The winter of 2015-2016 has been a season of ups and downs in Philadelphia and likely that’s how it was for you where ever you live. It was 73 degrees on Christmas day and then a few weeks later we had 30 inches of snow on a Friday night. School didn’t resume until the following Thursday.
But as an online photography teacher with classes starting in all four seasons I preach that anytime of the year is a great time to start learning how to use your camera. For example, the dead of winter is a great time to build a fire and read your instruction manual. Admittedly, that’s a stretch. I mean who am I kidding, really.
It’s just difficult to argue with springtime, isn’t it. The temperature is right and flowers just happen to be one of the all-time great practice subjects—or serious subjects, for that matter. Everything is growing and you may as well join the club; springtime is a great time to grow as a photographer. Probably the best time. And not only flowers – there are countless opportunities in springtime for you to create your new favorite photograph. Just check out all our spring photography tips!
For many, springtime brings with it graduation, recitals, and other end of year activities that beg to be documented. You can find tips for photographing those spring milestones in our library of photo tips, but for most, it’s all about the flowers, isn’t it!
There are as many different approaches to flower photography as there are photographers. I like to bring individual specimens into my studio. In other words, several of my neighbors noticed me stealing their flowers last year and sneaking them into my garage. (I confessed later and emailed them the finished product. No one complained.) Want to see the results? I stole enough flowers to make a 2-part series … Part 1 here and Part 2 here…all in the name of education.
Photography is rife with mechanical barriers. F-stops and shutter speeds and tripods are often the source of a disconnect between you and your subject. I find that if you can bring a flower into a safe wind-free environment, photography can also be a meditation on life and the natural world. (Don’t let the kids come along. This is between you and the flower.)
But like I said, there are many different approaches to flower photography. You could very well be one of those roll-around-on-your-belly-in-the-garden flower photographers. It doesn’t make any difference. Trust me, when you do it properly the result is always the same.
Joy.
