Timing in photography is as important as the camera when shooting close-ups of flowers. By timing, I'm not necessarily referring to the time of day; but more importantly, I'm referring to when the flower is in full-bloom. Sometimes, buds make good photographs; but usually the full-bloom is considered to be the *peak* time to capture it's beauty and visual essence. In photography, candid pictures are of premium quality when the *peak* moment occurs.

If you have the software, Photoshop, don't be overly concerned about flawed petals or tiny bugs or specks on the flower if you know how to clone them out. If you are not to sure about taking this approach, then inspect the flower for imperfections and remove the damaged petals just prior to taking your picture.

If you have a bottle to mist the flower nearby, use it! Water droplets look awesome on flowers! Drops of dew and water drops are delightful and visually refreshing.

From experience, I have learned to take not-so-tight pictures of flowers, because the closer I get to them (with my camera), the percentage of having distortions and blurry pictures go way up. My best advice is to take six or more images of each flower (from different angles). Try some with the flash on and others with it off. If you have software to crop the image at home, that is when you can crop in much tighter on the flower. One more suggestion: try to leave a natural green frame around the flower. The greenery sets off the color just perfectly!

Debbie Jensen, Photographer, Graphic Designer, Web Designer http://www.debjensendesigns.com Come to my website to see my photography of flowers!

• Picture Your Pet


• Do You Remember Your First Photo?


• Equipment: Take Less!


• Portraits: Prepare First


• A Primer on Digital Cameras - Everything You Need to Know


• Equipment Does Matter


• The Myth of Megapixels


• Digital Camera Prices – How to REALLY Get the Best Deal


• Be An Amateur But Act Like A Pro #1


• Be An Amateur But Act Like A Pro #2