Flowers are too simple.
Let’s start with the basics
Yes, we all have to start with simple things. When you take your first camera first time in your hands you need to learn all the toggles. Then you need to learn about the shutter speed and aperture. If you see the term “exposure triangle” it’s not really needed for now(actually you can just skip that). You need to learn what is exposure and what settings to use. And there are two things you need to master: aperture and shutter speed. “Exposure triangle” also includes ISO, which is Light sensitivity but this is the least important option. So if you started doing photography less than half a year ago switch it to auto mode ( if you shoot on film then you have a fixed ISO for every film roll).
Once you have learned how to use a camera ( you can also use auto mode (I won’t tell anyone)) you can start taking pictures. Many people like macro mode (taking pictures of flowers and insects) and shooting landscapes. And nothing is bad in it. This is the learning process, after all. But remember that this is only one little step, and you shouldn’t stop on it.
I will give more notes on it a bit later.
Famous photographers also take pictures of flowers (sometimes)
There are also famous photographs of macro things, by great photographers. But so far I haven’t known a single famous photographer specialising in taking pictures of flowers only. All of these pictures are usually a small part of the whole range of works which these photographers have.
Here I want to give you some examples. Edward Weston was a famous American photographer who did surrealist photographs here are a few of his works:
Look at these shapes and the powerful flow in them. Looking at these photos you can imagine many different things instead of the regular everyday items he photographed. And this is only one part of his body of work.
As masters of photography, you can’t do good pictures of flowers without a complex approach to improving your photography skills
The right approach to taking pictures of flowers
Of course, you can take such pictures in different ways too.
For example, the picture below would be suitable for a 50 cents postcard(or even cheaper).
And if you look again at the works of Edward Weston you will notice that they are incomparable. The difference here is in the ways it has been photographed. In the picture above the subjects are more important, the flowers are the main thing. In Edward Weston’s works, his message and the way he photographed are dominant above the subjects.
If you like flowers and want to photograph them – go for it. Just make sure you create unusual compositions with them. Arrange them in different ways. You can throw them in the air and capture stop motion. You can shoot double exposure where you use their shapes for creating different compositions.
Flowers are static and many people can photograph them. For example, try to search for pictures of chamomile. You will find tens of millions of pictures and probably even more of roses. To create new photographs, your own and unique, you have to make these shots in a creative way.
A great training would be:
- Take 1-5 flowers maybe cut them off in case they grow somewhere in a field
- write as many ideas of shots(in different techniques) with these flowers as you can but aim for about 20.
- Take all of these shots with different arrangements and in different locations. Abstract or classic. Closeups or from far away. (for shots from far away you need to have less of details, see photography composition)
- Put the shots together. Look through them. (the best is to print them) And try to combine some of the ideas
Don’t forget to work on your visual library
After all, there’s nothing bad in taking pictures of flowers. It’s bad when you take only such pictures and tell everyone that you specialise in that, wanting to become a good photographer. Some people love flowers and some people love butterflies or birds… They may take pictures of it but they are not becoming fine art photographers since the subject is still dominant over the technic and artistic expression. If you take pictures of flowers it can be your own collection and it can be beautiful but if you want to push your skills forward I would recommend taking photos of everything. Basically, you should live with a camera in your hands until you find your style and something you love more.
Taking pictures of everything or exploring all sorts of art will enrich your visual library. Having a rich visual library will help you to push your shots of flowers a lot further than just some flowers in a field.
Why did I decide to write about flowers? Because they are static. Birds or animals at least have some behaviour and move. There’s still a very little amount of creative pictures of birds and animals because most of them are not about photography but about animals. But of course, there’s always a way to take some creative photographs. Although who I am to talk about creativity? Can we measure creativity? No…
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