Comparing Sunflower Photography Compositions
Jared Lawson
Comparing Sunflower Photography Compositions
Photographing nature and flowers can be extremely rewarding yet challenging for photographers of all levels. The number one thing to remember with shooting all formats and styles of photography is to remember there is no wrong way to do it. Photography is an art - within that art lies composition. Each photographer has their own style and creative touches - but where we can go wrong is to constantly focus our photography on outside influences opposed to your own style. Recently in Italy I explored several sunflower fields to practice my nature photography - coming away with two examples of composing sunflowers. Both of these photographs are a part of my Italy Art Gallery presentation featured on my portfolio website. This is not a vote to compare which photo is better, rather to explore two different styles I used to photograph these sunflowers.
Composition 1: The Wide Field
As the title states - my first impression of this sunflower field was the vast field of yellow. With my photography if you have explored my bio you know that I battle memory loss - which has caused my photography to take on a different style. I compose photos to highlight the moment of the scene while I am in that moment. This sunflower field overwhelmed me with its color and depth. I shot this photo purposefully using a shallow depth of field to really make my first row of flowers pop while maintaining that field of yellow. I also composed this photo to capture the iconic cypress trees in the background. Without the background you may question where this photo was actually taken. The strengths of this composition is the wide angle covering the entire scene. The piece of this composition I wish were included was a stronger blue sky to give the complimentary colors of yellow and blue.
This sunflower composition utilizes depth of field for color
The composition takes the same field and utilizes minimal flowers for effect
Composition 2: The Trio
This composition focuses on three blooming sunflowers set against the blue sky. The key to this composition is the minimalist composition involving only three select sunflowers instead of the entire field. I purposefully shot both contrasting compositions here - mainly because I liked the feel of each picture separately. This composition works so well because of the complimentary colors of the vibrant yellow sunflower against the summer blue sky. This photo would not work as well if the sky were blown out white. The key to a photo like this is to make sure you are perfectly focused on your main sunflower. I shot this at a lower f/stop (5.6) because I wanted blur in the background to highlight my main sunflower.
Photography and Social Media
I work tirelessly to share my photography through social media. Social media is king with photography -- share your tips for this photo and others on my social media and I will spread the word. Find me on Google+, Twitter to get out and share photography tips today!