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tulips

How to do Photograph Flowers, My Favorite Spring Hobby

May 5, 2015 by info@3QuartersToday.com

Tips on Photographing Flowers

Spring has finally arrived and I was able to pick daffodils and tulips for my dining room table. That means my camera comes out of its winter hibernation and I get into my flower photography again.

I’m not a winter person and by February and March the lack of sunshine and Vitamin D squash my photographic creativity. A few supplies necessary for indoor and macro flower photography are essential.

Flower photography and editing in Lightroom

This flower frog helps keep blooms and stems in place. I don’t know how anyone arranges flowers without a flower frog.

With the first blooms of the daffodils and warmth of sun, I get inspired again to take pictures. I don’t have a photo studio. But, I use my dining room which has a south-facing window to create a makeshift photography studio.

Create your own table top photography studio where you can photograph flowers and other small objects.

The southern exposure gives me plenty of light during the afternoon. Then it’s a matter of using white art matte boards to bounce light. It would of been easier to set up this tabletop studio tent.

Flower Photography

My favorite photos this year actually belong to my tulips. The setup included flowers in vases, various colors of artist mat board for the backgrounds, a tripod and my Canon Rebel with the shutter on a 2-second delay. Yes, I took these photos with a Canon Rebel, an introductory DSLR camera.

This might seem strange but you can achieve sharper images when you don’t manually press the shutter. I like using a remote shutter release cord. Yes, you can buy a wireless one, but they are small and I have a habit of losing them.

With shutter speeds over 1/500 it isn’t an issue, but for macro photography or shutter speeds less than 1/250th it does make a difference. Give it a try and let me know how it works.

Yellow, Orange and Red Tulip Flowers Jigsaw Puzzle
Yellow, Orange and Red Tulip Flowers Jigsaw Puzzle
by ndjmom

A professional heavy duty camera tripod is a necessity. Seriously. For still life and macro photography, the sharpest images are those where you have no movement or camera shake.

All the flowers I edited in Lightroom some, like the one below I experimented with various looks to achieve more of a fine art effect. I decreased the vibrancy and contrast for a softer look.

Pink Tulips in the Garden Birthday Card
Pink Tulips in the Garden Birthday Card
by ndjmom

Tulips edited in Lightroom

The flowers on the black matte board I left pretty much their natural colors to contrast with the dark background. Yes, the colors were just this vibrant. I did pull the “blacks” slider in the editor down to saturate and even out the black mat. But other than that I did very little.

Tulips edited in Lightroom
Set against a black mat board

I made several of my red and white tulip images into puzzles and greeting cards. These are perfect for women who love flowers.

Single orange tulip

I love post-production and Lightroom! It’s so much fun to explore what you can do with an image to improve the beauty and artistry. A one-year Photoshop/Lightroom subscription is less than $10/month and is a great gift for a photographer.

I’ve never taken any classes in either computer program, most have all been self-taught with the use of a few YouTube videos, books, and a LOT of experimentation.

Filed Under: Photography Tagged With: daffodils, flower photography, flowers, Lightroom, Photography, Photoshop, Spring, tulips

Spring Has Sprung

April 26, 2014 by info@3QuartersToday.com

Spring has sprung in Nebraska, and I am a happy camper!

After a long winter in Nebraska I am more than ready for Spring and it can’t come fast enough. My daffodils are blooming, the buds on the trees are opening and the sun is shining.

With the first blooming flowers of spring I start taking my camera with me everywhere. There is something about the sun and new life rising from the ground that inspires me.

Enjoy my flowers this year and Spring Quotes

Spring has sprung with the first daffodils of the year
Spring has sprung with the first daffodils of the year

Spring is nature’s way of saying, “Let’s party!”  ~Robin Williams

Blooming redbud tree
Blooming redbud tree

It’s spring fever.  That is what the name of it is.  And when you’ve got it, you want – oh, you don’t quite know what it is you do want, but it just fairly makes your heart ache, you want it so!  ~Mark Twain

Mark Twain had it right, I have SPRING FEVER!

Daffodil garden at Arbor Day Lodge in Nebraska City
Daffodil garden at Arbor Day Lodge in Nebraska City

Awake, thou wintry earth –
Fling off thy sadness!
Fair vernal flowers, laugh forth
Your ancient gladness!
~Thomas Blackburn, “An Easter Hymn”

Apple blossoms at Arbor Day Lodge in Nebraska City
Apple blossoms at Arbor Day Lodge in Nebraska City

I love spring anywhere, but if I could choose I would always greet it in a garden.  ~Ruth Stout

So true, I love the flower gardens in the spring and it’s to them that I flock when the warm spring breezes blow. Always with my camera of course.

I love spring anywhere, but if I could choose I would always greet it in a garden. ~Ruth Stout
I love spring anywhere, but if I could choose I would always greet it in a garden. ~Ruth Stout

If we had no winter, the spring would not be so pleasant; if we did not sometimes taste of adversity, prosperity would not be so welcome.  ~Anne Bradstreet

I guess the spring quote by Anne Bradstreet is true, if we didn’t have winter, and very cold winters, we would never appreciate spring. The same is the same with joy. If we never experience sadness we would relish and appreciate joy and happiness.

Raindrops on a Tulip
Raindrops on a Tulip

The naked earth is warm with Spring,
And with green grass and bursting trees
Leans to the sun’s kiss glorying,
And quivers in the sunny breeze.
~Julian Grenfell

So now that Spring has sprung, can summer be far behind? I am a sun worshipper, nothing makes me happier than sitting with my face to the sun on the first warm day of spring. I love the warmth, and can’t wait for an 80 degree day so I can sit on the deck and soak in the rays.

What do you like about spring? Do you have a favorite spring tradition?

 

Filed Under: Photography, Uncategorized Tagged With: Color, daffodils, flowering trees, flowers, Nebraska, Photography, seasons, Spring, spring has sprung, springtime, tulips

#12/52: Flower Porn and More

April 2, 2012 by info@3QuartersToday.com

Oops, did I really say that? Flower porn? Oh, I said it again. I’m really into Flower porn (not human kind so stop there if you are and just leave), which is very close up shots of naked reproductive parts of flowers, the stamen and pistils or macro photography. I just can’t help it, I have to not only look but point my camera at those intimate detailed parts.

Tulip flower porn
Week 12: Tulip flower porn

Some of my favorite flowers to expose are Irises, check out my shots from last year.

Summer Day Lily

The secret to good macro photography is plenty of light and a fast shutter speed. With flower photography wind is your enemy and some days you may just need to bring the blooms inside. Expose for the petals to get the texture and details. Try different angles, different lighting, back-lit sun streaming through the petals. Get on the ground and shoot up against the sky. Break out of the boring and stereotypical flower photos.

Iris Garden in Nebraska
Iris’s Galore

Use an open aperture under 5.0 and focus on the itty bitty flower sexual parts, you know the ones, deep inside the flower that few people look dare peek when no one is looking.

Macro Peony
Macro Peony

Macro Photography Tools

Macro Extension Tube Ring for Canon EOS DSLR / SLR4-In-1 Lens Attachment – For iPhone 6, Telephoto/Macro/Fish Eye +CowboyStudio One Way Macro Focusing Rail Slider Macro Bellows forNeewer FC100 32 Super Bright LED Macro Ring Flash For77mm Macro Reverse Ring Adapter for Nikon AI MountUnderstanding Close-Up Photography: Creative Close Encounters with Or Without aClose-Up and Macro Photography: Art and TechniquesCloseup Shooting: A Guide to Closeup, Tabletop and Macro Photography

Flower Photography Tips

How to master the art of flower photography

Spring has finally arrived, and with it some of nature’s most stunning artistry: flowers. A favorite of nature photographers around the world, flowers can be a surprisingly finicky photo subject. Simply snapping a photo in passing doesn’t quite do the …

How does your garden grow? – OCL series offers something for all garderners

“The basics of flower photography will teach how simple changes can make a big difference in personal photographs. Equipment needs from the very basic to more sophisticated camera equipment, including lenses, props, etc., will be covered.” Participants …

Put a spin on flower photography

Spring is only a couple weeks away and that means flowers will be springing up all over the place. For the camera buff the splashes of colors break the monotony of gray days and generates an eagerness to venture out and capture their long-awaited blooms.

25 flower photography tips for beginners | Digital Camera …

Improve your spring photography with these 25 flower photography tips that show you everything from how to compose to how to set your camera.

Spring is Here: Beautiful Flower Photography – PictureCorrect

Just step out of your door and turn around. Someone has planted flowers in front of the building? That could be the perfect place to trigger a few photos! For some unusual and interesting flower photography, take a trip to nature, maybe to park …

31 Incredibly Captivating Flower Photos by Wei-San Ooi

Here are 31 of my absolute favorites from her expansive collection — photographs of flowers that somehow kick the crap out of (a scientific term) 90% of the flower photography we’ve seen — broken down by type of flower for …

 

 

Filed Under: Project 52 Tagged With: Botany, flower, flower photography, Gardening, Gardens, iris, macro photography, peony, Photography, Plant, Plant sexuality, Project 52, Stamen, tulips

Day 151/365: Weeping Tulips

May 5, 2011 by info@3QuartersToday.com

My Spring photography theme is still tulips. There are so many colors and moods of tulips that I can’t help but capture each one in photographs.

Red Tulip Gifts and Decor
Tulips Gently Weeping

This one reminds me of the Beatles song While My Guitar Gently Weeps.  What do you think?

Photography Notes: This was taken on my old Olympus digital camera and I adjusted the overexposure by using Photoshop CS2 curves, used my 365 Action which automatically adds adjustment layers (in case I need to use them) resizes, sharpens and bumps the contrast. Then added the stroke for the outline and the drop shadow

Pastel Tulip Night Light
Pastel Tulip Night Light
by ndjmom

Tulips are one of my favorite flowers because they signal in warm spring weather, sunny days and gardening.

I drive around town searching for as many colors as I can to photograph and my favorite spot is the mass planting of red tulips that remind me of Monet’s painting of flowers.

Pretty Red Tulips Throw Pillow
Pretty Red Tulips Throw Pillow
by ndjmom

There are several interesting facts about tulips and did you know they are the third most popular flower? Some say they are the new rose. I know I like them better than roses.

Tulip Flower Arrangements

There is nothing more impressive than tulip flower arangements for Spring and Easter. This flower door hanger below is just one idea.

Tulip flower arrangements and door hangers are perfect for spring decorating and Easter.

Filed Under: Project 365 Tagged With: 365project, Photography, Photoshop, postaday, project365, Spring, tulips

Day 148/365: Red Tulips Look Like a Monet Painting

May 2, 2011 by info@3QuartersToday.com

Ok, maybe not the famous Monet red poppies, but it’s what I thought of as I crouched down in a neighbors yard to take these red tulips in a neighbors yard. I learned he planted this tulip bed over forty years ago. Daffodils are the first flowers of spring to bloom in my yard, now it’s time for the tulips to shine.In my small town in rural Nebraska people are used to seeing me crouched on the ground with my camera.

This photograph was taken with my old Olympus E-10 camera. It’s only a 4.4 megapixel, but the sensor is better than my Canon Rebel camera and the quality is so much better. I just have to be happy with smaller images.

Red tulips in the garden
These red tulips remind me of Monets Red Poppies (Olympus E-10)

I do love tulips, they are one of my favorite flowers and they are such a welcome sight in the spring after a long winter. Red tulips should be the tradition on Valentines Day instead of roses. I don’t like red roses, so over done. Do a search at the top of the page for more tulip photography. There will be more to come in all colors from red tulips to pink, yellow and the rare variegated tulip hybrids.

Photography Notes: Again, image was originally overexposed, so I played around a bit with the curves layer, added a threshold layer with a low opacity and fill for some dimension to the petals.

More Fun with Tulips

Express your love with red tulips

Hopefully, you followed this ageless custom and expressed your love by giving flowers. This year, rather than giving Rita a bouquet of red roses as I’ve done in the past, on November 3, 2013, I began Plan A — preparing a gift of red tulips. Perhaps …
5000 tulips main attraction at Mughal Gardens this year

President Pranab Mukherjee will declare open the annual ‘Udyanotsav’ at the world-famous Mughal Gardens of Rashtrapati Bhavan on February 15. The Mughal Gardens will remain open to the public from February 16 to March 16. However, it will be closed …
Tiptoe Through the Tulips in Ottawa

Feedback. <. > Bright red tulips in bloom. (Don MacKinnon/Getty Images). As a token of appreciation for the protection of Queen Juliana and her young family, as well as the liberation of Holland, the Dutch sent 100,000 tulip bulbs to Canada.
 

Filed Under: Photography, Project 365 Tagged With: 365project, flower, flowers, Photography, Photoshop, postaday, project365, red tulips, Spring, tulips

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