Go for more creative shot

The best conditions for capturing the full-colour of summer wild flowers are overcast days with light cloud cover and not a breath of wind. These conditions provide flattering, shadowless lighting and get round the horrible problem of high-contrast and bleached-out colours when the lights harsh. But get creative and you can turn a sunny June day to your advantage. Why not get low and make a rich blue sky a real feature of your picture , as in this shot of poppies photographed up close at an angle from underneath using a standard short zoom. here are four more creative ideas for eye-catching pictures.


1 Blurred poppies

Turn your camera into an Impressionist's brush by photographing at very slow shutter speeds- in this case 1/4 second at f/32 (ISO 100) using a 300mm lens. Move your camera quickly as you press the shutter button to create motion blur. Repeat until you capture something you like.

2 Daisy "chain"

Photographing natural subjects in a formal arrangement, like these daises , offers a refreshing take on a wild subject. Ensure the front of your lens is parallel to the subject and stop down to at least f/16 to ensure all parts of the flowers are pin-sharp througout. Check your histogram to ensure whites aren't blown.

3 Urban flowerscape

Habitat can be a useful compositional tool when photographing the natural world, and fitting a short lens to show the wider context can transform a flower picture. Until recently, wild flower meadows were unusual in an urban setting, so it made sense to include the tower blocks prominently for juxtaposition.

4 bugle spikes

A good trick when photographing a group of flowers is ti make one focal point. Select the nearest or most prominent flower and focus on this using a long lens with the aperture at the widest setting. This will mean your selected flower appears sharp while the rest are rendered out of focus