Your best shots: A selection of reader-submitted flower photos
Rocky Mountain News
Published July 4, 2008 at 3 p.m.
Photographer: Stephanie Cox, Fort Collins The plant: scene from the conservatory at Denver Botanic Gardens The camera: Canon EOS 30 D
Photographer: Seth Goldstein, Centennial The plant: grape hyacinth The camera: Nikon D300 and Nikon 105mm Macro Lens
Photographer: Seth Goldstein, Centennial The plant: tulip The camera: Nikon D300 and Nikon 105mm Macro Lens
Photographer: Charlie Simpkin, Denver The plant: tulip The camera: Canon Powershot S3IS; flower photographed upward while on macro mode
Photographer: Cindy Reich, Fort Collins The plant: crocosmia and dragonfly, taken in the Pantanal region of western Brazil The camera: Panasonic Lumix, macro setting
Photographer: Jody Nighswonger, Keenesburg The plant: sunflower The camera: Canon EOS Rebel XTi
Photographer: Bernie Seward, Denver The plant: lily The camera: Panasonic DMC-FZ50 on a tripod
Photographer: Andeara Purdy-Hohn, age 10, Denver The plant: water lily at Denver Botanic Gardens The camera: Canon PowerShot A710 IS
Photographer: Michelle Waggener The plant: rose The camera: Casio Exilim
Photographer: Keith Foerster, Littleton The plant: lily The camera: Canon Rebel XTi
Photographer: Heather Benjamin, Loveland The plant: purple coneflowers The camera: Olympus C750 digital camera
Photographer: Patty LaCombe, Evergreen The plant: pasqueflower The camera: Olympus Digital
Photographer: Rodney E. Crocker, Brighton The plant: bachelor button The camera: Olympus E-510 Digital Camera
They sprouted up from all around the state. Bright yellow tulips and deep red roses, delicate poppies and sturdy bromeliads. We asked dig readers to send in their favorite plant photos, and the response was so overwhelming that we could fit only a handful into our seasonal gardening section. But we haven't ignored you, budding photographers. Here is a selection of your fantastic work.
Picturing petals
Ellen Jaskol, features photo editor and dig photographer, looked at more than 100 reader photos before selecting the winning shots presented here. Her tips for photographing flowers, trees and other plants:
* Consider how the sunlight is hitting the flower. Try to avoid the midday's harsh sunlight. Shoot at the end of the day, when the sun is low on the horizon, or when the flower is in shade. Light will be even, elegant.
* With the sun behind the flower in late afternoon, you can get pretty highlights on the flower, but you might need your hand to block sun flare from hitting the lens.
* Try a reflector: If you must shoot in the middle of the day, ask someone to block the sun from hitting the flower. With the sun blocked, take something reflective - white, silver or gold, like a cookie sheet or a piece of paper - and hold it near the flower. The sun should hit the reflector, not the flower, bouncing nice light onto the subject. Shoot from different angles and see how light affects the flower's appearance.
* Be aware of the background. Eliminate distracting fences, branches, etc., by changing your angle.
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