Bluebell Photography
Here we will be showing you a great idea for bluebell photography. We’ll be taking full advantage of spring to get that classic bluebell shot and be giving you loads of tips and techniques along the way. We’ll also look at the best camera settings and equipment to use to ensure you get the best photography of bluebells you can.
Plus, you can download our free guide to bluebell photography. Take this on your shoot to make sure you get great photos. Grab the guide below.
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Bluebell Photography Tips
The Idea
The first thing you need in any shoot is an idea. For our idea, we have chosen to use the beauty of bluebells to enhance a portrait and in particular a children’s portrait. This is a classic shot and let’s face it, who doesn’t want great shots of their children in this lovely spring environment.
The Colour Pallet
On a shoot like this, the colour of the clothes your model is wearing is important. Choose a colour palette to work from that matches the clothes to the colours as much as possible. This will create a more harmonious look to the photo. Also avoid checks, stripes, spots and logos if you can.
Below is the colour palette I used for this shoot. This was simply given to the client and they matched the clothing to the colours – Easy!
A great place to get colour palettes for shoots is the Adobe Colour web site, click to view this https://color.adobe.com
Camera setting for bluebell photography
There’s no one fixed camera setting for photographing bluebells as different ideas will require different settings but if you want that classic bluebell photo like in our photography, use the settings below.
Aperture:
Try to use a wide aperture such as f2.8 to give you a shallow Depth of Field. This will create a soft look and make the bluebells blur in the foreground and the background.
Shutter Speed:
You will need a fast shutter of 1/125th of a second or above to avoid camera shake. Handholding a camera, models moving and using a zoom lens all increase the chances of camera shake happening.
ISO:
Keep your ISO as low as possible as this will help reduce noise in your image. The ISO will change depending on the light available at the time. As you need to work quickly, putting your camera on auto ISO may help you here.
In our shot the lowest ISO was 400 and the highest was 640. To learn more about camera setting and how to control visual effects, click here.
Camera Equipment
Of course, you can use any camera to get a picture but if you want to really control visual effects you need to use a DSLR or mirrorless camera with manual settings. In our shot we use a mirrorless camera with a zoom lens.
Focal Length:
The focal length you use for portraits is important. In short your focal length is your angle of view and good focal lengths for portraiture can be found below. This will make the model and scene look natural, it will be flattering for faces and help throw the background out of focus.
For more info on focal lengths in photography, click here.
Composition tips for bluebell photography
Shoot through the bluebells at a low viewpoint. This will create a lovely soft look to the foreground of the shot.
Focal Length 40mm, 1/125 sec, f/2.8, ISO 640
As you are in woodland, try shooting through the trees to create a frame within a frame. This is a great technique to draw the viewers eye to the main part of your scene.
Focal Length 40mm, 1/125 sec, f/2.8, ISO 1000
Post Processing
Post processing is what you do to a photo after you’ve taken it and all professional photographs will be post-processed in some way. Below is what I added to the shots in Lightroom.
Before Lightroom edits
After Lightroom edits
I used Lightroom to add general adjustments which increased contrast, saturation and sharpness. Split toning and curve adjustments were also added to colour tone the image. To learn how to use Lightroom properly click here.
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And don’t forget you can download our free guide to Bluebell photography to take with you on your shoot. Grab this at the bottom of the page.
Bluebell Photography Examples
Focal Length 40mm, 1/125 sec, f/2.8, ISO 800
Focal Length 40mm, 1/125 sec, f/2.8, ISO 640
Focal Length 40mm, 1/125 sec, f/2.8, ISO 640
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