Thursday, December 18, 2008

How To Make Your Flower Photos Stand Out

By Jeff Johnson

Have you ever thought about taking flower photos on a cloudy day? Most people don't. They think the photos will come out dark. Actually, there is enough light even when it is cloudy outside. Plus the light then has a soft and subtle touch to it.

When it comes to flowers in a garden, taking good pictures of them is easy if you pay attention to the light. One thing you should usually not do is to have bright sunlight when taking pictures of flowers. Bright sunlight can cause the photos to have shadows and unflattering contrasts.

Initially, if you are looking at a garden, you may not pay attention to things like that. Since your eyes are used to accommodating different levels of light, it may be difficult for you to realize that lots of bright sunlight can actually diminish the look of a photo.

There are remedies which make the flower photos much more pleasing. For example, rather than taking photos on sunny days, you can use cloudy weather to make flower pictures. Cloudy days provide a softer light, which tends to make flower photos come out better.

There are also some other tricks that you can use, to make your subjects show their best when taking photographs. Professional photographers do it all of the time and create great results.

For instance, you can create your own clouds by using a coat hanger, and a white t-shirt or white garbage bag. Bend out the hanger into a square shape. Then attach the t-shirt or plastic bag to the hanger. You then hold it above the subject to shade it and make the light softer.

Another thing that you can do is to get up very early in the morning and make pictures at dawn. Notice the special quality of that light! Or make photos near sunset; the light is very interesting then also.

Professional photographers often use reflectors to shine extra light where it is needed. You can try using a mirror, or some other reflective object, to bring out the beauty of some little flower standing in a dark corner of the garden. You will be amazed at the difference! - 16492

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