One of the biggest complaints I hear when dealing with photography is there is nothing to shoot. Not so! Simply go outside into the backyard or nearby area to capture the scenery around you. The simpleness of a single flower can make a huge impact in a photo. People just walk by them everyday and do not realize the beauty they possess or how intriguing they can be. All of these photos were recently captured around my property. The photo of the lake at sunset was taken about 15 minutes from my house. An easier step to remember when shooting flowers is to try and get the background blurred out for that quality impact shot. Basically, you want to keep the aperture wide open and depending on your lens, that could be at a 1.8 to a 5.6. Then zoom in on the flower, pick a focus point, and voila, you're on your way to capturing all the beauty around you. On a side note, the rhododendron blooms were taken just after it had rained outside. The tiny water droplets really add depth to the image. Some people like to take a water spritzer with them to add water into the photograph and while I've never done this myself, it without question will give the photo that something extra special. All in all, open your eyes to see the world around you. Anything from a dandelion, flower, bird feeder, leaf, insect, bumblebee, bird, rocks, or a new perspective or angle can widen your horizons when photographing.
