Here's our ultimate guide to photographing flowers with equipment suggestions, top tutorials, stunning examples and a list of top locations you can visit with your camera.
| Flowers and Plants
Photographing flowers can be a really therapeutic exercise and it's something that pretty much anyone can have a go at, no matter whether you're photographing them in your home or garden, in your local park or at a formal garden.
You can keep it as simple as you like but if you want to take your flower photography seriously then there are some accessories that you shouldn't be without to up your game. Here, we've rounded up these accessories as well as lots of tutorials, places to go to photograph flowers, handy guides and some fantastic examples of flower photography from our talented site members.
Handy Accessories For Flower Photography
No matter what camera you own, there are some things that will help you to capture amazing images of flowers.
Diffuser / Reflector
Diffusers and reflectors can be really handy to help you manipulate the light to flatter your subject. Use the diffuser to eliminate harsh shadows from the sun and the reflector to shed light on the shadier scenes. Whether you want to shoot flowers indoors or outdoors, a diffuser/reflector kit will give a more professional look to your images.
Close up filters
If you own a DSLR and you don't have the budget for a macro lens or simply don't feel the need to purchase one then you can get filters which will create a macro effect on your existing lenses. They can be purchased in different magnification ratings, and in various diameters to fit and screw onto the front of your lens. They're a great option if you don;t want to spend a lot to get macro style images as they can be picked up relatively cheaply.
Macro lens
If you are serious about your flower photography and macro images with lots of bokeh are the way you want to go then there is nothing better than a macro lens, for clarity and out of focus backgrounds to further highlight your subject. Macro lenses are ideal for both indoor and outdoor applications. Often third party lenses can be cheaper than camera manufacturer's lenses and often rival them in terms of quality if you're conscious of budget. Take a look at what's available for your camera mount.
Plain backgrounds home photo studios
If the background of your flower photos is distracting, whether indoors or outdoors, using a plain background can give your image a more artistic feel. Plain black or white backgrounds will work well with flowers to accentuate the greens and bright colours of the blooms. If you're into DIY, a plain sheet will suffice, you just need to watch out for creases showing up. Home photo studios are now available which allow you to capture images quickly and easily.
Lightbox
A lightbox will provide you with a more abstract view of flowers - it will allow you to create interesting images of petals and skeletal leaves that you lay on it, allowing you to see all the intricate veins inside.
Kneeling pad
When doing low-level work with small outdoor flowers kneeling for a long time can hurt the knees, even on a relatively soft surface. Investing in a kneeling pad to help ease the discomfort might encourage you to stick around longer and capture that image you've been waiting for.
Wimberley Plamp
The Wimberley Plamp is an innovative tool to hold plants still while shooting them. Whether indoors or outdoors, this tool can hold stems still without harming the plant enabling you to position them as you wish and stabilise them in the wind.
Brush to gently wipe plants clean
If you've found the ideal specimen but there is dirt or dust on the plant spoiling the image, investing in a small soft brush will enable you to clean the leaves up ready for the camera.
Fantastic Flower Photography Tutorials
If you're looking for tips and advice on capturing the perfect floral themed shot, take a look at our techniques and feature sections of the site where you'll find plenty of flower photography tutorials, including the ones listed below.
25 Flower Photography Tutorials To Help You Perfect Floral Photography
Get 'Arty' With Flower Shots
10 Top Flower Photos Awarded POTW
Most Popular Flower Photography Techniques On ePz
8 Ways You Can Photograph Flowers Creatively
8 Techniques To Improve Your Garden Photos
Places To Visit With Your Camera
There are places all over the UK where beautiful gardens can be found if you want a change from photographing your own garden. Here are some top locations that won't disappoint, but you could of course just head to a local park if you want somewhere closer by.
Royal Botanic Gardens Kew
Image by ePz member Suzicoo
Kew Gardens in London is the ultimate destination for any plant lover featuring extensive gardens and fantastic floral landscapes and vistas. It's a global resource for plant knowledge and anyone interested in plants and flowers will find it fascinating. You can book tickets online to save some money.
The Eden Project
Image by ePz member NeilSchofield
The Eden Project in Cornwall is a marvel of design, with its croissant-like bubble greenhouses. There are Mediterranean and rainforest biomes to explore as well as extensive outdoor gardens including some impressive sculptures. There's plenty to keep the kids entertained too and you can make a full day out from a visit. There are discounted admission on summer evenings and you can also save by booking in advance.
Sheffield Botanical Gardens
Located to the East of the city, Sheffield botanical gardens is free to enter and offers pleasant photographs with lots of plant variety to photograph. There are music and art performances throughout the year so have a look what's on to make the most of a trip.
Helmsley Walled Garden
Image by ePz member oldgreyheron
If you want a more traditional and wild, meadow style experience then Helmsley Walled garden in North Yorkshire is a fantastic destination that also offers social and therapeutic horticulture to support and develop people to improve mental and physical health through gardening. There's a small fee for entry.
Threave Estate
Image by ePz member alancharlton
Threave Garden and Estate is located near Castle Douglas in Dumfries and Galloway. If you find yourself near there then these gardens owned by the National Trust for Scotland have a variety of landscapes for you to explore. There's a discovery garden for the kids, as well as glasshouses, rock gardens, ponds a walled garden and nature trails in the surrounding estate. There's a small fee for entry.
The Birmingham Botanical Gardens
Image by ePz member cjl47
Birmingham Botanical Gardens is located at Edgbaston and is a sizable garden featuring Japanese gardens, history walks and lots of open spaces. There's also the Kingdon of the Green Man, including a herb garden and play areas for the kids. There are events happening throughout the year and there is a small fee for entry.
Royal Botanic Garden Edinburgh
Image by ePz member discreetphoton
The Edinburgh Botanic Gardens is free and you can walk to it from Waverley Station (Edinburgh Central). There are 70 acres of landscaped grounds providing a retreat from the hustle and bustle of city life. There's a Scottish heath garden as well as Chinese gardens and rock gardens.
Belfast Botanic Gardens
Image by ePz member mirrorlens
Belfast botanic garden is a free public park featuring an extensive rose garden. There are also rare oak trees and the botanical houses were built by Richard Turner who later went on to build the glass houses at Kew.
Flower & Plant Photography Books
If you want to learn more about flower photography, here are some top picks of educational flower photography books. Do take a look at our book review section, too, where you'll find more recommended reads.
- Photographing Flowers: Exploring Macro Worlds with Harold Davis
- Fine Art Flower Photography: Creative Techniques and the Art of Observation
- Wildflower Photography: Getting from 'That's nice' to Wow!'
- Photographing Flowers by David Bishop
- Digital Flower Photography
- Extreme Close-Up Photography and Focus Stacking
- The Garden Photography Workshop
- Digital Plant Photography: For beginners to professionals
- The Art of Flower and Garden Photography
- International Garden Photographer of the Year
Look For Inspiration
The ePHOTOzine gallery is full of amazing examples of flower photography so do head that way if you're in search of flower photography inspiration. You can also use our handy filter system to search for specific flowers, styles and other keywords photographers have used when tagging images.
To show you just how good the images in our member's portfolios are, here are a selection of fantastic floral images:
'Astrantia major "Star of Fire" by janedibnah
'Hepaticas' by TonyDy
'A couple of flowers.' by franken
'Iris 'Katharine Hodgkin'' by jackyp
'Lanterns' by MandyD
*It doesn't cost you anything extra when you use these links, but it does support the site, helping keep ePHOTOzine free to use, thank you.
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