Today is the last Thursday of 2012. With the new year just around the corner, many of us start thinking about new year resolutions. Hence this week’s prompt of ~ Pondering with a purpose ~ is: Do you make new years resolutions? And if so, do you keep them?
Here is my pondering about new years resolution and flower photos
Beforehand, no, I don’t make any. I usually let the past year(s) run by me. Trying to find out what went wrong, what could have gone better and what was a success. But really I do not see a point in making a resolution to make myself do or not do something in the new year. If I find that something needs to be changed, I change it. No matter if I made a resolution or not. A somehow manifested resolution to know and be reminded that I should do or not do something feels obsolete to me. So, no new years resolutions for me.
And therefore none to break, either. Because, quite honestly, it always puts me off hearing how often people fail at keeping their resolution. So, what’s the point? Why do you even make one? To try? To be reminded to try? Hmm, I guess that is it. So let me rephrase. I don’t make new years resolutions myself, but if the concept works for you that is wonderful! Because at the very least you noticed that you want or need to change something and are setting a goal to achieve it in the new year. I wish you much strength and success to fulfilling your resolution.
Maybe I should make a resolution about not taking so many photos of flowers? Or quite possibly even more? I was thinking about what to blog about for letter ‘F’ of Alphabe- Thursday and at once thought of flowers. No matter where I go they always seem to ask me: ‘Take a photo of me! Look how beautiful I am.’ So, when I went into my photo archive I found way over a thousand plant (flower) photos. I can only imagine how many flower photos a macro photographer must have, since they seem to lend themselves to macro photography. But not only, as you will see. Here are a few tips on taking flower photos.
Get down low – Get a different perspective! Seeing the fern photo I always wonder if tiny people are living among the ‘trees’.
This is usually as much of a close up as I get without using a macro lens or converter. In real macro photography you would get mostly or just the pollen tubes.
Here are examples of beautiful bokeh|blur | shallow depth of field flower photos taken with a DSLR. In each one of them you will find only a small selective area in focus, directing the viewer’s eye.
But you don’t need a DSLR to get beautiful flower photos. These two were taken with my android smart phone.
Now, how about getting shots of a bed or field of flowers, which may seem a little messy? As already shown in the last picture with the yellow flower, a good idea is to get something big, dominant in the foreground and take it from there. Another one is to have only the flowers in the frame, but to make it more interesting by adding a shallow depth of field.
When you are out there start looking for patterns & lines! Yes, patterns & lines in flowers. Have a look at these four photos. Notice what I mean?
And lastly, you did not think you could get away without at least a bit of photo editing, did you? Here are 1) a high key photo of pink Bougainvilleas and 2) a black & white conversion of tulips after a rain shower. Both are available in my shop on Etsy.
You know, having worked on and seeing these now, I will just continue to take flower photos, with or without new years resolution. And when will you be going out to shoot some flower photos? Tell me about it.
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