11 TIPS FOR PHOTOGRAPHING PLANTS AND FLOWERS WITH A MACRO

I have always thought and defended that the essence of a photographer is to see where others do not see. It is the ability to find a wonderful image where others see nothing, the ability to fascinate with the immediate environment without resorting to large trips or easily photogenic scenarios. A photographer is not simply the one who takes pictures, because today anyone enters that definition, a photographer is an image creator , a story finder , the spokesperson for an idea. Most of the time beauty and great stories are closer and smaller than we think. Do you have a macro? Then you have a treasure and the key to a door that will bring you great satisfaction . And if you have a macro, then you have to dive at least once in the photography of flowers and plants, because the tandem macro photography and plant nature is a safe bet . But before throwing yourself like crazy to capture images with a macro, I leave some tips that I hope will be useful.

1. PHOTOGRAPHY AT DAWN

Yes, what a sloth, right? Until you see the difference between doing it at another time of day and at dawn . And I say sunrise and not sunrise and sunset on purpose, because the sunrises have the characteristic not only of giving us a wonderful warm and soft light, but of being the time of day with less wind.

Soft and warm diffuse lights very attractive to enhance colors and shapes.
It is the time of day with less wind. And in macro photography the approach is essential and very precise, so a scenario as static as possible is necessary.
Dew. It is an element that can add interest to your images and give a lot of game in macro photography.

Take advantage of the sunrises that provide warm lights

2. USE A TRIPOD

Forever. No excuses, to shoot macro you have to carry a tripod. It is already difficult to depend on the flower or plant you want to photograph not to move a bit, much more trust your good pulse or have enough light to shoot at high speeds (and freeze the movement).

If your thing is macro photography, surely getting one with a removable, heavy central column and in which the legs can be opened at different angles is an option (face) to consider.

3. USE A TIMER OR REMOTE TRIGGER

I will not get tired of insisting that the slightest variation due to movement can spoil the focus on macro photography, where detail is almost the essence of the image. That is why, every precaution is little. Using the camera's remote trigger or a timer will eliminate the movement you cause when you press the shutter. Likewise, if your camera has the option of blocking the mirror, do so; This will also help you reduce shaking.

Always use a tripod

4. LOWER THE ISO

Another reason not to forget the tripod at home. Working with a low ISO will bring greater clarity and quality to your images. So it is best to leave it fixed at a low value. Each camera has a default value in which it ensures better image quality, if you are very purist, try to find out yours, if not, place the ISO between 75 and 125, which is approximately where this value is located.

5. TAKE CARE OF THE FUND

Do not forget how important the background is in the photographs and the power of picking up or destroying an image. Even more so when we try to photograph something as formal as a flower or a plant, where color and form are practically everything. A good trick is to take alternative funds with you when you don't find one that suits you. You can take colored fabrics or cards. Since what photographs are small in size, you will not need them to be too large.

Take care of the fund

6. ALWAYS CARRY A REFLECTOR

Since the dawn only gives us light for a short period of time and you probably want to continue your photographic adventure for a while, it is best that you always carry a reflector with you to soften hard lights, shadows and textures whenever you need it. This will allow you to get good images at not so good times of day

7. TAKE ADVANTAGE OF CLOUDY DAYS

Cloudy days, although for other types of photography they can be somewhat annoying, for the photography of flowers and plants, it represents a great scenario. The clouds act as a diffuser and make the light reach the scene smoothly and diffusely, causing shadows and soft textures ideal for this type of photography.

8. CHANGE THE POINT OF VIEW

The macro photography is a type of photography that must be simmered slowly , savoring the scene and all the work prior to the shot. Forget about here I catch you here I kill you because then you will not get anything. You have to think, look, laugh, circle, frame, unravel, stretch on the floor, chop, contrapicar and try different frames. Macro photography allows you to enter magical worlds, enjoy them without haste

9. PHOTOGRAPHY ALL YEAR

Not only must you wait anxiously for spring, there are flowers all year round somewhere, not of all species or everywhere, but stop to think, there are flowers on balconies, in the city, in florists ... If you like the Flower macro you will never run out of material.

10. TAKE A VAPORIZER WITH YOU

You will not always find morning dew either in the place or in the way you might like. So, why not create your own dew? It is as simple as carrying a small vaporizer with water and spraying the areas of the plant and the flower you want and in the way you want.

Take a vaporizer

11. TAKE GOOD CARE OF THE COMPOSITION

In this type of a priori static photographs, a good composition is as basic as it is free, although some basic composition rules will be helpful to begin with:

Rule of thirds
Law of the gaze (in case you found some bug on the flower and you wanted to portray it as part of it, leave space in the direction in which the gaze is directed)
Fill the frame. Do not be afraid to dive into the frame and fill it completely.

Take care of the composition

... AND A FAVOR: LEAVE EVERYTHING AS YOU FOUND IT OR BETTER YET

Every flower, every plant, every bug, everything counts and is important in this battered nature of ours. So, please take care of it and respect it from the first moment. (I know you will, but it goes without saying ) How about? Do you dare with the macro of flowers and plants? You've done it already? Be that as it may, I hope you could take advantage of some of the advice. If so, and if you also know someone who could also benefit from any of them, share it to get it. Thank you very much and see you next time