Nothing screams Spring! like daffodils and tulips in bloom.
Sure, the early spring flowers are lovely, and crocus thrill us with their bursts of color and attraction of bees-especially as they often battle potential snow or frost.
But then there’s usually this in between period, where winter often returns, and not much else is blooming to catch our attention.
But when daffodils start filling our gardens and lining our streets, the excitement builds. At that point I’m usually raring to get outside and play (with my camera, of course:)
This season the wind has been brutal, and even as it has gotten a bit warmer, the wind has still made it a battle to photograph those lovely flowers blowing in the breeze. (The daffodil images you see in this post are from past years).
As Easter approaches, trees are in bloom everywhere, and tulips that have been popping up are finally opening and exploding in a wide array of colors. This is my favorite time of year!
Living a little over an hour from Philadelphia, there are a ton of amazing places to get out and photograph the beauty of spring. But none shines brighter than Longwood Gardens during their annual Spring bloom!
More than 150,000 tulips come to life throughout the gardens, creating a magical scene. Tulips in all shapes, sizes and colors, capture the eye and make for amazing images.
I like to capture this display in a variety of ways.
First, grab a bunch of images of the overall scene. Shoot vertical and horizontal images. Play with different camera positions, framing and direction of light. Look for interesting patterns, swaths of similar and complimentary colors.
Compose in such a way as to include something eye-catching in the foreground, middle ground and background to add a sense of depth to the scene.
Once you’ve captured the beauty of the big picture, start isolating smaller groups of subjects.
Consider using a wider aperture for shallow depth of filed, to create softer backgrounds complimenting the “hero” flowers in the scene. Once I get a composition I like, I photograph the same scene with a wide variety of apertures, from wide open to stopped all the way down. This conveys the subject in different ways, and can create a great sense of interest. Just be careful that you focus on the subjects where you want the eye to go, especially using wider apertures.
Now that I’ve captured the bigger picture and the smaller scenes, it’s time to get up close and personal with my subjects. I search the displays for any subjects that seem to have character; doing something different than all the rest. Maybe it’s the only flower open-or closed in a bunch of open flowers. Maybe it is one stem with two blooms, or two flowers touching each other. Any of these things can make for great subjects.
For these portrait-type shots, I generally shoot at wider apertures, focusing in on some unique part of the flower while rendering the background out of focus.
I will also position the lens very close to foreground flowers and shoot through them, creating a soft blur around my main subject which is sharp. This takes a bit of practice, but once you nail the technique, you will begin creating stunning images!
Whether you use a tripod is up to you. If you like to use the focus stacking feature in most newer mirrorless camera, You may find it easier to accomplish on a tripod, but that depends on your technique and settings-and the amount of light and wind.
As far as camera gear-I usually travel with a macro lens, telephoto and mid-range lens, and a super-wide angle or fisheye lens. I will use all of these tools to create a wide variety of images, with very different perspectives. My ultimate goal is to portray a very common subject in an uncommon way. I want my images to cause people to stop and look a little longer, and to see the world in a different way. That should be a goal of yours, as well.
The last suggestion I have is to use a polarizer; circular for those using an autofocus camera, and linear for those who might be shooting with film. A polarizing filter will cut through glare off shiny flowers, deepen the blue sky, and add saturation and overall contrast to the scene. Worth their weight in gold! I also always use a lens hood to minimize lens flare from shooting towards the sun.
This are just a few tips and tricks to get you out creating some beautiful images of your own.
If you are in the area and would like to join me for our upcoming workshop at Longwood Gardens, we have one on Tuesday April 22nd. All the details of the workshop are on the Home page and under events. There are still a few spots open, and I would love to have you join us!
If you are interested in joining me on one of my upcoming flower and garden workshops, then fill out the contact form on the website to join the newsletter list. It should have popped up when you entered the site. If not, try refreshing the page or go back to the Home page.
Now don’t just sit there-get out and shoot!!!