Tips for Better Flower Photography with Jackie Kramer

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Phlorography – Artistic Floral Photography
with Jackie Kramer

 

Phlorography

Facebook group for floral photography - 5400 members worldwide.
Provides a place for community, inspiration, and networking.
Fun weekly challenges

 

Indoor Floral Photography

Not dependent on the weather – no wind.
Complete control of lighting and backgrounds.
- Play with what you have – abstract paintings, scarves or other fabrics can make a great blurred background.
- Colored gels on speedlights, Phillips Hue-Lights or colored flashlights can be bounced off walls to create interesting effects.
- Try light painting with longer exposures.
Able to choose the perfect blossom, or follow the same blossom from
bud, to maturity, to decay.
Able to isolate a single flower.
Able to shoot the flower from any angle or approach.

 

Outdoor Floral Photography

Rewarding to overcome the challenges of wind, imperfect blossoms,
insects, and temperature.
Adds an element of discovery.

 

Gear

Kneeling pad – great for kneeling outdoors, sitting on, base for
camera on the ground
- recommend larger size with a handle
Gear Ties – flexible rubber coated wires
- come in a variety of sizes, inexpensive
- great for moving unwanted stems or leaves out of the frame
Plamps – great for holding diffusers or reflectors on a tripod
Lenses and Lensbabies
- Recommend Macro-Specific Lens (90-105mm range)
- Wide variety of Lensbaby lenses available
- Don’t have a macro lens but want to try one?
RENT one!
Buy a used lens from your local camera shop, Hunt’s or
B&H (lots available with people switching to mirrorless).
Use extension tubes or diopters with one of your current
lenses.

 

Lighting

Soft light is best.
-Use a diffuser to soften harsh light.

Enhance dark areas or create drama.
- Speedlites to bounce light onto the subject
- Small LED cubes like Lume Cube or Litra
- Any small flashlight

 

“Treat flowers like people and light them similarly.”

Background

- Should enhance or allow the subject to take center stage.
- Should not detract from the subject.

“If something in the background doesn’t add to the subject,
it shouldn’t be there.”

- Should have colors complimentary to the subject or within
the same color family.
- Avoid dark or light spots that draw your eye away from the
subject.
- Avoid things that merge with the subject – unless they
belong there.
- Create your own backgrounds to add in during post-
processing.
- shoot images from the same area as your subject - “they
have the same DNA”
- create a color blur, capture interesting textures or
striations

 

Composition

Study your subject.
- How does it grow? Solitary or in a group? What does it
like?
- Flowers can have a personality. Try to incorporate the
personality of the flower into your lighting and
composition.
- Focus on various levels of the flower. You may choose to
stack them later or pick one from the group.

 

Tips for Improving Your Flower Photography

- Take classes, webinars or workshops.
- Join a group or club with like interests.
- Read articles and look at other photographers’ work for
inspiration.

 

Finding Jackie

LuvBlooms.com
Instagram
Facebook
Current Exhibit at Clyde Butcher’s Big Cypress Gallery