Portraits With Flowers: What is a Flower Portrait Photoshoot?
Flower portrait shoots are very popular because you can use the natural beauty of flowers to complement a model’s beauty. These kinds of photoshoots are as common as flower photography. It’s easy for beginners or professionals to plan a whole photoshoot around a single bouquet. Flowers can evoke a whole range of emotions and scenes. They can allude to a free spirit or romance and everything in between. You can even use them to show darker themes if you get creative! If you open any fashion magazine, you will likely see a photoshoot that includes a flower portrait. This isn’t surprising. Traditional portraiture has often included flowers as decorations or props to fill the photographic frame.
Enchanting Portrait Ideas With Flowers
Here are nine flower portrait ideas you can try photographing right away! You can also use a tripod and take a self-portrait.
1. Place a Flower Behind the Ear
What screams summer more than the classic flower-behind-the-ear pose? Have your model place a flower behind their ear and watch it transform their attitude with different poses. A nice, extra touch is to take advantage of your surroundings. For instance, the model has put a flower behind her ear from the bush behind her in this picture. You then have lots of extra red dots of flowers around the whole frame to tie the image together. This idea is perfect for spontaneous photoshoots. I suggest shooting at head height to the model or lower when working with this pose. This allows the model’s beauty to have power over the viewer, making for a more dramatic scene. It helps if the person turns their head slightly, so the flower faces the camera.
2. Run Through a Flower Field
If you’re lucky enough to live near a field of flowers, then use it to its full potential! This can be any flower field near you, like this beautiful tulip field in the picture or a towering sunflower field. Because we plant flowers in rows, you can have your model run or walk down one of the lanes for an action shot. Be sure to use a fast shutter speed. I would also suggest shooting from behind your subject. The model running away from the camera will feel more dramatic than the model running toward the camera. This shot can be made with any camera but is more favorable on a DSLR with a long lens. The long focal length captures a more concentrated look of the model in the environment. I would also suggest shooting on a wide aperture to slightly blur the foreground and background.
3. Cover the Eyes or Face
Here’s a fun idea that allows you and the model to experiment together. There is no secret why many jewelry accessories are shaped like flowers. It’s because they complement our natural features well. Use the flower’s beauty to interrupt a standard portrait. One way to approach this is to work with the shape of the flower. For instance, instead of a sunflower covering up part of a person’s face, why not use it to cover their entire face? Or maybe you have tulip bulbs that haven’t bloomed yet? You can use them to subtly cover your model’s eyes. Remember to keep checking that your camera’s focus is directly on your model’s face. The camera’s autofocus may automatically snap to the flower, so spend extra time making sure the focus is spot on. You want to prioritize the model’s eyes for perfect focus. Switch to manual focus if the autofocus is giving you any problems.
4. Create a Monochrome Color Pallete
This flower portrait idea takes a bit more preparation than others. But it is one hundred percent worth the effort. Find a bush or tree for a photoshoot or set up flowers in a studio with a particular color palette. Then have your model dress in the same color palette! When done well, this photographic technique makes it look like the person is a product of their natural surroundings. It will appear like their clothes are made of the same floral material. It makes an eye-catching composition. It’s perfect for high-fashion photoshoots and as Instagram posts. Be aware that when you match your clothes to the flowers, other elements in contrasting colors will stick out more. This is especially important when applying the model’s makeup. If they’re wearing eye shadow or lipstick, ensure the colors do not stray too much from your chosen color palette.
5. Focus on Flowers Instead of Faces
Sometimes, objects help say more about a person’s character than a portrait. Ask your model to hold up a flower or bouquet to the camera. Then position your camera, so the flowers cover up your model’s face. I like how this flower portrait can evoke the essence of a person. Because there are so many flowers in the world, you could match all your friends to a different flower! Sunflowers can represent your happy friends and maybe more unusual flowers for your unique friends. Your friends will love taking this picture, making for a great Instagram post or profile picture. This technique is most successful with a shallow depth of field. So, be sure to set your aperture as wide as possible when shooting on a DSLR. If you only have a smartphone, don’t worry! Most newer smartphones now have a Portrait mode where they simulate a shallow depth of field. It may take some playing around for the focus to land exactly where you want.
6. Create a Crown
Turn tulips into a tiara! Make a crown for your model out of flowers. Flowers can be tied together using a wire structure and fashioned into a headpiece for your photoshoot. You can make a simple crown with a couple of flowers or a whole bouquet like the example below. If you want it to be reusable, use artificial flowers. The flower crown adds an enchanting feel to the photograph. The viewer will relate your model to a woodland fairy or a sort of mystical royalty. Also, accessories help change your model’s persona. They have this fantastic quality of animating people subconsciously for bolder poses! A crown is also a good idea if you want to add an extra touch to an off-the-cuff photoshoot. If you have a model willing to go on a photo walk in nature with you, this is the perfect accessory. It doesn’t take up a lot of space. And if you are on a budget, you can make a simple daisy chain crown.
7. Shoot Through Flowers
An interesting compositional technique is putting an object between you and the subject to break up the frame. In turn, this makes the subject stand out even more as it creates a sense of depth. Plus, it makes your focus seem sharper. You can do this simple technique on location or in the studio. You can shoot overhead—like the photographer for this example has done. Or you can crouch down in the undergrowth. You have many options and framing ideas to explore. Like idea number five, you need a shallow depth of field for this technique to work best. This may be harder with smartphone options, but it is still possible to get a great shot.
8. Take a Floating Face Flower Portrait
This floral portrait idea produces stunning results if you want to create otherworldly pictures. I’m sure we’re all familiar with a rose petal bath. Why not take this idea and turn it into a photoshoot? This photoshoot will need more preparation than the others. You have to source flowers and find a water environment big enough for your model to get in! I suggest finding a location with water that doesn’t move. This allows you to arrange the flowers in particular areas for your shot. A bathtub or pool is an excellent controlled environment to use. Jovana Rikalo captures this style of flower portraiture perfectly. She makes it look like the model is emerging from another dimension by rotating the frame.
9. Drop Petals From Above to Add Movement
Want to animate more of the frame? A great way to do this is to drop flower petals while taking your photograph. Dropping flower petals gives the illusion that it’s raining different colors. You can buy bags of artificial flowers online if you’re worried about spending too much, ripping petals off real flowers. I suggest trying this technique inside on a small scale first. If you want to do this outside, consider having assistants help you. Set your camera on a tripod. And be sure to shoot in burst mode instead of trying to get that one lucky shot. Choose a slower shutter speed for motion blur.
Conclusion
Portraits shot with flowers is a genre that thrives on creativity and experimentation. Sometimes the most simple props—like flowers—can change the image. It all depends on what you do with it. Now that you have nine different flower photoshoot ideas go through the list and see which ones spark excitement. Think about how you can incorporate your natural floral surroundings into these dreamy portraits with flowers. And ask friends and family to pose for your portrait photography! Try out our Dreamy Childhood Portraits e-book to capture memorable images!
