3 Easy Steps To The Most Stunning Flower Photos

Stunning flower photos? Well, I’ll let you be the judge when it comes to mine. I’m not a professional photog, but I’ve always been the family shutterbug on vacation and during holidays. And once we began our annual trek to Orlando each spring starting in 2005–which just so happened to overlap with EPCOT’s Flower and Garden Festival–I also become known in my little world for my flower photo obsession.

Unlike the other how-to articles about taking flower photos, I don’t know much about fancy cameras and can’t teach you about perspective. I switched out my trusty Canon a few years ago in favor of a Smartphone camera, and I’d never so much as read a how-to article related to photography until today, when I read a few to ensure I was bringing you a fresh take on the subject.

A decade of trial-and-error and literally hundreds upon hundreds of flower photos in the name of fun have helped me master a few tricks for capturing images that, at times, might just rival some of those stunning flower photos taken by professionals.

So, whether you want to take pictures for art’s sake or memory-keeping, or you simply enjoy looking at pretty flowers, here are my three easy steps to help you see the subject through a different, stunning lens.

Stunning Flower Photos STEP 1:  COLOR

• Does the flower’s color pop out at you?
• Is the flower itself an unusual shade or hue that draws you in, surprises you, or fills you with happiness?
• If you respond yes to any of the above questions, then you likely have an excellent candidate for a memorable photo.
• My most popular flower photos are those with fuchsia, orange, purple, and yellow.
• If you respond no to all of these questions, your flower might still be a good candidate if it possesses other qualities listed in Steps 2 or 3.

Stunning Flower Photos STEP 2:  CONTRAST

https://www.instagram.com/p/5nPBLVwnBY/

• Is there one angle or distance from the flower that allows more of a contrast in color, lighting, or texture than others? Be sure to try eye-level, bird’s-eye view, off-kilter, zoomed in, or skyward, etc.
• Does the same flower look prettier to you at certain times of the day, or in special weather conditions?
• Is there an interesting backdrop to accentuate its beauty? (Remember to look at the flower from different vantage points.)

Stunning Flower Photos STEP 3:  CHARACTER

Once I let go of my Virgo approach to photography, I began to consider a flower’s character. I know it might sound silly, but one of the greatest surprises for me as an amateur photog was the realization that locating the perfect angle with the perfect, pristine flower wouldn’t necessarily equate to the most stunning flower photo. Turns out, some of my best flower photos are of imperfect or past-their-prime flowers.

I can still remember my Honey teasing me about choosing to post a photo of our white hydrangea whose petals had begun to decay. But I thought they deserved one last shot and was amazed by the result. (Scroll back up to see the Decaying White Hydrangea…)

Perhaps it’s the flower’s unique shape, texture, or arrangement that  encourages the human eye to explore it further. Whatever the reason, my Golden Hydrangea experience has encouraged me to think outside the box when it comes which flowers are the “perfect” ones.

What about the Audubon Tropical Gardens?

No, I haven’t forgotten that I’d teased you all about sharing more photos from our recent getaway to Key West’s Audubon House & Tropical Gardens. But this little tutorial turned out to be way chattier than I’d planned, and I’ve yet to announce the Summer of Love Giveaway winner for this week. Besides, the history buff in me insists I also include a few shocking facts I learned about the house’s history to go along with the purty pics.

I hope you’ll join me then!

Winner of the Summer of Love Giveaway #3

Congratulations to Janine! You’re the random winner of my third Summer of Love Giveaway, featuring Jeannie Moon’s autographed copy of Until You, a Jeannie Moon canvas tote bag, and assorted Jolyse Barnett swag. Please contact me with your mailing address.

This is Jeannie’s release week for her contemporary romance novella, Truly, Madly, Deeply, too! If you’re a fan of Roxanne St. Claire’s Barefoot Bay series, you’ll definitely want to check out Jeannie’s Barefoot Bay Kindle World books. (I was lucky enough to read an Advanced Reader Copy of this book, and I adored it. Just saying…)

Enter to Win the Summer of Love Giveaway #4

This week’s giveaway features the fab Jennifer Gracen, a woman referred to as “a hot new voice…definitely one to watch!” by RT Book Reviews. She generously donated a signed paperback of Someone Like You, the second book in her Harrisons series. Talk about hawt heroes and family dynamics! Each of her novels are stand-alones, so it’s not a concern if you haven’t read the first Harrison one yet. The lucky winner will also receive assorted Jolyse Barnett swag. (I love surprises like that, don’t you?)

Here’s an excerpt from Jen’s contemporary romance to whet your appetite:

The HARRISONS series -SOMEONE LIKE YOU – Book Two

Pierce Harrison–yes, that Pierce Harrison, black sheep of the wealthy Harrison clan–has come home to his family’s luxurious Long Island compound. The big question is why the dangerously sexy soccer star agreed to coach a kids’ soccer team. His co-coach Abby McCord should be grateful. Instead she’s fending off some seriously smoldering advances from the scandal-ridden athlete. Good thing bad boys are so not her type . . .

Abby is definitely not lacking in passion, but the sweet-faced beauty needs to learn a thing or two about taking a team to the championship–and a whole lot about how to let a man into her once-broken heart. Pierce definitely knows how to make the moves, but will Abby trust that the bachelor the world has condemned as a scoundrel can settle down with the one woman who has taken hold of his heart?

Now it’s your turn..

What’s one of your hobbies that you could teach to others? Or is there a hobby you’d like to start, but for whatever reason you haven’t begun yet?

So…before you go, leave a comment, and you’ll be entered for a chance to win the fourth of my Summer of Love giveaways! Good luck, and check back to see if you’ve won this cool prize courtesy of Jennifer Gracen! I’m excited to do my small part spreading a little summer love…

One winner will be selected at random from the comments and announced in the next blog post (Generally on Mondays, but subject to change due to life’s ups-and-downs…). The winner will have seven days after announcement to contact me via my website contact page and supply a valid US mailing address for the package to be mailed. Otherwise, a new winner will be selected. Thanks so much for playing!

#mondayblogs