Plants + Flower: 15 Photography Lessons (New Free Ebook)

Written by Sarah Marino

I'm happy to share that I have a new free educational PDF ebook available. You can download it with a single click (no sign-up or checkout required) here. If you'd like a little peek at the contents first, you can read the introduction and see a few sample pages below.

INTRODUCTION: THE FIFTEEN LESSONS

Seeking out plants in wild places, cultivated gardens, and the places in between is one of the most important threads in my photographic practice. I see plants as the gateway to learning more about my surroundings, and getting to know plants has become an essential part of connecting with the place I live and the places I visit.

This ebook is two things: a collection of some of my favorite plant photos I created last year paired with fifteen lessons I always return to when working with the types of scenes and subjects you will see in the photos below. The lessons cover the full range of creative practice, from considering some of the benefits of photographing plants to the practical details of composition.

One theme you will see throughout this ebook is the importance of paying attention to details. First, doing so will help you see more photo opportunities and generally appreciate nature to a greater degree. Additionally, when photographing smaller subjects like plants and flowers, being meticulous and attentive helps you create more intentional compositions, notice moments of interesting light, and proactively address distractions and other issues in your scene.

When photographing plants, we are often working with less visual complexity and fewer subjects compared to grander landscapes, which makes it harder to hide or minimize flaws, and issues with subject selection, composition, lighting, and depth of field are amplified. Building your ability to notice such details, both in the field and during processing, can help elevate your photos.

All of the lessons I discuss below are conditional and depend on the context of each individual scene you are photographing. For example, one thing I encourage you to be alert to is the condition of your subject but, in my own portfolio, I have some photos that feature desiccated, tattered leaves and I think the end result works quite well. The lessons are not a checklist to follow but instead an invitation to be more attentive, deliberate, and intentional in your photography.

If you already photograph plants and flowers, you can compare and contrast my approach with your own, taking what you think could be most helpful to your creative practice and experimenting to see what fits and what doesn't. If you are new to photographing plants, I hope some of these lessons might encourage you to consider paying more attention to, and possibly photographing, some of the plants and flowers you see next time you are outside.

Learning about and photographing plants has brought me significant joy, understanding, and a greater appreciation for the natural world. I hope they can do the same for you.

If you would like to read the full PDF ebook, you can download it here with a single click, no sign-up required.