In a few short weeks the price of flowers will increase exponentially. Roses that are selling for $10 a dozen today will cost you five times that amount as we creep closer to Valentine’s Day. If you are pinching pennies, but still want to impress your sweetheart with some beautiful blossoms, then consider snapping stunning pictures of flowers.
Mastering flower photography is not too difficult once you get some experience under your belt. If you are serious about snapping an awe-inspiring flower photo that you can frame and gift to your beloved this Valentine’s Day, then now is the time to get shooting.
For starters, you’ll want to get comfortable using your camera’s macro mode. This feature allows you to get up-close and personal with your scented subject without the distracting blur. By employing macro mode, the bloom will be crisp and in focus, while the background will have a softer look. Some advanced digital cameras come equipped with super macro modes which allow you to practically place the edge of a petal onto the camera’s lens, and still walk away with a clear photo.
Depending on the type and color of flower you want to photograph, you will also want to be mindful of your camera’s white balance setting. Your goal is to capture the bloom’s true color, though you can only do this if your lighting is just right and your camera’s settings are adjusted to maximize your shooting conditions.
If lighting and color saturation give you trouble, you can always fix the issues in prost production. A photo-editing program, such as Photoshop will allow you to adjust the colors on your original shot, so they appear vibrant and lifelike.
Finally, one of the best ways to endear the love of your life to a floral portrait is to flex your creative muscle. Don’t just stick a rose in a vase and shoot it from the side. Rather, capture the blossom (or blossoms) from a unique angle. You want to give your shot a different perspective. To do so, consider placing your camera on the ground and shooting upward at the flower to give it a sense of grandeur. Another option is to shoot through a fisheye lens or squat down to capture an extreme horizontal shot of a long floral bed. This will yield a photo that speaks to the longevity of your relationship.
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