Sometimes it’s easier to learn what to do when photographing flower arrangements by seeing examples of what not to do. Below are two sets of images of less-than-successful designs, not only from purely mechanical aspects, but from the vantage points of the camera.

1. Greens and dirty water in the vase. Make sure to remove all foliages below the water line, especially when working in clear glass and be sure to change the water before taking your final shots.

2. Wacky weeds. Be careful about the amount of bear grass and other loose foliages used. What may look good in person can look out-of-control in a photo.

3. Orient the flowers to the camera. Though it seems like an obvious ‘don’t', showing the backs or sides of blooms is a common error.

4. All the ducks in a row. The white of the roses makes this error even more pronounced since their rhythmic pace is all wrong for this radial style.

5. Turn off the camera’s built-in flash. Note the heavy shadow created by the front-on shot.

6. Weak Focal Area. The alstroemeria is just too small and the wrong shape to anchor this design.

7. Foliages concealing flowers. Why cover up a glorious hybrid delphinium with a piece of myrtle?

8. Immature flowers. Budded flowers will last longer for your customers, but take your feature website photos with flowers in their full glory.

While an improvement from the previous arrangement, this shot still has several challenges to overcome:

1. Out of Balance Color. Not only do the yellow gerberas overpower the far-more-costly hydrangeas, the middle one is oriented in the wrong direction. Pale yellow or white gerberas would have been a better choice.

2. Exposed stems. The light green salal stem crossing over the dark leaves is a definite distraction. It’s also moving forward in a diagonal line, which is tough for the camera to read.

3. Willy-nilly foliage. The silhouette of the salal leaves are rhythmically poor and need better spacing and control.

4. Immature flower. We florists know it’s a iris but our customers may not. Additionally, in classic designs it’s more visually pleasing to grade same-kind flowers in size (from larger to smaller) as they move away from the heart of the arrangement.

5. Flash shadow. Once again, turn off the camera’s flash and move the design further from the background.

6. Blown-out whites. White flowers are tough to shoot and are especially effected when too much light is used. The details get blown out. In this design, the grouped whites are also not properly counter-balanced with white materials on the opposite side of the arrangement.

7. Fillers covering feature flowers. Make sure the accent fillers aren’t covering up feature flowers, especially in the heart of the arrangement.

8. Missing Buds. They’re particularly noticeable on single flowers. Photo editing software can help fill in the missing flowers, but it’s better to just to start off with good materials.

9. Streamers Gigantus. Just like any other element, ribbon needs controlled. Streamers are generally easier to photograph if they’re trimmed to fall near mid-vase.

What’s good? The carry-through of color from the container to the flowers.

We hope these two examples help you avoid making some of the common floral design and photography mistakes and assist florists with shooting better images of their own flower arrangements.

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The convenience of using ‘off the shelf’ photographs of flower arrangements in florists’ e-commerce websites is undeniable. They’re web-ready, usually come with descriptions and are generally included as a benefit of wire service membership. There’s just one problem – those same pictures are seen on tens of thousands of other websites – including shops in your own delivery area. It’s difficult to convey a florist’s own originality and unique specialties when the product images look just like everyone else’s.

For shops looking to display their own distinctive designs and set themselves apart from neighboring stores and national order gatherers, the perfect solution is to photograph their own arrangements and feature them prominently on home pages and in the appropriate design categories. With a small investment in a digital camera, photo editing software (like PhotoShop Elements) and an easy-to-use backdrop, displaying images of your own arrangements is simpler and quicker than ever before.

Elements of a great flower arrangement photo

Many a florist has been disappointed that their pictures don’t look as wonderful as they remember their original designs. The poor results can often be attributed to a problem with one of the following elements:

Lighting. Too much and the whites look ‘blown out’, too little and the deep colors fade into black voids. Achieving the right balance takes practice and experimentation with the settings on your camera. For flowers, natural lighting works best but a small permanent set with a few strategic lights can work wonders as well.

Background. Simply put, cleaner, lighter backgrounds are easier to work in. The more elements (accessories, display items, etc) the more to balance with lighting and color. Since a good, clean photo can often be dropped onto an environmental background with photo editing software, keeping your photo set as simple as possible increases your chances for success.

Color. Balancing color rhythmically in an arrangement takes practice, too. Advancing (warm) colors like oranges and yellows can appear to dominate an arrangement, even if used on small amounts. Receding (cool) colors can be harder to ’see’ in artificial or low light. By choosing flowers and accessories that compliment each other and are in similar color values (intensities), you’ll increase the odds that you’ll be pleased with your shots.

Depth. The camera basically reads width and height, so perceived depth is usually achieved through color, lighting or angle. Designers often find it necessary to remove some materials in order not to clutter the photos.

Texture. The shinier or slicker the material, the tougher to photograph since the light is reflected. Shiny textures often darken or lighten and take on more importance than they did in the original compositions. Fortunately, photo editing software can often help with this issue.

Starting out with simpler and smaller arrangements can help florists get a feel for ‘what the camera sees’. Take 15 or 20 shots from different angles, upload them to your computer and really scrutinize the images. Make adjustments and then go back and shoot some more. Though your first few efforts will take time, repeating the steps will increase you ability to ’see’ what the camera does – and give you the skills to confidently produce photos that reflect your own distinctive design  style.

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