Polina’s tips

Think what you want to emphasise when you are shooting. Are you trying to capture the moment, an accurate botanical representation of a flower, or your own impression of it? Figuring that out is crucial at the shooting stage as it informs your technique – your depth of field, how you handle light and so on. You need to be very clear about your mood and idea.

You must obsess about light. If shooting outside, think about making a checklist, a bit like ‘mirror, signal, manoeuvre’ when driving. So I always take along a tripod, a portable diffuser and reflector and a cable release.

Don’t dismiss flowers that are imperfect. Leaves eaten by slugs or browning petals might just make your picture. Decide if you are an image maker or an image taker.