Give it Your Best Shot

Photograph flowers in a new light with this reader's easy techniques.

I'm admit it, I'm a shutterbug. And since I also enjoy gardening, I'm always looking for new ways to capture flowers on film. In my years of teaching photography, I've discovered a few techniques to add variety to the typical garden photos. With a little imagination, your blooms can take on a whole new appearance.

For my photos, I use a single-lens-reflex (SLR) camera with a 90mm macro lens mounted on a tripod. I've found this setup gives me the results I'm after. The lighting is natural, and since I do most of the work on a tabletop, changing the direction of the sunlight is as easy as adjusting the table.

To get the "bubble look" on flowers (like this zinnia), I use a small fish bowl filled with carbonated water or a clear soft drink. The flower blossom is weighted down so it sits in the bowl properly. This technique gives the blooms a nice dewy appearance, and the colors stay bright.

For the "frosted" effect, I photograph flowers through a piece of frosted glass, which you can purchase at most hardware stores. For a change of pace, spray the glass with water or alter the color of the background.

Then there's "flowers on ice" I create this interesting look by placing flowers in a tray of water and freezing it. After I remove the ice block, I take pictures of the frozen blooms.

These are just a few fun ways to make backyard flower photos even snappier. It certainly proves it doesn't take a lot of work to transform ordinary photos into extraordinary works of art.