TULIP FIELDS

So far there are two people saying they're going to the Tulip Fields with us tomorrow.  That's ok.  We will still have fun.  If you go later in the month, please share your pictures with us!  I found some photos that I thought had merit.  Not the usual 'stand over the flower and take a picture'.  In our zone that doesn't do it justice nor is it of much interest.  

Scott Kelby in his book, The Digital Photography Book says..."On an average day, if you were to walk by some wildflowers in a field, or along a path in a garden, you'd be looking down at these flowers growing out of the ground, right?  That's why, if you shoot flowers from a standing position, looking down at them like we always do, your flower shots will look very, well...average.  If you want to create flower shots with some serious visual interest you have to shoot them from an angle we don't see every day.  If you're going to shoot some great flower shots, you're going to have to get your hands dirty, well at least your knees anyway.  

You don't have to have a macro lens to take great flower shots - zoom lenses work just great for shooting flowers for two reasons: 2.  You can often zoom in tight enought to have the flower nearly fill the frame, and 2. it's easy to put the background out of focus with a zoom lens, so the focus is just the flower.  Start by shooting in aperture priority mode, then use the smallest aperture number your lens allows

.  Then try to isolate one flower, or a small group of flowers that are close together, and focus on just that flower.  When you do this, it puts the background out of focus, which keeps the background from distracting the eye and makes a stronger visual composition.

Here are a few boring shots in my opinion:  

Here are some great photos:

Note where the horizon is, where your  eye is led, composition, subject placement, etc.