Wild Blooms - Flower Photography Tutorial

Wild Blooms - Flower Photography Tutorial
I believe there is always meaning behind everything that comes into your life. On this day, I was feeling particularly vulnerable, a little delicate, much like these beautiful wild blooms. I didn’t think much of it at first, as I picked up the bouquet and brought it home from the farmer’s market. But as I started working with them, giving them the attention that they were so fully worthy of - I began to realize that my state of being resembled their own. I found comfort in this. The art that we were creating together became a space of exploration for the emotions I was feeling.

As I immersed myself in the work, I was able to fully acknowledge my vulnerability. Without pressure, explanation, or reason, I found beauty in this softness and allowed it to inspire me. I knew that my current state would pass, but now I was in no hurry to get there. Each step was worth experiencing. I love the way the process of art can open doors to the deepest parts of ourselves.

Let's begin.

This little nook is where I shoot all my photography right now. It's my happy space.

1. Flowers, flowers, flowers and lots of them.

2. Vases, pitchers, any type of vessel that speaks to me.

3. Backdrop boards I use. I also love using a beautiful painted canvas or a sheet. You can make all of these yourself if you wish! I have done a bit of both - purchased some and made others on my own.

4. Glasses I keep on hand - I never know when I may want to add them in.

5. Ribbons add a nice touch.

6. Fabrics add textures that I adore (linen, silk, cotton, and velvet are some of my favorites).

7. Some tools I love to use during my shoot (scissors, smoke, flower frogs, water).

wild bloom tutorial

While my flowers are doing their happy dance and drinking lots of water, I love to draw ideas from the mood board I created for inspiration.

Once I have my flowers, I separate them by color (this is what feels most natural to me,) and I place them in individual vases to breathe. Then I wait 24-48 hours for the blossoms to hydrate before my shoot.


In the meantime, I'll brainstorm ways I can arrange them with other props (i.e. vases, water, sand, fruit, scarves, etc.).

fresh flowers in vases

I love including fabrics in my photography to complement my subject.

linens and fabric for photoshoot

I select a backdrop and vessel.

photography backdrop and props

I keep a tray and a pair of scissors next to me to clean off some of the leaves as I start building my arrangement.

prop styling tools

I like having a little towel handy as it helps absorb any droplets of water that fall on the surface as I work with each stem.

prop styling tools

This is a little experimental test as I play to build and balance out my arrangement.

image test

I adjust my tripod and camera a few times as I wanted to capture the arrangement in different angles. Then, at the end, I can select the one I love most.

wild blooms in vase

I just love how this little delicate bloom is stretching so far away from the group and balances out really nicely with the leaf on the other side.

Note that I moved the position of my camera to see what it feels like to have my subject on the far left.

wild blooms in vase

I added in velvet, but this felt too heavy for me. I also played with the position of the flowers. I wanted to give them more space.

I changed the fabric but now I need to play with it. There is too much showing, but I like the light and airy feeling.

flowers in old vase

1. Oh, hello new friend! 

2. I also wanted to add a little flower here.

3. I am starting to like how the fabric is taking on a wave shape. I didn't pin it, I pressed it down with my fingers in some areas where I wanted to show less.

photography styling tips

1. I like the new flower in this corner.

2. I need to remove a couple of the flowers off the board.

3. I need to play with the blooms a little more and clean everything up, but I like how this is starting to turn out.

Tip: I love shooting the same image at sunrise and sunset, as the feeling of the natural light is completely different. Adding in shadows is super fun, too. I play, shoot, and repeat until I like what I see!

floral photography tips

So much to say here... As I picked each stem and worked with the little blooms, feeling how delicate they were, I couldn't help but resonate with how fragile they felt between my fingertips.

 

1. I wanted one bloom to try to stand up tall even though she seems she is all fragile as her petals are facing down.

2. I always like to add a little touch of something different to a bouquet.

3. I love how strong she is on her own.

4. I really wanted these flowers looking at each other as the one fell and was wanting help.

5. I wanted to have this little one falling off but managing to hold on tight while her little friend was peeking down asking her if she needs help.

6. I removed some of the flowers that had fallen off and added a couple more to the right side to balance the left.

editing a photo

Now off to editing….

Here's the final image. I've made a bunch of tiny adjustments and also warmed it up a touch.

edited flower photo

I hope you enjoyed!

with love,