Laurie, any tips or suggestions of good photo books that will help me, I have Scott Kelby?s Digital Photography #1 & #2. He does do a ?Shooting Flowers Like a Pro? chapter.
I don't know offhand of any books specifically for digital photography of flowers, although I'm quite certain that there are many out there. A troll of Amazon.com would be a good place to start, and read the reviews of current owners before purchasing.
As regards other tips for photographing flowers...... well, I suppose I could write a book on that. (Now there's an idea.
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I think the first key step is to thoroughly get to know how your own camera works - what its features and limitations are. Once you're familiar with how it works, then you will have the confidence to tackle any kind of photography, not just flowers.
The principles are basically the same as for shooting any still-life subjects outdoors.
Lighting is very important, and there are differing views about this as well. For example, George prefers to have an overcast day for his photos, he doesn't like bright sunlight.
To a certain extent, bright sun is not a good idea. Early morning and late afternoon are good times, when the light is much softer. Avoid midday when the sun is at its highest and brightest. This will bleach out any bright colours of a flower and cast dramatic dark shadows in the foliage.
I want to keep any tips as simple as possible for you Toby, as I know you're still geting to grips with this hobby. So I'm not going to go into complicated set-ups of your scene before you take your pictures.
A certain amount of side light onto your flower head would work well, which will define the contours of the petals better, giving more depth to your flower through the gentle shadows.
Get as close to your flower as you can. Certainly you will want to take a full shot first, showing the plant from ground level to its top, but try and cut out as much superfluous background and plants/objects around it as you can, by filling your viewfinder/LED monitor with the main flower.
Then get a good close-up of the flower head itself. Again, this is where knowing the capabilities of your camera comes in. You will know what settings to use, and how close you need to be.
Pick a wind-less day. There's nothing worse than trying to photograph a flower that's bobbing around all over the place. It will not only turn out blurred, but you'll not get it properly framed either. Believe me, I've tried it and it's not worth the hassle.
Enough for now, let me know if this was helpful to you Toby or there's anything else you want to ask.
Laurie.
