Flower Photo Tips

You couldn’t ask for better photo subjects than the Munsinger and Clemens Gardens. There are many opinions and techniques for taking great photos, but here are a few that may help you capture the beauty of the Gardens.

• Use a tripod if you can.
• Using a tripod will steady your camera and help you achieve a much sharper image. It will also force you to think about your composition. It will force you to frame the flowers more deliberately instead of just pointing and shooting.
• Beautiful photos often take a harder look. Don’t just take a snapshot and head down the path. Concentrate on the details of the flower and its relationship to the background. Look at it from different angles. And take a lot of pictures.
• Control your depth of field. If you are photographing a flower with a busy background use a wide aperture to focus on the subject and blur out the background. Or if you are shooting a wider shot like a whole bed of flowers or a fountain, use a smaller aperture setting to bring most of the shot into focus. Your camera may even have depth of field preview so you can see the shot before you take it.
• Cloudy days can make the brightest pictures! Colors really pop at this time and you can get some amazing photographs in these conditions. You’ll see a few dramitic photos on our website taken on not-so-sunny days.
• On a very sunny day, soften the contrasty light by using a diffusion to minimize the harsh shadows. Then redirect some light back on the flower with a reflector like a white T-shirt or a piece of white card. Or, use fill flash. Your camera may have an automatic fill flash function.
• Change perspectives. Photograph your flowers from different angles – straight down, from the side, from underneath. A different angle can really make a dramatic image.
• Have fun! Experiment and try different things. Once you think you have the photograph in the bag, take one more!