrast the Colors
Contrast is one of the beautiful features of flower photography. Flowers are vibrant and leaves and stems are green. This is a natural way to create contrast in colors. Red flowers look beautiful complemented with natural leaves and green behind the image. The blue sky complements yellow flowers as the colors flow well together due to the color wheel. As you take photos, play around to see what backgrounds create contrast in your photos.
15. Isolate Each Flower
The last tip is to capture each individual flower. By capturing one flower you can get the detail of each petal. Each flower tells a unique story and full of beauty. Get closer to isolate each individual flower.
Conclusion
Take some time this spring and practice these tips for taking flower photography. It may take some practice to get close up to the flower and to capture the detail. Try to Isolate the flower or add contrast by aiming toward the sky. Also, if you feel that your images don’t turn out try a tripod for better stabilization. With these tips, you will improve your flower photography.
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