Flowers enter the photographer’s frame on a daily basis, regardless of whether or not it was the subject of intent. For this writing, I will conclude that most photography is enhanced with the addition of a flower. In these examples, much like a funeral, wedding, prom, or the closing night of a 3-night run of a high school musical, flowers aren’t necessary, but always enhance the experience.
Posing With/Under Flowers
The subject of each photo in this initial batch is the human. But in each case the photo would seem a bit pointless if the flower was absent or replaced with less pleasant vegetation such as Spanish moss or brick lichen.
Creating Depth With Flowers
The act of taking a photo with a human and a flower is entry-level work for the photographer. It is portrait photography with an accessory. However, there are strategic uses of flowers that can take a photo from a boring snapshot to a complex piece of art worthy of most name-brand refrigerator magnet displays.
This technique requires that some of the flowers to appear in the foreground of the photo. The focus remains on the person, and depending on the aperture used at least part of the foreground flowers are likely to be blurred. This gives a photo depth and more of a 3 dimensional feel. A flower in the background is nice but can often be ignored and tends to not add additional depth when not accompanied by foreground flowers.
Even photographers in the mid 1980s knew to take advantage of this colorful depth tactic.
People Taking Pictures of Flowers
Spring flowers create a sense of awe for New Englanders who just months earlier witnessed thousands of seasonal plants die. It is the perfect opportunity to practice candid people photography with foreground flowers, but it’s become its own category to me. Folks bend and twist in pairs and trios to capture the short life of the spring tulips and become unknowing backgrounds to otherwise cliched field-flower photography.
All photos by Jason McGorty. This entry is one of a larger set of Definitively Unprofessional Guides to niche photography subjects.
Disclaimer: The information contained in this website is for general information purposes only. I do realize I ran out of things to say about flower photography in this third entry.
What makes a good photograph is completely subjective and the views expressed in this guide are that of the author only.
LET IT BE REVEALED 