Photograph Weeds in the Summer – With Bonus Video

My story below…

When it’s summer, think about photographing weeds.

This month’s challenge is to take your images to the next level. I know this will be challenging because most people have already photographed a variety of weeds since they pop up everywhere.

Take a walk with your camera and photograph any weed you see.  Try different perspectives and color arrangements. Even a dead weed can be beautiful.

Below are some suggestions to get you started.

Get low on the ground and that will make your image different from the rest. Make sure the negative space leads your viewer’s eyes to the main subject, which is your summer weed flower.

Or you can do the opposite and try to really soften the background. Using a shallow-depth-of-field will give your work some beautiful colors to enhance your flower weed.  Maybe you’ll grab a nice bug chilling too 🙂

Thistle

What catches your eyes when you see the weed?  Use that and make sure that whatever it is, it’s in focus and remember to look on the internet to see if you’re being original in your shot. Don’t photograph the same composition as everyone else has… yep, it’s a tough challenge, but it’ll be worth it.

I caught a nice waterdrop on this Dandelion… bring a small spray bottle with you when you photograph.  The flower weed will be happy and you’ll have some fun grabbing some refractions.

Look for dead weed flowers in the later summer.  They have some amazing textures you can play with.  The thistle above was in a patch of dead brush.  Look out for 3’s in your composition and play with post processing to really bring out the textures.

Ok, now it’s time for you to have some fun!  When you get out to focus on photographing weed flowers, take your time and play, play, play!

When you get home, look at your work and choose what is different from what you would normally see on the internet.  Next, post-process your work to enhance the weed flower(s).

Here are some links to push you even farther:

Macro Photography: Cameras, Lenses, and Tripods

5 Tips to Get You Started with Macro Photography

How to Photograph Flowers Outdoors

Have questions or suggestions?

Cheers to Weeds in the Summer!

Janice xo