Framing up flowers like a pro
How to clean up your floral compositions
Choosing a good angle for a flower shot will depend on the subject’s shape. Flat blooms that open up to the sun typically suit a top-down approach, while flowers that are pendulous or born on spikes tend to look better when shot from the side. But there are no hard and fast rules and it’s worth trying a range of different angles.
As with portraits of fauna, avoiding distractions in the background of a floral photo will allow viewers to focus fully on the subject. Distractions down there among the vegetation comes in many forms, from criss-crossed blades of grass to an out-of-focus horizon that runs right across the image. It’s often a problem when you’re shooting side-on to a flower, but even shooting from above can pull in unwanted elements, such as patches of bare earth. Your camera’s large rear screen makes it easier to spot distractions than in the viewfinder.