Flowers Bloom

Just in time for summer, spring has arrived.

For a few weeks it looked as if we'd see nothing but clouds and rain this spring, but all of that water brought great returns as flowers began to bloom. It's a great time to get out your camera and start taking pictures, whether you're a gardener looking to brag, someone who simply appreciate's nature's beauty or you're finally getting around to learning to use that camera you got for Christmas.

Flowers are a great opportunity for photographers because they lend themselves to all sorts of uses. They can be a background or a subject, you can take them as groups or as individuals, and they are especially exciting for macro photography. They have teh added advantage of being naturally beautiful and generally quite still. Today I'm going to talk about how to take some photos of flowers that you'll be sure to enjoy.

1. Select your subject:

What are you capturing when you're photographing a flower? If what drew your eye is the beautiful field, that's your subject. If what you love is the pattern on the petals, that's your subject.

While it seems simple, choosing your subject informs the rest of your behavior as a photographer because you want to make that subject look compelling.

2. Fill the frame:

Sometimes photographers try to get as much as they can into a photo. They look out and see this broad sweep of the world that seems so beautiful and attempt to drink it in through the lens. It doesn't always work out, however.

One easy trick for making compelling pictures is to get close to the subject and have it fill up as much of the frame as you can. While you don't always want to complete dominate the photography, a large object draws in the eye.

3. Move Around:

Don't take every photo of flowers straight down or from the side. Get low and look up as if the flowers were towering trees, get close and see the little veins on the petals and ants crawling around. Then step back and see how it looks in the world around it. Don't feel like you have to sit in one place until you grow roots.

4. Find the other pictures:

By moving around you can change your background and even your subject. Just because you already have a picture of that sunflower from your car doesn't mean you've shot everything you can. Think about a new subject? What about the petals? What about that big face of seeds?

5. Experiment:

Those flowers aren't going anywhere anytime soon, so take your time and try new things while you're out there with your camera. At the very least you can't embarrass yourself in front of them like you can with a model. The key is to get out there and get excited, and maybe you can find some time this Memorial Day weekend.