Bring your camera as close as possible and photograph at eye level to the flower.
Keep the camera straight and take a few photos with a very slight slant as well. See which image you like best.
Why photograph at eye level?
This is how you will portray the flower with dimension and depth and the background will help enhance the flower.
Photographing a flower from above is like using the flatlay photography technique.
When you photograph from the top, the flower will look flat.
The flatlay-look is great when you have lots of textures and colors or just one colorful flower and a dark background.
Photograph flowers under a lower light. For example: Cloudy days will make the colors look more vibrant.
Flowers will also look beautiful in the early hours of the morning or the late hours of the afternoon.
Just avoid noon. If it’s too harsh, too sunny and too bright. The flowers will look washed out and the image will end up looking flat.
The flower image on the left has a few issues; can you spot them?
The background is too close to the flower and is competing with the flower.
The flower looks cramped.
How to fix this? Add a soft focus to the background.
You can add the soft focus with an App after you photographed.
The photo on the right has a soft focus background and now the flower gets all the attention it deserves! Your hero is in the spot light.
The camera is slightly above the flower so that you can see part of the flower against the green background.
Patterns will make your images much more interesting.
To enhance the flower when there is pattern: Don’t forget to focus on the flower before shooting.
Look at how the small and larger leaves become a fantastic background for the main flower.
In this photo, everything looks pretty sharp. You can make the background softer by shooting in Portrait mode on your phone camera or by editing it later on an app like Snapseed.
Look for patterns everywhere! Architectural details will make for amazing backgrounds.
Look at how this brick wall adds interest to the flowers.
Always focus on the middle of the main subject (main flower).
If you are using a phone camera, tap on it before you shoot!
It can be quite a challenge to photograph flowers with a mobile phone if it’s windy because it’s hard to focus. The best thing is to photograph when the weather is cloudy and when there is not wind.
But don’t let the wind stop you. Wait for it to calm down, focus and shoot.
You will use the same technique you use for flower photos when you photograph animals, butterflies, portraits, and food.
Any time you want to photograph someone or something, get close to them, step away from the background, photographed under a shadier light, look for patterns for the background, and use the soft focus background technique to enhance the main subject.
Snapseed
Snapseed works with iPhone and all the phones. It’s easy to use and you will love it.
1. What is the best way to get a blurry background?
The secret for a good blurry background is to bring the camera close to the flower, BUT the distance from the flower to the background needs to be at least 3 or 4 feet away (120 cm).
The background cannot be near the main subject!
iPhone camera (any phone camera): Photograph in the PORTRAIT mode.
When using a DSLR photograph using a large aperture like F1.4 or 2.0.
2. What is the best time of the day to photograph flowers in the wild?
Photograph early in the morning when the sun is not too bright, late in the day but cloudy days are the best! Cloudy days will make the colors pop!
3. How can I make the flowers stand out in my frame?
Look for great backgrounds with patterns or great solid colors and use the soft focus technique.
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Updated July 2024
Marguerite Beaty, Blogger, Photographer & Artist
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