I'm new to floral photography, so help :)

clarinetJWD · Jun 8, 2005

Anyways, here's my best attempt at floral photography, what can I do to this shot and what do I need to do in the future to improve?

hobbes28 · Jun 8, 2005

Not that I could do any better myself but I'd try using a ring light for these. There are a lot of shadows on the inside of the flower which, IMO, take away from the image a little. That and you could eliminate some of the background with a flash. That being said, it is still a wonderful picture. I just think it could be outstanding with a little more light.

Mike Jordan · Jun 8, 2005

What I saw first off was the out of focus Lily in the background. It's distracting to the flower in front. A little higher angle and a tighter crop would have let you take it out of the picture. The unopened flowers are ok though as they blend in with the background.

If you had tried for more of a side shot you could have gotten a good profile of the flower. Your shot here is square on and makes it look flat rather than having some depth to it. To help get a bit more light in the middle (per Hobbes above) you can take a reflector (sheet of foam board or an actual nylon cloth reflector) and bounce a bit of light back onto the flower. This will help light up the center. Don't over do it with the reflection or it will make the center too bright as compared to the rest of the flower.

With that said, you did a good job of getting the front flower in focus and it looks pretty close to properly exposed. A tad bit of boosted contrast might help to cause it to pop. But not bad at all.

Mike

LRJ · Jun 8, 2005

in addition to the above comments, (it may be just me) but it bugs me when the just the tips of the petals are cropped off. If that's your first try... you're gonna be awesome, cuz this is a good shot!

Aoide · Jun 9, 2005

I agree with Mike about the second Lily. It is distracting to me. I would like to see just that one flower. I've seen pictures with other flowers in the background, but that one seems so close to the main subject, it is almost coming out of the flowers top.

I'm certainly no expert though. Are you back in Houston? I had a great time photographing flowers at the Houston Garden Center at Hermann Park. If you were looking for some more subjects.

clarinetJWD · Jun 9, 2005

Thanks all! This was a big help to me and I'll try to remember as much as I can of this next time I decide to go for a floral picture. LRJ: This isn't my first floral attempt, but it is my first floral attempt with control, aka with my D70. Aoide, I certainly am back in good ol' Houston! Scott (SpiralOut here...) and I have been looking for new places to go, and since we actually live in Richmond and Sugarland, coming up with Ideas is tough, so thanks a lot for the tip

Once again thanks for your comments, they were quite helpful!

Aoide · Jun 9, 2005

clarinetJWD said:
I certainly am back in good ol' Houston! Scott (SpiralOut here...) and I have been looking for new places to go, and since we actually live in Richmond and Sugarland, coming up with Ideas is tough, so thanks a lot for the tip

I'm not sure how far Hermann Park is from you guys (I know right up 59, but not sure how far), but it is one of my favorite places in Houston. There is the Garden Center, the reflecting pool, the paddle boats, the zoo, the Japanese Garden and around the path a little nature preserve type area. Hands down my favorite place.