How to shoot peony flowers?

Peony has been loved by literati since ancient times. Taking the beauty of peony into the lens is the desire and pursuit of photographers who love peony. But peony is beautiful, not easy to shoot. How can I shoot some colors on the peony? I shared my shooting experience with the spool.

I. Equipment

Prepare before shooting: camera, exposure meter, tripod, background cloth, reflector, watering can (one is to clean the dust on flowers and leaves, the other is to make dew on petals), copper wire (for modeling) and so on.

In the use of lens, the use of medium telephoto can truly reproduce the characteristics of peony; Macro and wide angle can create an exaggerated or artistic atmosphere. If you have the conditions, you might as well try various lenses.

2. Flowering period

Although born in the same city, the flowers bloom differently. Due to different climatic conditions, the flowering time varies from place to place. Peony can be divided into early, middle and late flowering periods. The flowering period in our city is in mid-May, with high temperature and rapid growth of peony. The flowering period of each variety is about ten days.

Three. attitude

The flower posture is the most obvious image of peony, and the initial flowering period of the flower is the best time to shoot. At this time, all the petals are exposed, arranged neatly, with beautiful colors, exposed stamens and clearly visible textures. Small aperture shooting can be clear and beautiful, while large aperture shooting is hazy and elegant. No matter how you shoot it, it is graceful and gorgeous. However, don't just pay attention to the scene of flowers, the peony at the time of "falling mud and grinding dust" is even colder than skin and bones! At this time, don't have a charm.

Four. light

If it is a dark variety of red, purple, green and ink, it should be shot on a sunny day; If it is yellow, white, pink and other light-colored varieties, it should be shot in cloudy and scattered weather, which can reduce the contrast and increase the color saturation. Shoot white flowers and increase exposure according to the environment. Try to choose backlight and side backlight, so that the light can pass through the petals without being reflected, which better shows the hierarchy and vividness of the flowers. Peony buds are divided into flower buds and leaf buds, such as red, light green and pink green. Buds are often covered under leaves, and attention should be paid to adding light and controlling exposure except buds with undeveloped leaves.

Most photographers choose to shoot after sunrise and before 10 in the morning, but peony can also shoot around the clock if it pursues individuality. Use the overhead lights at noon and afternoon to show the branches at a low angle to contrast the peony, or use the flash to show the peony and the sunset before nightfall.

Verb (abbreviation for verb) background

The choice of background color should consider the subject and pay attention to the relationship of balance, contrast and echo. In terms of hue, highlight the bright subject with a dark background, or highlight the dark subject with a bright background; In terms of color, you can use the background of the complementary color of the main body, or you can choose the color adjacent to the main body as the background; For example, a dark red flower with a light color or sky as the background, and a white flower with a dark color as the background are ideal, and you can also choose the surrounding scenery as the background.

Composition of intransitive verbs

The composition should be concise, remove the redundant and messy parts, and use the methods of far and near contrast, big and small contrast, and virtual and real contrast. Branches can set off the enchanting beauty of peony, reflecting the state of Gu Song in the Millennium and the imposing manner in the bones of plum blossoms in the century. In addition, it can also reflect people's interest in flower viewing activities or the relationship between peony and other species and scenery. The legendary peony, in my heart, everyone has their own shooting complex. In fact, you can choose a special mood and environment to shoot for a period of time during the flowering period. Going up the mountain early in the heavy rain and squatting in front of the flowers, in fact, when shooting, the expression technique is excessive, and the basic "rules" are ignored. Shooting by shaking hands and out of focus will often have unexpected effects.