In order to take great flower pictures, you don't need any fancy camera gear but you do need to have an eye for detail. Learning how to take sharp, crisp beautiful pictures of flowers like the ones we see in garden catalogs and magazines is really pretty easy with a digital compact, and this article shows you how.? 

Many of us have had the experience of taking a picture of a pretty flower that seemed picture perfect.

Another problem many new flower photographer enthusiasts find is that their pictures come out blurry and out of focus.? ? ? 

Blurry or poorly composed pictures are all things that are easy to avoid if you know what to do.

You should first always plan to take flower pictures when the lighting is good and the air is still (no wind). Even the most gentle breeze can cause enough of a quiver in the stem to create blur in a close up. Usually dawn is the best time of day when the wind is the calmest. Dawn is also the time when you can usually find the best lighting.

But if you're not an early bird, you can still catch that perfect flower shot. You can also get good lighting the hour before sunset and anytime when there is bright overcast light. These times offer soft light without the dark, harsh shadows. The time right before sunset and just after dawn are perfect for adding a warm glow to your picture. And if it's a little windy, you'll need to set up a blind or a temporary windbreak.

The other big reason for out of focus flower pictures is from using improper camera settings. Depending upon how close you want to get to the flower, set your camera to either Portrait or Macro. The latter allows you to shoot from within one inch to a foot (check the camera's manual). If using manual settings, choose a wide aperture (small F-stop number). All of the above settings sharpen the subject and put the background out of focus, even blur it.

Let's look now at turning that pretty flower into the perfect subject for your photo.

• Look for a flower with pristine undamaged petals. You can also "pretty" up a flower that may have 1 or 2 ragged petals, by simplying removing the petals. If doing so will leave a noticeable space, look for another flower.
• Look for anything on the flower than could distract from the picture like tiny bugs or pieces of dirt and gently remove them with a soft paintbrush or makeup brush.
• For a dewy look, gently sprinkle or spay the petals with a few drops of water.

Next it's time to compose your picture.

• Look at the flower from different positions to see what angle looks best in your viewfinder or preview LCD. Make sure to look for shadows and other things in the background that may not look good in your picture. Look at how the light looks from different angles. Also look at the flower from various vantage points. Try standing directly above the flower and then try lying on the ground to see which angle looks best.
• Make sure that if you're leaning over the flower you don't cast a shadow on it. And if the flower is backlit (which can create a nice, irredescent effect), avoid lens flare by using a lens shade or wearing a broad brim hat to prevent light from entering the lens.
• Also look at the tones?  in the background. Contrasting tones will add depth and make your flower stand out.

Once you find the best angle to take the flower, fill the viewfinder with the flower and use classic composition methods like the "rule of thirds" to position the flower in the best position in the camera frame.

Once you have your picture composed how you want, focus on the part of the flower that you want to be the most focused. Then holding very steady, press the shutter.

As you can see, flower photography is all about detail. And how you display your beautiful flower images also matters so make sure to display it in a picture frame that nicely offsets the flower. When framing your flower picture, avoid highly decorative frames like flower picture frames or bright colors like pink picture frames that will overpower your flower photo. Instead, choose a frame that subtly accents the flower and you'll be sure to have a framed flower picture that everyone will admire.