Top Ten Flower Images
10 favorite flowers in my garden
I was a professional photographer for 37 years before I photographed a flower. Now I have never met a flower I didn't photograph. When you stop and photograph the flowers you find a whole new world. Maybe even a few new smells. My flower photograph really took off 4 years ago, when I was lucky enough to inherit a nice garden at our new house. Fred, my gardener, has made it into a fantastic garden. He finds some of the weirdest flowers at Far Reaches and a lot of them become walk-ins to my studio where I can control the light and background. It has been my saving grace during Covid.
Consequently, I have a huge collection of flower images. If you like flowers be sure to sign up for the FREE membership site. It is not up yet, but soon will be. I will notify members when it is up. I will probably come up with a e-course on how I photograph flowers. It's a little bit different than most. Of course I am still learning from some great flower photographers. Never stop learning.
Scroll down to get to #1and don't forget to read the copy for an explanation and a few tips.
#10 The Umbrella Poppy
Most flowers are not looked at from the underside. I have no problem putting my ear in the dirt as I did with this poppy. Any time you can have an abstract look like something that is already recognizable you have a winner. The reason is parts of that image are already in the frontal lobes. I explain this in greater detail in the course "Value of an Image." A must for any "influencers" that want to reach a target audience. (not just photographers) It will change your whole view on images, based on neuroscience. Be sure to sign up for FREE membership site and I will keep you posted on the next class time.
# 9 Lily up close and personal
As with any image the background is important, with flowers it is critical. It is the first thing I look for when I see a flower I want to photograph. Now this lily was captured early in the morning before the sun had a chance to shine on it. To keep the background dark but light on the lily I used a daylight balanced flashlight and a large f-stop. (Big opening)
# 8 Silvia in the moonlight
Fred, my gardener works at an exotic plant nursery. He comes over with all kinds of exotic flowers. Not several of the same kind, but one each. And if the deer don't eat them I have a nice supply of different flowers to photograph and I don't have to go anywhere. The deer like to sample everything like a smorgasbord.
I turn the background black a couple ways. I've taken a full sheet of black foam core and cut it into two 1/4 pieces and one half sheet then taped them together with black duc tape. Now I can stand this up in the background.
For those that I need to control the light better, I take a cutting into my home studio before the deer eat them. This past Covid year was the first time I was around long enough to get most of my flowers in bloom. I am usually on the road photographing.
# 7 Cyclamen profile
My favorite lens for a close-up is the macro 105mm Nikor lens. When I am in the studio I like to use the largest depth of field possible. But that also means I have to come in close enough to make it simple. Rarely do I light from the front whether indoors or outdoors.
# 6 Helicopter bee shadow
I get pleasantly surprised sometimes. I did not notice the bee shadow when I took this picture. Trying to focus on a moving bee took most of my attention. Now that I noticed it, I watch for bee shadows.
We have a lot of bees in Sequim because we are the Lavender Capital of North America. If you photograph bees long enough you notice that they all have different faces. Might make an interesting collage someday. An the honey bees will not sting unless you come close to their hive or you swat at them.
IMPORTANT
Bees are becoming an endangered species. If this happens we will lose a lot of vegetables and flowers that are used for medicines. Please do not use pesticides, they are causing colony collapse. ~Be responsible~ Europe has already outlawed them.
# 5 The dark rose
Occasionally, I put up flowers on my Facebook page. This was one of the most liked. Now, I would not have guessed that. That is the reason why you post and ask people for their opinions. It is hard to grow Roses because I have 30 local deer that love roses. Now that I know this is a favorite, primarily with the younger (remember I am in my 70s) I will look out for them. I do like the two toned automatic rim light on them and the texture within the red.
# 4 Tulip gradations
To me the detail in a flower is simply amazing. This can not be an accident and it proves to me that there is a creator. When you stop and look close there is a whole different world in flowers. But who stops to see the flowers, let alone smell them.
# 3 Hold me close
I bought Sherry (my wife) some roses a few years back and I was impressed that the green held the red so closely. So I took a picture of it. However, I got in trouble when a young lady wanted a copy of it. That was her rose. Didn't make that mistake again.
But I have looked for roses that have the green hugging tight to the flower petal. Haven't found one in 10 years. Must be an omen.
# 2 Come here lover boy
This one follows the same explanation as the #10 image. When I looked at this image it reminded me of a mouth and tongue. Who says flowers can not be erotic and exotic. In this case the title helps the imagination.
# 1 Grown up tulips
I did not get a chance in 2020 (Covid) but I like to visit the Skagit Valley Tulip Festival every year. It is the whole month of April. This is not the overall favorite of everyone, but I like it. This one is from RoozenGaarde. This year I hope to top it. And that is what I always say, "How can I make this the best flower image I ever took?"
A lavender farmer once asked me. "How do you do it?" Do what? "Photograph lavender so many creative ways." Over the years I have created a system I call "Photo-Storming." I was going to make it an e-book but it is so huge I had to make it an e-course. It is not only good for photographing, but developing your mind.
Photo-Storming is not complete yet but sign up for the Free Membership Site and I will let you know when it is up.
