Never underestimate the power of an iPhone! The iPhone's camera makes it super easy to take gorgeous pictures! Not everybody has the money to buy a nice camera on top of the already expensive smartphone payments. So instead of taking pictures with a fancy and expensive camera, just whip out your smartphone! So easy and convenient! (Who doesn't have their phone on them?)
Taking pictures with a smart phone is super easy, so today I just wanted to focus on how to take amazing pictures of flowers. I have a huge love of nature. I grew up in the country, taking walks in our horse field just to get my mind straight. There is nothing more calming than emerging yourself in the natural world and reflecting on its simplicity. It is humbling to say the least! Such an experience cannot be captured on film, but its aesthetic beauty can be!
Here is how to capture the beauty of flowers!
1. Perspective
The most important part of taking pictures of flowers is perspective. Anyone can take a random picture of a flower, but the angle of such a picture is what displays the beauty of the plant. I have a few different ways that I like to approach a flower. First, you need to decide what aspect of the flower that you want the focus to be on.
If it is the pollen, approach the flower from the side and a little under (so you are looking slightly up at the flower). This works best with pollen because you are showing a majority of the inside of the flower (Pistil, Anther, Filament, etc), instead of blocking it off by taking the picture head on.
If you are focusing on the petals (my favorite), you can start from head on and then move down a little so you are looking up at the flower. If the petals are particularly patterned or extravagent, you can also use the pollen method. Below are examples.
Taking pictures with a smart phone is super easy, so today I just wanted to focus on how to take amazing pictures of flowers. I have a huge love of nature. I grew up in the country, taking walks in our horse field just to get my mind straight. There is nothing more calming than emerging yourself in the natural world and reflecting on its simplicity. It is humbling to say the least! Such an experience cannot be captured on film, but its aesthetic beauty can be!
Here is how to capture the beauty of flowers!
1. Perspective
The most important part of taking pictures of flowers is perspective. Anyone can take a random picture of a flower, but the angle of such a picture is what displays the beauty of the plant. I have a few different ways that I like to approach a flower. First, you need to decide what aspect of the flower that you want the focus to be on.
If it is the pollen, approach the flower from the side and a little under (so you are looking slightly up at the flower). This works best with pollen because you are showing a majority of the inside of the flower (Pistil, Anther, Filament, etc), instead of blocking it off by taking the picture head on.
If you are focusing on the petals (my favorite), you can start from head on and then move down a little so you are looking up at the flower. If the petals are particularly patterned or extravagent, you can also use the pollen method. Below are examples.
Pollen Technique
As you can see, you do not want to go too far in one direction. Angles should be subtle enough that you cannot tell immediately from where the picture was taken.
Petal Technique
This technique also puts a lot of emphasis on the symmetry of the flower.
Pollen Technique with Petals
In This case, the petal's design was better exhibited using the pollen technique.
2. Subject
This may seem like a no brainer, but you want the flower to be the main focus of your photo. This is easier said than done. The easiest way to do this is to center the flower in the middle of the frame. In some cases though, you may want the flower to be at the top of the picture or the bottom. This is an artistic choice. No matter how where you want your flower to be, make sure that the flower is bigger and more focused than its background. Some examples:
This may seem like a no brainer, but you want the flower to be the main focus of your photo. This is easier said than done. The easiest way to do this is to center the flower in the middle of the frame. In some cases though, you may want the flower to be at the top of the picture or the bottom. This is an artistic choice. No matter how where you want your flower to be, make sure that the flower is bigger and more focused than its background. Some examples:
3. Focus
Focusing a picture on an iPhone takes patience. If you want beautiful pictures, you might be standing in front of the same flower for a while. You can focus the image by tapping the screen on your iPhone where you want the focus to be (in our case, aim for the center of the flower). This also adjusts the lighting, which is another benefit of iPhone photography.
After you have tapped the screen, wait until the flower has the amount of detail that you like and snap the picture. Be careful with this, because the zoom has a tendency to go in and out for a bit until it decides to settle. Here is an example of the flowers on a tree before it completely blossomed.
Focusing a picture on an iPhone takes patience. If you want beautiful pictures, you might be standing in front of the same flower for a while. You can focus the image by tapping the screen on your iPhone where you want the focus to be (in our case, aim for the center of the flower). This also adjusts the lighting, which is another benefit of iPhone photography.
After you have tapped the screen, wait until the flower has the amount of detail that you like and snap the picture. Be careful with this, because the zoom has a tendency to go in and out for a bit until it decides to settle. Here is an example of the flowers on a tree before it completely blossomed.
Here is the flower in full blossom (not as in focus as I would like. I guess I wasn't patient enough...).
Now you know how to take beautiful pictures of flowers on your iPhone! For more smartphone photography tips, click here.
All the flowers pictured are at the Chicago Botanic Garden. I took the pictures myself. My mother and I went there today! It is full of beautiful flowers, mesmerizing landscaping, and facts about the plants and the garden itself. Click here to visit the Garden's website. It costs $25 for parking and the admission is free! I would definitely recommend visiting this wonderful collection of flowers!
Do you like to take pictures of flowers? Feel free to send me some of your best and tell me some tricks that you use! (Don't worry, I won't use them without your permission! I just want to see your talent!)
Do you like to take pictures of flowers? Feel free to send me some of your best and tell me some tricks that you use! (Don't worry, I won't use them without your permission! I just want to see your talent!)