A Thousand Point of Light

The sunflowers around the Arboretum's Sundial are looking pretty amazing this week, and in fact, the display is probably about at peak. A friend and I made plans to go there together to take some pictures, and so on this morning, we did a photowalk among the sunflowers together.

My friend had admired some of my flower photos in the past, and she was hoping that I could give her some pointers and tips. I have to admit that I don't feel like I did or said a lot, but we both ended up with some pretty great shots! I suspect that sometimes all you need is a little nudge in the right direction. And the gift of good light.

Yes, the light was amazing and I took more than a hundred photos. Every single sunflower was beautiful and it was hard to pick a favorite, but here are two of my best shots of the day: one above, and one in the extras.

I also thought that it might be fun to pass along some of my thoughts about shooting sunflowers. I don't usually articulate my thinking about my photography as I'm doing it, but now that I've turned that switch on in my brain, let me share some observations and suggestions. If you are a photographer, I hope these may be helpful to you!

1. Go for the peak bloom. I've been watching these sunflowers for weeks. The first ones to bloom were those reddish-brown ones. Then came the big yellow heads. And now, the background has filled in with a bunch of paler yellow ones. The smaller flowers in orange and yellow (cosmos, I think) have peaked, and their petals are just starting to fall. It's not going to get any better than this!

2. Follow the light. The flowers look amazing fully lit against a beautiful blue September sky. However, I also get lots of good results when I shoot from the light into the darkness (or at least into lesser light, as in the shot above). The flower head looks like a lightbulb. Look at that beautiful golden glow! The sunflower field was like a thousand glowing candles; the flowers themselves provide the light.

3. Consider what you want your background to be. I am always walking around, circling things, leaning or kneeling, trying to see what I can put in the background that is interesting. I like to fill the background with different colors and shapes, if possible. The background bokeh in the extra photo almost seems to be swirling with color. What fun!

4. Include something interesting and colorful in every part of the frame. I think I remember saying a couple of times, "Let's fill that frame with COLOR!" I am a big fan of super-saturated color. I make no bones about it. Does your camera have a vivid mode? Use it! Light up those sunflowers like Christmas!

5. Consider shooting partial sunflowers, or bits and pieces of several. Some of my favorite shots were partial shots, with close-ups of the patterns of the sunflower seed whorls. I took a few shots of sunflowers just starting to open that looked almost . . . cute, like sunflower babies, with their tendrils like little hands partially covering their faces. Also, don't be afraid to shoot from BEHIND the flower. Both of these shots are back-shots. I can't help myself. I love to look at the backs of sunflowers!

6. Include photos of some of the wildlife that is attracted to the sunflowers. Bees love flowers. So do monarch butterflies. So do birds of all kinds. I even saw a hummingbird among them two different mornings, but didn't get a single shot either time. I am still hoping for the perfect hummingbird/sunflower shot! And when all of those sunflowers go to seed, boy are all the birds going to PARTY!

7. Check out the sunflowers at different times of day, in different light. They follow the sun, and so you can get some amazing shots in different light. Try putting just a few flowers in your shot. Try putting ALL of them in. Take a photo of sunflowers of just one color. Take another photo with lots of mixed colors represented. Are you having fun yet? Yes, you should be!

8. Include something in your photo that shows where you were. For me, that often means including in my shot some item at the Arboretum that everyone will recognize. The Sundial is one of those things. Any photo I see with it, I know exactly where it was taken. It's cool to include something that gives a sense of place. Maybe your sunflowers have a barn behind them? Let's see just a hint of that barn. We want to know more about where your sunflowers live.

9. Keep an eye out for the unexpected. For me, the fallen petals of the smaller orange and yellow flowers was quite a find. They looked like a carpet to me, a carpet of jewel colors. I also saw a bent sunflower, a small one, leaning forward, out of the line. It looked inquisitive to me. I also saw sunflowers lined up - pretty maids all in a row!

So there are just a few thoughts about photographing sunflowers. Sunflowers are so much fun. They are cheery and bright, like sunshine itself. So let's let our song for the day be about sunshine. Here's an old favorite: the Statler Brothers, with Do You Know You Are My Sunshine.