These last few weeks I've become a bit of a sneezing and eye-streaming wreck - all because the pollen count is soaring and my hayfever has struck. BUT what this means is....the flowers are out! So off I go, dosed up to the max on antihistimines, into the woods with my trusty camera.
Taking photos of flowers can be seen as a bit of a joke in "serious" photographic circles , as it is CLEARLY only beginners who spend time doing such a flippant thing. I disagree. I think there is FAR too much cynicism around, and I'm on a mission to re-claim the joy of well-captured images showing the simple beauty of the world in which we live.
I've seen a lot of images by professional photographers which could have been much better had they honed their skills on local flora - a short wander along any path with a camera will give opportunity to practice playing with a whole range of manual settings, focal depth, macro, white balance......
For example try getting the colour exactly right as on this red campion:
Or ensuring white flowers LOOK white, their petal details are kept and aren't blown out:
And try capturing tiny flowers as they bob in the wind, with a nice short focal depth to keep the focus on them (and the background fuzzy):
Not only will you get great practice, but you'll end up with lovely images with universal appeal. Just remember the antihistimines!