I have wondered far from my intentions of a working blog with ideas and tips about photography so, I think I need a restart. I am thinking a small restart might help me with the intentions to move forward and publish more photos and explore my own photography at a greater depth. Little ideas can go a great distance. With summer here, I thought a few entries on flower photography tips might be a good way to get going.

With spring and summer most photographers have ample opportunity to slip into a world of color. I am lucky, for where I live, I can head off in every direction and find the beauty and color flowers lend to nature for the short months of spring and into summer. Most folks can find seasonal blooms for them selves, sometimes close by their own home or by traveling further into the field. If you are looking, sometimes it only takes slowing down and looking close, some flowers are big and bold but many require a little closer attention to discover. I often find my self crawling around in a field or forest floor examining and photographing the colorful blossoms that present themselves each season. If you have difficulty tuning into the seasonal flowers in your area, talk with local arboretums, gardens or check the internet. The modern web offers the curious browser seasons and schedules for most flowering plants in just about every corner of the world.

I have assembled together a few of my tips to getting out and making the most of the natures finest with the hopes it will add to your creative quest for seeking wonderful images of flowers. Read through, these are not a complete  list of ideas just a few to get you going. I will add one new tip for each day of this week to live here on the blog. Get out and have fun and happy shooting. 

Day 1 Getting close, this is where the details live.  This image of a very close up of Arrowleaf balsamroot flower, showing the detail  in the florets of this cheery early summer flower would be a great start. It reminds me of the simple but elegant beauty of flowers and all they are composed of. 

Balsamroot details; by getting in very close and photographing with nothing more than a iPhone and a macro lens I was able to extract a much smaller scene from a field of these radiant beauties. Flower photography may mean stepping back and capturing images of entire mountainsides covers in the color of summertime blooms or it may entail crawling in close for the intimate detail of a single blossom. Getting close, establishes impact and a relationship with your subject. A good day out photographing flowers allows me to ground myself in my location and subject.  

*Please note: Anytime you get close to flowers, be cautious not to step on, break, cut, crush or just outright disturb the plant growth you are there to photograph. Often times these plants may have been waiting years to flower and complete their reproductive season. Leaving no trace that you were there will help provide you, and others with the satisfaction that the plant life will continue its cycle un-interupted.   

Balsam Root Detail