Successfully advertising your flowers on a website or social media is the key to extra sales. And those sales will eventuate if you digitally display those floral blooms in an appealing manner. Some florists hire professional photographers to capture images of their flowers so they can guarantee attractive results, but with a few tips from us, you can create stunning images that showcase the beauty of your floral arrangements.

Location, Location Location

Setting up for a shoot can be time-consuming. In a local business or e-commerce environment, it’s essential to have the ability to drop the flowers into position, snap a photo and send them out the door, so create a space that is always accessible and dedicated to floral photography. Keep the lights plugged in, have a paper roll backdrop on a stand or attached to a wall, and have a choice of flat-lay backgrounds within reach.

 

Using a Smartphone or DSLR Camera

If you don’t have a DSLR or mirrorless camera available, you can still get professional results from a smartphone if you keep a few tips in mind.

• Focus

Most digital cameras will focus on whatever is closest to the lens. Vase arrangements and table centrepieces often have foliage surrounding the feature flowers, so selective focus on the central areas is preferred. With a camera, use Spot Focus mode to choose which elements of the arrangement you want to be the sharpest. On a DSLR and mirrorless camera, you can switch off the auto-focus mode and manually adjust the lens to focus on areas of greatest importance. Or switch to Aperture Priority mode and choose a large f/stop number for better depth of field where everything in the image is in focus. Alternatively, if you are on location and need to snap a floral presentation, choose a wider aperture to deliberately blur distracting elements in the background. When using a smartphone to take photos of flowers, line up the image and touch the screen to show the phone which area you want as the main focal point. The closer you are to the subject, the more selective the focus will become, so if you want the whole arrangement to be sharp, you’ll need to step back and crop in afterwards.  

 

• Shoot in Portrait Mode

Portrait mode in smartphones makes flattering images of friends and family; you can also use it on flowers. Experiment with this mode, which gently blurs the background while keeping your subject focused. Portrait mode adds a sense of depth that can be adjusted afterwards. This is especially useful when shooting floral arrangements on location, where you don’t have much control over objects in the background.

 

• Simplify the Background

The idea of capturing imaginative photos of flowers for Instagram, Pinterest, Facebook or your website is to show the world your skills as a florist, so you have to make sure the flowers grab attention. The best way to make bouquets, stems, and boxed arrangements stand out is to avoid having anything in the background competing for the viewer’s awareness. Whenever possible, shoot against a neutral background with minimal pattern. White is often preferred for e-commerce, whereas grey tones work well as a background colour for websites because flowers won’t blend into it.

Natural Lighting or Artificial Lighting

Natural light is ideal for flower photography; it has a gentle quality that matches the softness of delicate petals. All you need is a window that directs illumination from the side of your floral arrangement. Place the flowers approximately 0.5 to 1 metre from the window and ensure there are no hotspots or shadows. If the light is too strong, consider covering the window with a white sheet to diffuse the glare. If there isn’t enough light on the opposite side of the flowers, use a combination of natural and artificial light. Shine a daylight-balanced bulb into the shadows, and it will brighten that area while keeping the flower colours true to life. Avoid tungsten or fluorescent light as it will change the colour temperature of that side of the flowers and make it look unnatural.

The disadvantage of natural light is that it’s likely to vary in intensity as the day progresses. You need consistent lighting for flower photography, so most florists use artificial light. Studio lights provide a reliable illumination source, offering you more control over the angles you can shoot. Artificial lights can still create impressive photos of flowers even if you use a smartphone.  

 

• LED Lights

Avoid inbuilt flashes on compact cameras and smartphones, as they are too strong for flower photography. On-camera flashes illuminate from the same direction as the lens, flattening the image and producing poor results. LED side-fill lights offer continuous brightness without the heat of traditional globes, keeping your flower display fresh! They have adjustable colour temperatures (including daylight) and are suitable for cameras and smartphones.

 

• Ring Lights

Small flower arrangements, such as posies, will benefit from ring lighting. A ring light is another form of LED lighting with variable colour temperatures. Its unique circular shape of light gently illuminates flowers appealingly and consistently. Its shape allows you to get close to posies or the bloom of an individual stem flower without throwing shadows across it. A ring light can also be used as a side-fill light.

 

• Softbox

When photographing flowers with artificial light, it’s important to use a modifier. A modifier softens the light and reduces harsh shadows. Soft light helps make the subtle colours of the flower stand out and creates a more vibrant image. Additionally, diffusing the light will help reduce excessive shine on leaves, creating a more professional look. Evenly distributed lighting is easily achieved through Hypop’s ‘Illuminate Mate’ Double Rectangle Softbox Lighting Kit. Place one on each side of your subject (at approximately 45-degree angles), and you eliminate shadows and gently brighten the flowers to perfection.

Other Helpful Equipment

 

• Paper Backdrops

You can turn any small area of space into a photographic studio with paper backdrops. They are available in various colours to contrast against the flowers you photograph, or choose plain tones to highlight floral arrangements for e-commerce. Paper rolls are available in half-width sizes for compact spaces, providing professional backgrounds that enhance any situation.

 

• Flat Lays

When it’s time to become creative with your Instagram shots, lay a selection of flowers amongst other props on flat lay backdrops. Some flat lays are brightly coloured, others mimic marble bench tops or rustic tables, and they offer an opportunity to display flowers in an appealing composition that stops viewers in their tracks. You can also prop a fake-wood flat lay against a wall to suggest that you have photographed the flowers on location. This adds unique texture, elegance and style to your flower photos, producing variety in your online media.

 

• Tripod

If you prefer taking photos in diffused natural light, be aware that you require a slow shutter speed. And reduced shutter speeds often mean blurred images unless you set your camera on a tripod. When using a smartphone, invest in a mini-tripod, or set a short time delay, so you don’t have to press the shutter button on the screen while trying to maintain focus.

 

• Reflectors

Whether you photograph your floral displays next to a window or with artificial light, you may occasionally encounter unwanted shadows. The simplest way to overcome this is to use a reflector. Hypop’s Multi Standard 5-in-1 set of reflectors includes five collapsible discs of varying colours. Use the white one to bounce soft light towards your flowers, the silver one to replicate hard sunlight, and the gold disc to add warmth to the subject. The black one absorbs light and reduces reflections, while the translucent disc can be used as a large diffuser over a window.  

Editing Done Right

It is tempting to add filters to your shots to give them Insta-flair, but make sure you keep it realistic so the flowers match your customers’ expectations. When editing is done well, you enhance the visual experience and encourage potential buyers to purchase.

 

• Cropping

Simple editing in the form of cropping and straightening can be done in Photoshop, Lightroom, and a smartphone. To create a more compelling image with greater impact, it’s essential to fill the frame as much as possible, so the viewer is in no doubt about what you want them to look at.

 

• Using the Right Apps

If you shoot flowers in a shaded location, a blue-grey colour will be cast over the image. An editing program or app that corrects white balance is beneficial in these situations. Snapseed is a feature-packed app ideal for iOS and Android smartphones, making it easy to adjust white balance, curves, and brightness. Amongst its many editing options, it offers the ability to boost colour saturation, which helps the flowers look vibrant without becoming unrealistic. Pixlr is another app with an impressive array of editing tools. Apart from the standard edits, with this app, you can also sharpen images, fix red eyes and remove messy backgrounds. If you want to stand out even further, using the Pixlr app to add text across an image is a stylish way to inform the viewer of the type of arrangement in the photo while catching their attention. Simple adjustments of this type take your photography above your competitor’s efforts.

 

• Keep the Photo Clean and Clear

A layer of text can generate interest in a photo, but don’t go overboard. The intention of flower photography is to provide an elegant image, so don’t clutter it with too many words, emojis, colourful patterns, or smiley faces.

 

• Showing Context

A photo of a bridal bouquet on a bench or in a vase will look lovely, but the image will be more engaging when these flowers are held in front of a wedding dress. Whenever possible, use models to provide emotional context to the goods and services you are offering. Showing the hands of a person holding flowers also provides a visual reference for the size of the bouquet. 
  

• Take Photos from Every Angle

You wouldn’t purchase a dress or car online unless you had a good view of it from all sides. Your customers also want complete confidence when buying a floral arrangement. Take photos from all angles to give them peace of mind about the flowers they purchase.

Final Thoughts

Setting up a dedicated space for flower photography will make capturing images for your website and social media easier, and the results will exceed your expectations. With a bit of practice and the right equipment, you can produce beautiful flower images that are sure to impress.