6 Get low with flowers

Ensure you get the best angle of view to shoot eye-catching spring daffodils

Most of the time, we look at the world around us from eye level, but a perspective that’s five to six feet above ground is rarely the most dynamic, because that’s how everyone else sees the world. To reveal a fresh angle on a subject, it pays to think differently, and with flowers. That usually means getting low.

From a ground-level camera position, flowers will instantly become more dominant in the frame, and you are also changing their relationship with whatever is in the background.

To shoot low, use your vari-angle LCD screen, if your camera has one. If it doesn’t then lying prone on a groundsheet is the next best thing – but not as comfortable!

Get a natural starburst background To add a starburst to a sunlit daffodil portrait, partially obscure the sun behind a petal, and in Aperture Priority, select f/11. This will produce a neat burst effect, but you may need to use positive exposure compensation to brighten the flower.