Usually, I'm not a big fan of nature and floral photography. My wife, who grew up in a rural area, is smitten by flowers. Sometimes I think she considers me a bit of a Philistine because I don't share her enthusiasm. Me, I grew up in Queens with three siblings and two parents in a two bedroom apartment. Our plants were the weeds that grew up in the cracks of the sidewalk. I was more interested in that magical island 15 minutes train ride to the west, full of concrete and buzz. Now I wonder how it could be that my wife doesn't understand, as I do, that Philip Glass' Satyagraha is the greatest opera of the 20th Century (and it's gonna be at the Met next spring!). Chacun a son gout.Anyway, I was out working on my weekly photo quota at the Missouri Botanical Garden on a lusciously dark, drizzly day. Many things photograph better in such soft, even light, IMHO. This group of flowers caught my eye. I began to play with composition and depth of field. This image appealed to be because the flowers seem to float in a relaxed, ambiguous space. You could reach out to the big one but not the others.
What do you look for in floral photographs?
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9 comments:
What a wonderful shot as well as explanation of your feelings re. the photo. I like the floating effect, and, of course, the colours. Sublte gradations. I think colour and clarity of detail are how I measure the success of a floral photograph. Haven't tried it myself, because I think they're difficult to photograph well. Good job!!
tres belle photo, on dirait que ta fleur vole. j'aime beaucoup ton traitement
very beautiful photograph, one would say that your flower flies. I like much your treatment
Oh, I look for Fibonacci numbers in the petals or seed structure.
Just kidding! However, I do think the golden rule of proportions in Nature is the most (if not only!) fascinating thing about math.
Actually, I look for color, contrast and ability to influence my mood or to brighten someone else's day.
Thanks for sharing!
Texture, contrast, color, detail, light, playfulness, you know the typical wow factor. I like macro shots, that in-depth look into the flower.
Beautiful. Being an amateur, I always looked at flowers but never thought of photographing them.
I saw a few amazing photos of flowers on blogs of fellow daily city photo bloggers and decided to try.
Do visit MumbaiDailySnapshot and help me identify the flowers.
What do you look for in floral photographs?
Err...detail and sharpness, but I never quite achieve either. I have to admit that macro shots are a bit of a weakness.
I like your shot.
What I like about this photo is that the soft focused flowers in the rear kind of echo the main focus and force your eye there.
You're right about a overcast sky for good shots -- an old trick for photographers: a bright day casts strong shadows, so for instance, people get dark shadows in their eyes. The overcast has a more even distribution of light -- up,down, right, left etc.
Awesome photo. I love the details of the tiny orange thingy in the middle.
For a Philistine you take a beautiful floral photo!
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