Bluebell Pink

Bluebells are early spring bloomers and do not last long. That is why seeing them is such a treat. There is a small patch of them that grows in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park, and I go in search of them whenever I am there in the early spring.

When fully bloomed they are the classic blue color, but the small buds are a beautiful pink until they mature.

When photographing flowers I always look for a line or compositional element to make the image stronger. I tipped the camera slightly when making this image in order to introduce a diagonal line to add interest and create a flow from upper right to lower left.

It is also crucially important to keep an eye on the background. A clean background that falls somewhat out of focus helps to direct the eye to the flowers and eliminates any distractions that might be in the background. I prefer shallow depth of field when photographing flowers, and most often use an f/stop of around 2.8 or 4.0. If I am working very close to small flowers I might go as high as f/5.6 but rarely higher than that since that will begin to show the background in sharper focus.

Whenever possible, I find a subject that has a natural background of leaves or other existing foliage. Since I want all my images to be natural in appearance, I never use any "added" backgrounds like dark cloths or colored papers. Once you put your mind to it and practice a bit, you can almost always adjust your position so that a naturally existing background is all you see behind the subject.

I also prefer to work in open shade, or areas with little or no direct sunlight. I like a soft look and try to avoid harsh shadows or bright sunlight.

This is the perfect time of year to find beautiful flowers blooming in parks, gardens and maybe even your own backyard. So get outside and see what beautiful images you can create!

TECH SPECS
1/320 sec. at f/4.5, ISO 400. Canon 100mm f/2.8L IS macro lens on Canon 5D Mark II body. Handheld.

TODAY'S QUOTE: "The fact that I can plant a seed and it becomes a flower, share a bit of knowledge and it becomes another's, smile at someone and receive and smile in return, are to me continual spiritual exercises."  --Leo Buscaglia