JPG Magazine: Stories: Ten Tips: The Flower Dude's Advice

Ten Tips

The Flower Dude's Advice

By Michael Stafford

29 November 2007

I have been photographing with an SLR for 40 years. It's my full time profession now. Like all photographers I love landscapes, gritty street scenes, portraits, weddings, you name it. In the past four years however, my focus has changed due to a health issue. Recently, I received an email from someone in the JPG family, addressing me as "The Flower Dude". It was then that I realized how deeply involved I had gotten in this aspect of photography. I noticed then that a full 80% of my JPG uploads have been flowers and plants. Because of limitations on my motion, I have gravitated towards flower photography in a big way.

I know the classic color shots of orchids, daisies, roses, fields of sunflowers and lavender have always been a staple in every good photographers bag of tricks. I still do those photos, their beauty is hard to resist. However, I generally dislike taking the most trodden path, and have tried, when possible, to make my photos a little different.

How did I learn these techniques? Quite simple - trial, error, experimentation and guesswork. Using a digital camera helps, as you can erase your mistakes and just keep on shooting and experimenting. Try to keep in mind the "Rule of Thirds", as a compositional guide. A macro lens is almost a necessity. If you do not have a macro lens, you can use extension tubes and still get excellent results. Most small pocket digitals usually have surprisingly good macro capabilities, and some sort of image stabilization as well. The main photo for this story was shot with a pocket digital, held on the ground, shooting straight up at the bottom of the flower. A tripod is a great tool for flower photos, but I must confess that I rarely use one myself, except when shooting film. If I shoot with larger format film, I will bring a pocket digital camera to check exposure and composition. If you are going to shoot indoors, with your own flower "setups" at home, it may be easier to use a tripod as you can put your plants (and tripod) wherever you like. If you have a later model digital SLR that has low noise at high ISO's (800 or above), you may not need one at all. Almost all DLSRS have a depth of field button, so use it! You need to know what portion of your shot is in focus and what isn't.

It's not always possible, but I find the following tricks make my photos stand out from the norm:

1) Take photos from an odd perspective, i.e., the back or side of flowers.

2) Try black and white, even when color is the obvious choice.

3) Sometimes, take photos strictly for the form, shape, or color factor.

4) Use oddball film, even out of out of date stock, for different color and grain effect.

5) Shoot straight down on a flower or plant, or shoot straight up to emphasize the stem, or shoot the stem, and downplay the blossom altogether.

6) Shoot parts of plants for abstract effects.

7) Use double, or even triple exposures. Most film cameras can do this easily, and digital SLR's are now bringing this feature back. If your camera can't do it, it is easily done in Photoshop or some other program after the photo is taken.

8) Use slow shutter speeds outdoors and even smear Vaseline on the filter for blurring effects.

9) Use infrared film, for otherworldly effects.

10) Totally isolate a flower against an all white or black background for dramatic effect. Or, hold a piece of colored paper behind your subject to isolate it. Again, this is easily done is Photoshop after the fact.

Finally, as a general piece of advice, indoors, use underexposure and always try to have dramatic lighting to isolate your subject. I don't think I have shot a flower indoors at the correct exposure in years. All have been from -1/3 to -2.0 stops underexposed. Outdoors, you will usually have to be closer to the correct exposure, but you can compensate somewhat in your image editing program. I personally never use flash, but if you do, try to hold it off camera, or diffuse it. Most manufacturers make a cord for using your flash off camera.

There is a great market for these type of photos: stock photography, calendars, greeting cards, wall art for decorators and offices, and just selling them on your own web site. They have a universal appeal, and never seem to go out of style.

Once you start trying these different photographic methods, they will become second nature, and you'll probably develop some of your own. You may look a little strange, laying on the ground shooting up at a flower, but soon, you'll find your plant photography will become much more inventive and individualistic. Hey, someone may even start calling you the "Flower dude", or "Dudette"

Mike Stafford, "The Flower Dude"

mstaffo@gmail.com

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