Although I am primarily a landscape photographer, I have recently found a great deal of enjoyment in photographing plants, both in botanic gardens and in the wild. Photographing these kinds of smaller scenes feels more meditative than photographing landscapes, as the process often includes slowing down, seeking out details, and taking time to craft photographs of sometimes tiny subjects. Another primary benefit of seeking out these kinds of subjects is their prevalence. Plants like those featured in this post can be found in almost any landscape or garden, which means it can be easy to find compelling subjects close to home. And, since many photographers pass by these kinds of scenes without a second thought, you have ample opportunity to make unique, creative photographs.
In terms of gear, all of the photographs discussed below have been created using a 100mm macro lens, a helpful but not essential tool. In my case, I use the Canon 100mm L f/2.8 lens but a basic macro lens or moderate telephoto lens from any manufacturer can work (the shorter the minimum focusing distance, the better). For the photographs with sharpness throughout, I selected a smaller aperture like f/16 or f/22 to get all of the main elements in focus (whereas smaller apertures on other lenses can degrade image quality, I have found that my particular lens still performs well at its limits). For those photos relying on low depth-of-field as a key technique, I selected a wider aperture like f/2.8 or f/4 to help pleasantly blur some of the details.
For all of the photos, I set up my lens quite close to the subject, often only inches away. In some cases, like the photo above, I set up a tripod and experiment with small changes until I find the composition I like most since small changes can often make a big difference with these types of photographs. For other photos, like the low depth-of-field examples below, I hand-hold my camera so I can freely move back and forth to experiment with small changes in position. In addition to these basic techniques, another six tips for taking these kinds of photographs of plants are shared below.
Table of Contents
Look for Year-Round Opportunities
Both natural places and manicured gardens can provide opportunities for photographing plants year-round. While winter and early spring will often require more diligence in exploring for subjects, opportunities can still abound if you bring an open mind. In the case of this photograph, taken at the Denver Botanic Gardens in the middle of winter, the weight of the snow flattened the plants and made them a better subject than their more perky summer counterparts. Also, the cold of winter brought some lovely pastel colors that I had not seen any other time of year, as these plants are usually bright green, yellow, and orange. In addition to these plants, I also found grasses, cactus, succulents, and coniferous trees on the same winter day, all creating excellent but unexpected options for photography.
Look for Patterns and Textures
Nature offers up all sorts of patterns and textures for the careful observer. By taking the time to explore and notice the details of a place, photographers can identify all different kinds of small scenes worthy of photographing. Above, the repeating patterns and consistent color in this patch of wood sorrel are the two primary elements I used in composing this photograph. This plant is common along trails in the Pacific Northwest but it took some time to find a patch in good condition with the plants growing at a similar height, which makes getting all of the main elements in focus in a single exposure much easier. Next time you are out with your camera, set aside some time just to look for these kinds of patterns in nature. Groundcovers, bark, cactus, and all different sorts of plants can offer up interesting patterns and textures once you start looking for them.
Embrace Low Depth-of-Field
At least for landscape photographers, embracing low depth of field and the out of focus elements that come with it can be a major shift in mentality. When photographing small subjects like plants or flowers, low depth of field can often transform a subject from the literal to the abstract. Instead of photographing petals or stems or leaves, you are instead photographing lines and shapes like seen in the images above. These abstracts that can emerge make low depth of field an excellent creative technique when photographing plants.
In the case of the top photograph of a seed pod (about two inches in diameter), getting close, using a wide aperture like f/2.8, and experimenting with different focus points, I could emphasize the radiating nature of the plant’s center. The same plant looks entirely different with a slightly shifted focus point and different perspective in the second photograph, with the seeds looking like upside down umbrellas. Comparing these two images of the same subject taken within minutes of each other demonstrates the difference that a slight change in focus, depth of field, and perspective can make when working close to a subject using a wide aperture.
Experiment with Light
Although it is one of the more difficult types of light to photograph, backlighting – when the light source is behind your subject – can often add interest and mood to a photograph. For this photo, I laid on the ground eye-level with these bare winter bushes and faced into the low sun, using shallow depth of field to render bits of the light and bushes out of focus. Fuzzy subjects, like these pussy willows, cactus, and many flowers, catch backlighting well, giving a subject a natural glow that can translate well into a photograph. These images can take a lot of experimentation, persistence, and perfecting your technique to come together so be prepared to try again if your first attempt does not work out as you might have hoped.
Get Close
In almost all cases when photographing plants, I get quite close to my subject (often right at my lens’s minimum focusing distance). Getting close can help eliminate distractions, isolate your subject for a better composition, and emphasize the abstract elements of your subject. In the case of the subject above, each small rosette is about the size of a pencil eraser and the fist-sized plant itself was surrounded by rocks and dirt. A closer perspective helps eliminate all of those potential distractions, allowing the subject t of the photograph – the repeating rosettes – to fill the frame. This photograph also highlights the importance of looking around for details. These plants grow in tiny patches on canyon walls and slickrock in Zion National Park and without some effort to seek them out, most people will walk right by without a second thought.
Don’t Be Afraid to Look a Tiny Bit Foolish
Last summer, the Denver Botanic Gardens hosted a glass exhibit and the popularity of the gardens dramatically increased. The exhibit attracted large crowds which meant that setting up a tripod and leisurely photographing would not be possible. Still, on one particular visit to the garden, I saw this beautiful succulent rosette plant and felt like I had to photograph it before leaving. The plant was growing at an odd angle in a potted planter, right in front of the entrance that all visitors passed through upon arrival. Because of the location of the plant near the ground and its odd angle, I had to kneel down and contort my body to get the right angle. I heard a few snickers from visitors passing by, wondering what I could possibly be photographing. This general experience has repeated itself quite a few times and while I never want to get in the way of other visitors, I am willing to look a little foolish in public for a photograph. So, forget about what others will think and as long as you are not impacting their experience, feel free to embarrass yourself for a better photograph!
If you have any of your own tips on photographing plants, please share then in the comments below.
This guest post was submitted by Sarah Marino, a professional landscape photographer based in the Rocky Mountain West. She is the co-author of a popular e-book, Beyond the Grand Landscape, which you can check out on her Nature Photo Guides website, along with more of her work.
Very good pics – I would add watch out for wind which can be very frustrating. Also sometimes taking pics from further away can reveal good patterns and put the plant in the context of its environment
Thank you for the comment! I agree about wind, which is probably the most frustrating element in taking these kinds of photographs. I sometimes use a diffuser to block the wind, which can be helpful under some situations, Succulents and cacti are also good subjects since they do not move much. And, your point about seeing patterns from further away is a good one. I just used that approach with a maple tree – further away was better than close up.
Hi, nice article with a good feel for the subject and interesting images well executed, thank you.
As Pauws99 has said, plant photography, even in a glasshouse, can be problematic with the movement of the subject in light breeze – often windows are opened during the warmer parts of the day to allow the plants to breathe – tropical houses being the exeption, where you need to divest yourself of everything but a light tee shirt to combat the heat and humidity.
For this reason, your technique of shooting high up the aperture range, around f/22 is not always a good plan, as often, the most interesting subjects are hiding in a relatively dark corner of the garden / glasshouse and need more exposure. I get that your 100mm macro counters the problem a little, but it still holds true that f/8 is the sweet spot for all lenses, annoyingly, macro ones too. I treated myself last summer to the 105mm Sigma EX DG OS HSM for my Nikon, and the subject-to-lens distance for a given 1:1 macro ratio is giving me a lot more opportunity to shoot live creatures, but I do turn it on plants, like you do, when there’s nothing going on in the garden.
Macro is a lovely part of photography, and probably the most frustrating of all the disciplines, as it is so sensitive to everything – depth of field / depth of focus – subject movement – camera movement – background encroachment – and if you want a proper macro lens, a little bit expensive. You can survive without a macro lens, but I have to admit that once I started using my 105mm I was kicking myself that I had not got hold of one a lot sooner.
One thing regarding camera support, which I think is worthy of high regard, is the use of a good strong monopod. With macro, the slightest movement of the camera will throw things out of focus instantly but a monopod helps to stabilise in every situation, and particularly where tripods are not permitted. Apart from that, you can set your camera to it’s highest frame rate (5 fps in my case) and start shooting as you very gently sway in and out of the subject.
You may, with luck, find that you hit the exact focus spot with one of two of the burst of shots, which is the point really.
The well respected Heather Angel, a renowned insect and plant photographer with many published books, taught me this trick via a magazine article where she took a novice photographer to a butterfly farm to teach her the ropes. The other thing about a monopod if it’s a good one, is that it doubles as a walking stick when you are following treacherous footpaths over steep common land.
I was in a waterfall basin last week clampering over boulders and small rocks interspersed with ponds and slippery moss and weed, and without my monopod I think I might still be there!
Most of all though, macro is a passion, just like landscape, and very often the two areas do converge, you go out to shoot landscapes one day, and stumble upon a great macro subject. So always keep your macro lens with you (or whatever you choose to use for your macro shots). One day, that magical subject will confront you, so be prepared!
Thank you for the very detailed and helpful comment. Wind is probably my biggest frustration for this kind of photography, which is one benefit of photographing some of the plants I include in the post – they do not move much! Your last bit of advice is something I say a lot – keep your eyes open to opportunity and always have the equipment you need accessible. A photographer never knows when they will encounter an excellent subject.
Great photos – a couple of added suggestions: First would be to be sure to utilize higher iso to resolve the small aperture = slow shutter-speed conundrum. Today’s cameras give us freedoms that simply weren’t an option before. Second, as an option to shooting (and then having to sort) lots of photos in burst mode to hit focus, utilize focus-priority shutter actuation. This method is also very helpful if you are forced to shoot handheld. Also – again if you are forced to shoot handheld try to use a shutter-speed that is a stop or two higher than normal rules of thumb.
Thanks again for sharing – good discussion! And yes – the minor gains f8 offers against f22 are usually way more than repaid by the advantages of greater depth of field with this type of shooting.
Mark
Thank you for the beautiful photos and good tips.
Thank you for the kind comment!
Great, original, photos! I’ve often looked more than a tiny bit foolish, like recently while photographing daisies in the grass, with a camera without a flip screen, hoping no one would catch me with my cheek to the ground and my behind up in the air:-)
Thanks! I think a willingness to look a bit foolish is an important component of taking these kinds of photos – just don’t worry about what everyone else thinks!
I think when we get to the macro stage of photography, we’re already firmly and irrevocably deep into the dark realm of geek. Geeks never were much appreciated as fashion or behavioral rôle-models anyway (but _we_ know we are cool), so why worry about a little foolishness, eh? Oh, and flippy-screen is great, can’t live without it now! ^_^
Not all my cameras have a flippy screen alas, but getting up to fast from your ear to the ground position and then nearly fainting in front of people is a great way to enter the realm of geek;-)
It also may be a good way to meet new people, if they stop to help you up. LOL
:-) Especially if you don’t want to be helped up….;-) Like that old lady who doesn’t want to cross the street:-)
When I first read reviews on the D750 and went to a local camera store to take a look at it, the articulating screen turned me off at first. Now I’m of the opinion that all cameras should have this. I love my flippy screen.
I’m probably the town’s fool already by now;-)
Another very helpful piece of equipment for macro photography is a right-angle viewfinder. It lets you avoid getting your face down on the ground when photographing from a low angle. Even on a tripod from a moderate height it’s useful.
A good piece of advice! I am looking forward to having a camera with an articulating LCD at some point, too.
Thanks for the advice. For now I will be going for the tactile experience however, that’s cheaper:-)
Also: Get some decent underwear. It helps a lot with the “plumber pose” issues. This saves you from a lot of snickering, and people don’t get a sight of you they’re usually better off without. ;-)
Or a nice long coat, which is my approach to this issue. :)
Well, I tend to get very hot quickly, so short sleeves above 0 °C, maybe shorts if it’s much over 17° C; coat+shorts apparently looks slightly suspicious… =P
Nimloth, Deluth Trading company sells T-shirts they call long tail. They are specifically designed to prevent “plumber’s butt”.
Thank you for sharing your insight and photographs with us here at PL. Lovely.
Thank you for the kind comment, Mike.
Very good article, well written and informative. Very nice photos to go along with the article. I checked out your website too… very, very nice. Great portfolios, and beautiful, awesome photos. Thank you for sharing.
Thank you for the kind comment, Vincent. I appreciate it.
Regarding aperture values: regardless of how you “feel” your lens performs, its performance does degrade at f/16 or 22, because of the physical effects of diffraction, which often begin to appear around f/11. When I do need significant depth of field, I prefer to stay around f/8 and do some focus stacking. My macro lens is a Micro-Nikkor 105/2.8, although I also use other lenses such as the Zeiss 2/135 with Kenko extension tubes.
Another good tip is to bring with you a spray bottle filled with mineral water. Thus, when adequate, you can lightly spray, before you photograph them, some plants and flowers that may benefit from this inexpensive and portable “dewdrop” effect.
I “know” my lens well enough to know that the diffraction issue is minor from a practical standpoint when comparing f/8 to smaller apertures. Some people choose to put a lot of effort into focus stacking but I am not one of those people. I get good, sharp photos when using my particular lens at smaller apertures and am consistently able to print such files at large sizes with success. There might be visible differences at 100% on a monitor but the practical difference does not make the extra work worthwhile for me in most cases.
If that is how you feel, then good for you. We all have different ideas on subjective issues such as image quality, some people are more demanding than others, and that’s perfectly fine.
Dominique_R, I don’t think I should ever show you my work since it would appear you are more demanding than any of my clients have ever been. But thank you for your input here, no one disputes diffraction. It does occur and you are correct.
Mike, as usual, you are far more gracious than I am. That’s why I try to read, through gritted teeth, and walk away.
Thank you Patrick, very kind of you to mention.
Sarah, nor for me. Macro, is a major part of my professional work. Often I am stopped down to f16 or f22 because that will do the trick for what I have to produce. Other times I do need focus stacking and have dedicated software for that. It’s a pain in the butt, but needed. Although we are all aware of diffraction that will occur, as you stated it is not the major degrading situation some make it out to be. But then, earning a living is more important than some technical mombo jumbo.
Yep, I agree with everything you said, Mike. And, I am happy to stand by my approach as one that produces technically sound, high quality photographs.
Great post, great pictures
Thank you, Georg!
Lovely pictures, and some great tips here :-)
Thanks! I hope you enjoy the ebook.
Finally! an article about using a lens I already have and doing things I’ve already done! Yay me! ;)
Sarah, lovely photos. Question–did you use a neutral density filter for some of these shots?
Thank you for the comment, Cindy. I did not use an ND filter for any of these photos. I may have used a polarizer on a few of them. I typically only use an ND filter when I want to slow down my exposure time which was not a technical goal for any of these photos.
My Looking-Foolish moment came while photographing in Olympic National Park, Washington. I was sprawled next to the entry road waiting for the wind to pause so that I could press the shutter as my 105mm Micro lens was focused on a fingertip-size bluebell flower.
The wind was quite content to leave me motionless on the ground. Eventually there was the sound of footsteps behind me. Turning to see who was approaching, I saw a rather embarrassed-looking Park Ranger. He then explained that a motorist had reported a lifeless body beside the road. Got a nice close-up though ;- D.
That motorist probably still wonders what happened! That is a good story, Art. :)
These are such gorgeous photographs. Someday I will graduate to a “nice” camera and hope to do better. I love taking photos of all my plants. Your details stand out so well. Love those little “hairs” on the succulents.
I Hope that someday i can be a like this i love taking photos of plants most peoplw say you need to live some where amazing but thats not true i live down a small lane and i can find some amazing things to take photos of on my phone … You can do what ever you want if you just try xxx
I purchased an upper end point and shoot as I got tired of carrying my dslr around to events where i am doing other things. My canon s90 will be in my shirt pocket when i am not shooting. Any suggestions about using these for garden festivals/shows?
Love these images and the explanations that go with them. I have never owned a camera (bought my daughter a very good one instead for college) and have only just got a mobile phone with a ‘decentish’ camera, but boy have I been having fun with it! I am even quite proud of a few. I enjoy the close ups and am finding succulents to be one of my favourite to photograph along with gazania.
Thank you for a very inspiring article. I am a hobbyist and have focussed on landscape, cityscape and macro.This morning I started thinking of trying out portrait and plants photography. I read your article while waiting to board my flight The part I find particularly interesting is about feeling free to embarrass yourself for a better photography.I remember that feeling once, I had to be on my knees to take pictures of a spiderweb wet with early morning dew in a botanical garden.It felt awkward as many walkers stopped momentarily in their walks, look down, chuckle and then move on.it was hilarious, strangely though, I felt a sense of major accomplishment afterwards!