Here is the latest addition to this collection. All are nice Water Lilies to use in your Summer or Floral themed Craft, Mixed Media Projects, or for Handmade Cards.
Plus, there are some amazing black and white Water Lily Images. We have a selection of cards, postcards, prints, and illustrations. Today we are happy to have a gorgeous collection of Water Lily Images! We begin our featured images with beautiful color illustrations of Vintage Water Florals. As with any flower, there is no right or wrong aperture to use – it all depends on your vision and what you are trying to convey in your image.Share on Pinterest 13 Water Lily Images – Lotus Flowers Other times I might use a lower aperture to achieve a softer, dreamer look or isolate details with the flower using selective focus. If my intent is to get the entire flower from front to back in focus, then I might be shooting at an aperture as high as f20. Dragonflies, damselflies and bees often linger around waterlilies and lotuses and, with luck, you might capture one in your image. Zooming in and giving a close-up view of the inner parts of the flowers can create an impactful and interesting composition. Including the beautiful patterned lily pads and reflections of the flower in the water make for a more interesting composition. You may find yourself close to the ground capturing the waterlily and reflection from the side, or you may be able to position yourself right over the lily to emphasize the pattern and symmetry of the flower. Play, experiment and try as many compositions and angles as you can come up with. Waterlily and it reflection | Lens: 70-200mm | Aperture: f/13 Tip #4: Composition & Aperture Another strategy I use when photographing aquatic flowers is to underexpose slightly to help further darken the water and bring out the intense color of the flowers. It darkens out root systems and pots below the surface and makes post processing much simpler. It is a great bonus for photographers, as well. The dye helps control algae growth and make the pond appear deeper and more aesthetically pleasing. The biggest factor in those nice backgrounds is the fact that most aquatic gardens add a harmless black dye to the water. Cloning out roots or debris in the water may be necessary in post processing but positioning can often eliminate a lot of work later. Before putting your camera on a tripod or pressing that shutter button, move around a bit looking through your viewfinder to see what angle/position creates the best, least distracting background. Positioning yourself will also make a difference. Shooting in overcast light will help control your backgrounds by eliminating the hot spots and reflections caused by harsher light. I am often asked how I capture dark backgrounds in my water lily and lotus images. Waterlily, Garfield Park Conservatory | Lensbaby Velvet 85mm | Aperture: f/4 Tip #3: Proper Background Even on overcast days, a polarizer might be necessary to eliminate the glare on the waxy surfaces of the lily pads.
If you have stronger light and you can’t wait for an overcast day, a polarizing filter will help control brighter light, but this is not ideal for flower photography. You must rely on the clouds to act as your diffuser. You may ask “why not use a diffuser to soften the light?” By all means, use a diffuser for flowers that are close to the edge of an aquatic pond but most of these flowers are going to be too far away to diffuse the light. There are some night-blooming waterlilies that are the exception to this bloom schedule, and these will begin to open a few hours before dark and continue to bloom through the next morning when they close up for the day. This light will intensify the color of the flowers and help keep backgrounds darker. Bright overcast light is perfect light for photographing aquatic blooms. I recommend waiting to photograph these flowers on a day with some cloud cover. Your opportunity for capturing a fully open flower is when the light is highest and most intense. Most aquatic bloomers, however, don’t begin to open until mid-morning and they start to close up mid-afternoon. Generally, most flowers are best photographed during the early morning or early evening in the summer to capture the most beautiful light. Bright sun will create harsh contrast and this is not flattering for flower photography. Lotus Flower | Telephoto Lens: 70-300mm | Aperture: f/20 Tip #1: Soft LightĪs with most flowers, it is important to photograph aquatic flowers in more subdued or overcast light.