We have five basic rose photography tips to help you with your task, whether you are using film or a digital camera.
Having grown the perfect rose, having cultivated the complete bed of roses, why not capture the beauty with a photograph.
...And the First Tip Is: Think Focus In every bed on every bush will be some roses past their peak. To avoid this in your photographs move in closer and select a single bloom but make a decision as to which part of the bloom will be in focus. These close-ups or 'Macro' photos have a very shallow focal plane so the chances are you won't be able to get the flower in focus by being so close, so make a choice. Petals, stemens, the centre? The edges may be slightly out of focus but that usually produces an interesting effect.
Rose Photography Tip 2: Use A Tripod Try and always use some form of tripod or at least rest the camera on something. Not only will the breeze be moving the rose slightly but a swaying camera will add to the confusion, especially if you are close up. The blurring will become un-manageable, especially if you try to increase the size of the image later. As you move, the focal point moves slightly and creates a 'what's supposed to be in focus?' situation. Even breathing causes a slight movement of the camera. Be patient, calm and use a tripod!
Rose Photography Tip 3: "Value Added" Improves a Picture Close-ups of roses can be pretty and can be dramatic but by adding a bee, a butterfly, an ant, a spiders web or just a light spray with a water mister you have added interest. Try a bloom with a bud next to it or my favorite; a yellow rose with a red lady bug!
Rose Photography Tip 4: Check The Background....Twice Always look closely at the background in the frame before taking the photograph. If the leaves or grass in the background are out of focus the effect will be pleasing but avoid the neighbors car, the garage door, the street sign or the bent drain pipe. One method is to put a piece of grey, black or blue cardboard behind or place a blck cloth on the ground below. Maybe a roll of bamboo blind would work, a piece of velvet, a window blind or just colored paper, slightly out of focus. Plan your backgrounds. Check them carefully.
...And finally, Tip Number 5: Wait For The "Pose" Look for the best angle. Walk around your subject and pick the best side in relationship to it's background and the ligt. If this doesn't seem to be working, cut the rose with a fairly long stem and hold it securely in a needle-point holder of some kind. Hold it up against the sky and rotate it to get the best "pose". Think of your subject rose like a face: which angle would be best, which is best lit and which "pose" shows the face in at it's best.
Below is a good short video about photography in the garden: not specifically roses, but any flowers. Good tips and advice, although they do advertise a couple of books at the end...interesting books actually! Three minutes and thirty seconds long with good sound, so turn up the speakers and...enjoy!
Look for more Photography tips. See Photographing Roses, below--->
www.Rose-Works helping you get the most from your Roses.
We have five basic rose photography tips to help you with your task, whether you are using film or a digital camera.
Having grown the perfect rose, having cultivated the complete bed of roses, why not capture the beauty with a photograph.
