How to photograph flowers at their best

Tips for a flower-filled Instagram

Social media gives us all the chance to improve our photography, and share our own views and perspectives with the Instagram, Pinterest or Tumblr community. Fresh flowers make the ideal model, and provide a ready stream of content that changes with the seasons. Here are five handy tips to make your snaps stand out.

Think out the box

Our natural inclination is to photograph a bouquet of flowers in the vase it's arranged in. While that can look beautiful, try arranging the flowers on a work bench or table, and photographing the bouquet from above for a work-in-progress point of view. The setup creates a powerful storytelling dynamic that makes the final arrangement even more spectacular.

Add life

A hand, frozen in the act of arranging the final flower, a dog wandering past a florist, or a huge bouquet photographed next to a child for scale. Adding this extra bit of life and action creates a feeling of playfulness in photo..

Perfection isn't everything

Not everything has to be in its right place all the time. If your worktop is covered in stems, thorns and loose leaves, don't sweep it away, but look at the space with an artist's eye, and record the candid studio shot. 

Create order

Flower arrangers begin by sorting their flowers by type, colour and size. This preparation is beautiful, and deserves to be captured. The next time you find yourself sorting flowers, stop and record the process. Creating colour shifts or gradients also work well: try using different carnations or hydrangeas

Play with empty space

You can create a very exciting image with very little. Capture a rose, gerbera or lisianthus in bloom in the bottom corner of your frame, then fill in the rest with shadowplay and neutral tones. 

We’d love to see your beautiful photographs. Share them with us on Instagram using the hashtag #funnyhowflowersdothat.