Photography News

As the above image shows, with lenses designed for macro photography attached to a more advanced camera, you can capture great outdoor flower shots. However, just because you're a compact user doesn't mean you shouldn't shoot outdoor flower shots. In fact, with these few tips, you'll soon be on your way to capturing an excellent example of flower photography. 

  1. White Balance

Compact cameras come with various white balance presets that tell the camera what type of light source you are taking your photographs under. Some settings vary from camera-to-camera but there are four you'll see on all models which are: Auto, Daylight, Cloudy, Tungsten and Fluorescent. When working outdoors, try the Daylight setting (usually a sun symbol) when working on bright days and the Cloudy setting for overcast days. 

  2. Use Macro Mode

If you want to make one flower your subject rather than focusing on a group, switch to macro mode. The Macro mode, which has a flower head icon, can be found either on the mode dial if your camera has one, or, in your camera's menu system. Some compacts focus within millimetres of your subject while others have a minimum focusing distance of a few centimetres. However, results can still be excellent. 

 

 

3. AF Mode

If you struggle to get the camera to focus on the point you want then switch your focus mode. Various modes are available and different modes suit different purposes. Spot can be useful when you have one specific flower to focus on as this mode is fixed more towards the centre of the screen. You can position your camera so the target marker is over your the subject you want to focus on then all you have to do is half-press the shutter button to focus then take your shot. 

 

4. Try Using Exposure Compensation

Dark backgrounds are great for shooting lighter coloured flowers against as it'll allow them to 'pop' from the frame. However, a large dark background which only has a small area of highlight in can fool your camera into thinking the scene is darker than it actually is and as a result, it can end up looking overexposed. Switching to spot metering can help with this but you may also need to have a play with exposure compensation to produce a more balanced exposure.

 

 

5. Think About Distance

By Zooming in closer to your subject, it'll fill the foreground of the frame and chances are the background will be thrown nicely out of focus so it's blurred. This is because the depth of field becomes shallower. Ensuring there's distance between your subject and background will also make it easier for your camera to throw the background out of focus. By doing so, the background won't be a distraction and all attention will fall on your flower rather than what's around or behind it. 

 

6. Learn To Use The Histogram

LCD screens can be used to preview images on but when it's sunny it can be hard to judge if the exposure is correct and this is where the histogram comes in useful.

Basically, you don't want the graph to be touching the left or right border and you want it to peak more in the middle and get lower towards either end. There are times when this won't apply but generally, it works. 

 

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Gear Suggestions 

• Standard zoom (35mm-80mm range is fine) – wide enough to get the whole boat in but long enough to focus in on the detail.
• Longer lens (80-200mm) - shoot small detail on boats further away. 
• Polarising filter – reduce reflections on the water and in paintwork and deepen blue sky.
• Tripod - extra support when working on uneven surfaces such as wet sand.

 

Pick A Sunny Day

If you want to capture the postcard shot of colourful boats lined up, reflecting in the water while a bright blue sky frames them from behind you'll have to head out on a sunny day when there's not much of a breeze in the air so the water's still. Make sure you use a polarising filter to saturate the colours and enhance the sky.

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The Tide Is Out

If you get to the harbour and find the tide is out don't think you need to head for fish and chips while the water trickles back in. Instead, photograph the boats which are now stuck in the mud and take advantage of the mooring ropes which are now fully visible, using them as lead-in lines for your photograph. A small aperture is needed to ensure everything from the front of the rope to the distant boat(s) or other objects are sharp.

 

 

Don't Clutter Your Scene

Harbours are bursting with photographic potential but don't make your scene too busy. If you can, single out one boat and place it near the foreground of your shot as this will give the photo more impact and will certainly be better than a shot of several boats that are fighting for your eye's attention.

Further Inland

Away from the coast, you'll still find plenty of boats on canals, rivers and in reservoirs waiting to be photographed. Canals create leading lines that will help with composition while the winding curves of a river will guide the viewer through the image to a boat making its way through the bends. If there's a bridge find a position where you can use it to frame a boat passing under it, just watch your exposure as the light under the bridge will be lower than the outside and it's easy to end up with a shot that's underexposed if the camera's meter reads from the brighter part of the scene. Switch to spot metering where possible, taking a meter reading from the sidewall of the bridge and use that as the starting point.

 

Activities On And Around The Boat

Barges found on canals are often very colourful and feature flower pots and other accessories that are worth a quick snap. Just remember to use a wide aperture to blur the background. Round the harbour, you can crop in on sails, boat hulls, lifebuoys and fishing nets.

 

  Action

For those who like things to be a little more fast-paced head for a water-sports centre where water-skiing, jet-skiing and other adrenalin-pumping activities take place. A camera which has fast autofocus will help you capture action shots where your subject is pin-sharp. A little blur in the background can enhance the sense of movement/speed in your shots, however. 
 

You've read the technique now share your related photos for the chance to win prizes: Daily Forum Competition

Motion, movement and action are wide and varied photographic subjects and as a result, there are many ways a photographer can create a sense of action, motion or movement in their shots. ePHOTOzine has written many tutorials that cover motion/action in some shape or form and as a result, we've decided to group the most popular tutorials together so you can find all of the inspiration you need in one place. 

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Our 10 Top Action, Movement & Motion Photography Tutorials:

 

1. A - Z Of Light Trail Photography Tips

Night + city = the perfect opportunity to capture light trails. Plus, you get to practise your long exposure photography technique while shooting the colourful lines created by traffic weaving through the city streets. 

 

2. Tips To Help You Shoot Sharp Action Shots

When it comes to action and sports photography, one of the main problems you face is your subject moves quick and they don't tend to stay in the same place for very long. As a result, it can be a bit of a challenge to try and get a sharp photo where your subject is in focus, however, there are a few things you can do to capture your moving subject perfectly.

 

3. Tips On Shooting Water Sports Photography

 

Head to the coast on a sunny day or even to your local reservoir and you'll probably find someone skimming along the water, holding onto a sail fasted to a windsurf board or getting pulled along by a boat on a board. The pros make it look easy and their jumps, turns and sheer speed make water sports a great photographic subject.

 

4. How To Capture The Action At Running Events

 

Many sports take place some way from the spectators which makes taking decent pictures without long lenses a challenge. However, accessible sports photography comes in the form of road running events. Something which can be captured right up and down the country. Plus, good action shots can be captured with modest gear at local events because you just stand by the roadside - often there are no barriers or anything to get in the way.  

 

5. 7 Top Tips On Using Blur To Create A Sense Of Action In Your Photos

 

Contradictory to what you're told when you first pick up a camera, it is OK to have blur, and quite a lot of it, in your shots when you're photographing the right subject and want to emphasise speed or create a sense of motion. When we say it's OK we don't just mean a shot you accidentally took out of focus will pass off as something creative, you have to deliberately adjust your camera's settings or know how a quick twist of your lens will give you the blur that's needed to add a sense of action to your shot.

 

6. Photographing Fairground Rides At Night

 

If you want to shoot general wide shots of the fair then head out just as the lights are coming on when there's still a touch of colour in the sky. That way you'll be able to get the lights, stalls and other foreground interest of the fair set against a deep blue sky. Leave the flash at home though as it can kill the atmosphere you're trying to create. For more abstract images, wait until the sky's a little darker and turn the rides into streams of light patterns. Look for rides that spin quickly or are bursting with colour as these tend to produce the better results. 

 

7.  Top Long Exposure Subjects For You To Photograph

 

See how long exposures can turn what can be described as ordinary into something much more interesting. From atmospheric shots to northern lights and, of course, blurry water, plenty of topics are covered in this tutorial. 

 

8. Waterfall Photography Tips: 3 Ways To Photograph Waterfalls

 

When it comes to photographing waterfalls, you can either capture the power and intensity of every cascade or you can slow things down and make the movement the focus of your photo.

 

9. 10 Top Tips On Adding Blur To Water For A Creative Effect

 

Love it or loathe it, blurred water can look great in the right situation so it is always worth a try. For those who are new to the technique, here are 10 tips to get you started in turning even small cascades can look like raging torrents. 

 

10. 5 Top Ways You Can Add Creative Movement To Your Landscape Shots

 

The idea of movement isn't usually a thought that first springs to mind when you try to describe what a landscape shot is. However, when you start to think of popular landscape topics such as waterfalls, rivers, trees, clouds and the sea, you suddenly realise movement, which makes shots more dynamic, crops up more often than you think.

 

Bonus Top List: Best Action And 360 VR Cameras

To help you capture all of the action, an Action or 360 camera might be useful and as there are so many action cameras available, we've put a handy guide together which talks you through action cam features as well as what's currently available on the market. 

 

You've read the technique now share your related photos for the chance to win prizes: Daily Forum Competition

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The latest winner of our popular daily photography theme which takes place in our forums have been chosen and congratulations go to Mike43 (Day 21 - Rivers & Waterfalls).

 

Daily Theme Runners-Up

If you didn't win this time, keep uploading your images to the daily competition forum for another chance to win! If you're new to the Daily Theme, you can find out more about it in the Daily Theme Q&A. 

Well done to our latest runners-up, too, whose images you can take a look at below.

  Day 15

Spring Landscapes

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Day 16

Small Mammals

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Day 17

Towns At Night

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  Day 18

Macro Photography

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Day 19

Low Light Photography

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Day 20

Moon

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Day 22

Seascapes

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Day 23

Faces

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You’ll find the Daily Themes, along with other great photo competitions, over in our Forum. Take a look to see the latest daily photo contests. Open to all levels of photographer, you’re sure to find a photography competition to enter. Why not share details of competitions with our community? Join the camaraderie and upload an image to our Gallery.

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In the Sun, captured by ePz member ruurd, is a breathtaking nature image that has well deservedly won our Photo of the Week (POTW) accolade.

We love the strong silhouettes of the butterfly and the dandelion clock, with the vibrant orange sun acting as a perfect backdrop that allows the fine details of the subjects to shine through. The shot and composition are superb, creating a balanced and bold look right in the middle of the image. The use of backlighting is excellent, and the way the warm amber light glows around the edges of the butterfly and the dandelion fluff is truly impressive. This is a superb photograph that uses light and shadow to create a peaceful, warm atmosphere. Brilliant.

Every Photo of the Week (POTW) winner will be rewarded with a Samsung 128GB PRO Plus microSDXC memory card with SD adapter, providing top-tier storage for all your creative needs across multiple devices. But that's not all! In January 2027, we’ll crown our 2026 Photo of the Year winner, who will take home the ultimate prize of a Samsung Portable 1TB SSD T7 Shield, courtesy of Samsung. It’s time to shoot, submit, and showcase your best work for a chance to win these incredible rewards!

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