Isolation Photography: Capturing Flowers

One aspect of creating a quality image is to isolate your subject. In this video, professional photographer Tony Sweet will show you the principles of what he calls isolation photography as he captures an exquisite flower. He shows you how he identifies the main flower subject, with a soft contrasting background to accommodate the isolation photography concept. He will also show you how to use the ideal camera lens to achieve this muted romantic style.

Tony concentrates on a creamy white flower, the background a wash of pink flowers, and uses his 300mm lens with an extension tube. This allows him a narrow angle of view, the sharpness falling off dramatically. He is seeking a pastel color palette. In order to decide how he wants to compose the subject, he hand-holds his camera and then brings in the tripod for the final composition. He shows you how to fill the frame with your subject, keeping the background extremely out of focus. He sets his focal length at f-4 which separates the creamy flower from the pink background. The idea is to create a dreamy impression. Changing exposure compensation, he also makes multiple exposures. If your subject flower is agitated by a breeze, you want to keep your shutter speed fast. Tony shoots his image at 1/400.

Isolation photography is difficult. You need patience and persistence. You will learn to take your time and experiment with your focus and camera adjustments until you are satisfied with your composition. If you find a composition you like, capture exposures from different angles and then work with the best ones in editing. You should be constantly fine-tuning your photographs. It is always a good idea to overshoot.

Get behind the camera with pro shooter Tony Sweet for all you need to know about isolation photography.

See all videos in our Flower Photography Artistry Course:

Flower Photography Artistry: Course Preview
This video: Isolation Photography: Capturing Flowers
Close-Up Photography: Shooting Patches of Flowers
Quick Tips for Photographing Dragonflies
Panning and Stitching Photos on the iPhone
Capturing Dew Drops to Enhance Your Photos
Capturing Flowers Using Multiple Lenses
Editing Photos with the Camera Bag App
Controlling the Light of Your Shot
Handheld Macro Photography
Creating HDR Images on Your Cell Phone
Shooting Through to Capture Your Subject
Creating a Swirl Pattern with a Zoom Lens
Creating an Abstract Color Swipe
Creating an Asymmetrical Image with Multiple Shots
Shooting Orchids with a Printed Background
Shooting Orchids on an iPhone
Capturing Tabletop Flowers
Digital Infrared Photography: Photographing Flowers
Adding a Textured Overlay in Photoshop
Targeting Photoshop Adjustments
Using Photoshop Scripts
Infrared Conversion
Flower Gallery