Pictures of Roses
It's All in the Light!

To create stunning pictures of roses, you have to cultivate your creative eye, patiently wait for the perfect bloom, then apply some technical photography rules. Study a few basic flower photography tips to perfect your rose photographs.

Photographers aren't born, their skill comes with study and .....practice, practice, practice!

Spotlight on Your Photos of Roses

Light is your new best friend now that you're a photographer. Get to know it early in the morning, in the day and the evening. Then your pictures of roses will get the "Wow, you took that photo!" response when you show them off to your friends and family!

Here's a time saving tip -- Check the plant's name tag when you're taking your rose photographs. Jot down their names in your notebook. Remember the Scouts' moto - always be prepared! If you don't record the name, you'll regret it. Just ask me!

	This picture was taken early in the morning on a lightly overcast day perfect filtered light...and the perfect yellow roses for a note card! This fragile, creamy-yellow Rose Elina lives at the VanDusen Botanical Garden, Vancouver, Canada.
	What luscious light! I waited for a cloud to cover the sun. The flawless Hannah Gordon bloom is in sharp focus - note the background is blurred. Nothing steals your eye from the impressive rose bloom. She also lives at the VanDusen Botanical Garden.
	The colors are delicate and the light is soft! The flower is so perfect, it's flawless. Always photograph newly opened blooms. This rose and several others on this page, were taken at VanDusen Botanical Garden in the Formal Rose Garden.
	You'll recognize this photograph! This rose was a surprise find. Explore areas of your own neighborhood. And discover something new every day, flowers, gardens or other treasures. There's so much of nature all around us - even in an empty lot.
	Here's a "china-pink" tea rose with a bud ready to replace it when it fades. The petals appear to have a faint blue tone to them. Shot on a bright but cloudy day. This bloom looks almost like an icing rose on the top of a birthday cake. Delicious!
	You thought it was too cold in Anchorage, Alaska for fabulous gardens! You're wrong. This city is “flower power” in the summer. Take a long walk downtown and then explore the residential streets. The gardens are gorgeous and abundant!
	This is a large Royal Sunset bloom with three buds. This picture is going to make a good background image for my computer. There's enough space to add a calendar on the lower right corner. I change background images monthly to enjoy them all.
	My sister's garden attracts all kinds of birds and little animals in the summer. Early morning is the best time to visit the flowers with my cameras. So quiet. Once the Manitoba Peace Rose starts to bloom I get up early to catch the dew on the petals.
	This rose bush is intriguing. It's a miniature with varied colors of blooms, light yellow, peach, and light to dark pink. There were so many flowers with a little bud poking out between. The bush is on the seawall walk on English Bay right near Granville Island.
	The rose isn't exactly center in the photo. Sometimes I break composition rules and place a subject smack in the middle - but not very often. This one's just off-center. A close-up crop of only petals, cutting out the backgound might be interesting.

A few things to think about before pressing the shutter-release:

	Experiment and use colored matte board, maybe cardboard or foam board as a background for a flower photo. I usually use a neutral color to emphasize the colors in my pictures of roses. Think of all the ways you can use these pictures.
	This is a beautiful rose and I got lots of use out of it! It makes a gorgeous card. Practice taking photos of roses on white or neutral backgrounds. Leave lots of space and then use your photo editing program to print your personal message.
	I used bright pink cardboard to match the dark pink in the rose. When you pick a background material for your pictures of roses, don't go shiny! You'll get horrid reflections in your photo. You can use fabric with a sheen, like silk - that works well!

Rain had just fallen on this floribunda rose beside False Creek. I love the gentle light and raindrops dripping along the top petals. If you want your flowers decorated with raindrops, make your own. Carry a small spray bottle of water with you!	The Manitoba Peace Rose is gorgeous and very hardy. This rose was bred in Morden, Manitoba - you'd be hardy, too! Manitoba has harsh, cold winters. It's thriving in my sister's garden near Toronto where the winter can also be quite challenging.	Floribunda roses are so beautiful and appear delicate but appearances are sometimes deceiving. This was a chilly afternoon. The daylight has a cool blue tone to it. Light at dawn or dusk is generally warm and golden.

Befriend a local florist! Let her know you're a “budding” flower photographer. Visit often and she'll be picking out the best blooms for you. Why not offer her a print of your photos to put up in her shop? Maybe she'd sell your floral cards for you, too!	A gigantic yellow bloom in a quiet neighborhood rose garden! Out exploring Anchorage, AK on foot near Tony Knowle's Coastal trail and - Wow- I stumbled upon a small community rose garden in full bloom. What a treat!	When I was studying photography, I had an apartment in a Vancouver home. This rose bush was in the yard. It gave me lots of practice and some great pictures of roses while it bloomed. I used a fabulous old Olympus camera at that time.

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