The Art of Flower Photography is all about seeing the picture, taking the photo and making the art.

The Workshops

Each workshop focuses on a different aspect of flower photography and has been carefully designed to take you through the steps required to complete a stunning piece of photographic art. Join me on a relaxed, enjoyable, hands-on and informative learning experience. I'll show you how to set up the subject and background, select the correct camera settings, use the right equipment so you capture a great shot. Then we'll cover the necessary tools in Photoshop to apply creative and enhancing edits so you create great art.

Workshop 1: A Great Start

Introduction to the Art of Flower Photography

Workshop 2: Make a Monet

Impressionist, arty with a bit of blur

This workshop is an introduction to the of the art of flower photography. If you are beginning your journey into the wonderful world of the art of flower photography this practical and relaxed course is a great place to start, where you will be guided through how to make best use of your DSLR camera to create beautiful images of flowers. The basic technical skills along with the vision to 'see' in advance the finished picture are invaluable, whether you are seeking to create a Monet style impressionist image or a sharp botanical study. See more... Impressionist and Arty. Discover 'In the Round', wide apertures, 'shooting through' and plenty of blur. The art of flower photography is as much about making pictures as it is about taking them. The process starts with seeing and visualising the finished picture. Once you know what you are trying to achieve you can set up the subject, the lighting, the camera and the background, compose and shoot. Preview and review the results. When you have captured the correctly exposed image, the next bit of the fun starts with using the processing and image editing tools to finish and perfect your image. See more...

Workshop 3: Sharpen Up

Get it pin sharp to create botanical studies

Workshop 4: Lighten Up

Natural, added, lightpads, reflectors ....

Close up and macro images pull you into the subject in order to examine the details from an interesting perspective. Creating sharp images is challenging and rewarding. With plenty of hands on practical projects, easy to follow demonstrations, this workshop will guide you through creating sharp close up images, a botanical study and introduce you to focus stacking. We will discuss the difference between close-up and macro and explore the characteristics of different lenses and their ultimate effect on a finished image. See more... The projects in this workshop will concentrate on using natural light and understanding the challenges this brings. It is useful to know the theory about colour temperature and white balance, how to make best use of window light and how to filter light with diffusers and incease light with white and coloured reflectors. We will use inexpensive LEDs and continuous lights to create a range of hi-key and lo-key images. Many flowers, seed heads and leaves look amazing when back lit. We will use light tents to control shadows and then explore the techniques for creating transparent / translucent flowers on pure white backgrounds using a lightpad and multiple images. See more...

Workshop 5: Get Creative

Abstracts, depth of field, whatever takes your fancy

Workshop 6: Save the best til last

Post production where the magic happens

Flowers are the perfect subject for creating abstracts. Combine a well planned, well exposed photograph with the filters, adjustment tools and huge range of Photoshop features and make some art. In addition to the photography and processing aspects, this workshop also looks at how the flower subject itself can be used to create unusual images. Microwaved and pressed, along with frozen and dying flowers, when composed well, also make abstract and captivating pictures. See more...

More magic happens at the post-production stage. Photoshop, Lightroom, Elements - Embrace the post-processing. Filters, layer, blends, masks and much, much more. Although the workshop is aimed at the flower photographer, many of the digital darkroom methods will apply to all categories of photography. See more...