Spring is a fantastic time of year to get outdoors with your camera as nature is bursting with so much energy and colour. A walk in the woods in springtime will reveal a myriad of wild flowers, our gardens and parks will have plenty of subjects to photograph too.
With the advent of digital photography and phones with cameras we are all photographers, but what makes one photograph really stand out from the others? The answer to that is there is no single correct way to photograph flowers, however, certain elements do have to be taken into consideration to make a great shot.
Firstly before you start, in your cameras settings, select the highest possible resolution. This will give you clearer detail in your photographs, enabling the image to be used larger without signs of bluriness or noise.
Time of day is an important consideration when taking your photographs, the early bird really does catch the worm! Harsh midday sun makes most subjects look unflattering. Early morning or late afternoon are the best times of day as the light is warmer, less harsh and the colours of the plants look richer. Mornings also tend to be more still, flowers are hard to photograph when they are moving around too much. Windy days are the toughest to photograph flowers on, unless you choose to use the blur creatively with a slower shutter speed.
Weather. Most people are surprised to hear that overcast days can be very beneficial for garden and flower photography. This is because clouds act as a perfect light diffuser, creating even lighting and saturation without the worry of harsh highlights or shadows.
Consider your subject before rushing to photograph it. Walk around and see what you are drawn to, see how the light plays on the flowers. Think about your composition, how is the subject going to fill the frame? Backlit flowers will always look good if the petals are transluscent as it accentuates the colours of the petals, giving off a luminesence and showing off the patterns. Don`t be afraid to try out different angles, getting down to the same height as a flower is very effective, or look up to flowers from below them.
The background of your photograph is very important as untidy, busy, cluttered backgrounds kill a shot as the viewers eye gets distracted away from the subject. If there are shadows use them to make the flower stand out, or move in closer to the subject.
For close ups I would always recommend the use of a tripod, they allow you to frame the flower perfectly and keep the image sharp. Also look at the flower to see it is free of blemishes or missing petals.
If you do hand hold your camera, as a very general rule of thumb with a standard lens 1/60th of a second is the minimum shutter speed to use, with longer lenses such as a 200mm look around 1/250th of a second to avoid camera shake. For checking correct exposure always check your histogram not the LCD preview.
Snowdrops: 1/60s f11
Finally break the rules, experiment and have fun, try out new angles and backgrounds, you might be surprised with the results you obtain.
Allium ‘Purple Sensation’ photographed against the sun, post processed in Lightroom.
Try out different processes such as black and white such as the photograph below of a tulip.
Homage to Edward Weston – 3rd place IGPOTY : Monochrome
When photographing wildflowers be careful not to tread on other flowers, leave them just as you found them for insects and others to enjoy.
Wild Garlic (Ramsons) © Stephen Studd Photography for BBC Gardeners World.
I am running bluebell flower photography workshops in the Forest of Dean, Gloucestershire in April: further details can be found here: www.digitalphotographyholidays.com
I also run flower photography workshops www.digitalphotographyholidays.com
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It can get pretty hot here too, but the warm hued landscapes are worth the heat, especially near to sunset when the place comes on fire.
as the hoodoos glow in the morning sunlight.
As Utah is +1 hour ahead in time from Nevada and Arizona, sunrises are at a very comfortable 7.00am in September, no excuses for getting up for these views.
The skies here can be outrageously moody.
In a very synchronistic way that always seem to happen on Navajo Land, I have teamed up with a Navajo friend who has taken me way off road to a place only accessible with a Navajo guide, this has been the highlight on the photo tour I run here. The drive is totally amazing going over terrain that only a local would be confident doing, but once at the top of one of the mesa’s the panoramic views of the sandstone formations from a distance bathed in warm evening light are breath taking.
As for the desert night skies high up from this vantage point, you can see the Milky Way and a billion stars as there is no light pollution here. The sunrises from up here too are a landscape photographers dream.
The Grand Canyon is world famous for the light, which photographs well whatever the weather conditions are. I personally prefer real moody scenes as they really add drama to photographs,
the same scene can change within a very short space of time, making it worthwhile to stop and photograph the ever changing views that appear in front of your lens.
There are so many great turn outs to stop at along the south rim meaning that you don’t have to walk far for stunning photographs.
Americana and old-school kitsch.
Hackberry stores literally in the middle of nowhere is sure worth a stop on the way back,
as is the strange little town of Chloride, those that have been there will know what I mean!
The one thing you will need for a two week road trip is plenty of storage space to back up all the photographs you will take. 
Instead of heading back to the madness of Vegas after this nature immersion I like to stay in Boulder City, Nevada. On the way you pass the Hoover Dam, worthy of a quick visit. Boulder is a small compact city that you can walk around and has some fantastic places to eat and craft beer micro breweries. From here it’s only a short drive to Las Vegas airport to fly home.
There’s great value to be taken from photography road-tripping as they are not only full 
Taking my first peek at the show last year on the Sunday before press day, Manoj Malde’s ‘Beneath a Mexican Sky’ garden stopped me in my tracks with it’s in your face bold use of colour. Having spent some time in Mexico myself I know that Mexicans are not shy of using colour.
The Viking Cruises ‘Garden of Inspiration’ by Sarah Eberle had bright vivid mosaics and of course the orange tree to take you straight to the Med.
The Breast Cancer Now Garden: Through the Microscope designed by Ruth Willmott
used the colour palette of oranges, reds and yellows to great effect.
with the occasional splash from deep bass sound, a novel idea well executed.
The Anneka Rice ‘Colour Cutting’ garden designed by Sarah Raven was a colourful garden which had a lovely retro, nostalgic feel to it.
The vegetable garden also reflected the warm colours of reds and bronzes.
Matt’s sumptuous planting truly showcased beautiful flower, grass and conifer plant combinations alike.
The very contemporary urban garden showcased the principles of sustainable rainwater management, with naturalistic informal planting set against the strong shapes and forms of the paths and hard surfaces. 
The RHS ‘
