We normally know stock agencies telling in their FAQs that they have had enough photographs of flower. And they actually mean it. I totally accept their outlook and their frustration over receiving too many flowers and very few of them worth appreciation. The subject is too irresistible to ignore even for a person who is not a photographer. The sheer natural beauty of the vivid colors and structure of a flower amazes a child and an elder person in equal excitement. But still, I myself refrain from clicking flowers and not because I cannot submit them here or for competitions but there is some other reason.
I know a very well known and respected photography teacher in my country. One day at my home we were both discussing photography, when I asked him about his views on stock photography like I always ask all professional photographers. As always he had some prejudiced views about it without full knowledge about the business. I always find them keeping away from the stock business for whatever the reasons. And after a general conversation on it, he tried to wind up the topic as it was not of his interest. But suddenly he paused and asked, “Do they accept pictures of flowers?” I was like… huh.. no!
Since a long long time, I have not really liked conventional photographs of flowers because I truly believe that no camera can capture their beauty the way the flower appears to our eye... our vision. No matter who the photographer is, there has been none that could show me the complete picture of a flower that looks better than the real flower (non-processed with effects). And people who go and learn photography have to click flowers so many times in their course that they get addicted to clicking them. Somewhat they start getting so interested in the flower photography in the conventional way that they start forgetting other subjects or clicking the flora world in some different way which actually wont look like a flower but still something that can amaze people.
Macro is the best way to click flowers but this way of clicking them is also saturated. What is needed more in clicking flowers is exploration in the wild to find more exotic species than clicking the roses, lilies or tulips that are easily found by a person in their backyard. The colors, texture and the shapes of the flower matter a lot because they will define the whole picture whether you click it in macro or with some other technique. Surely, clicking a flower in the conventional photographer way is not going to work if you want to sell them in stock or put it up in your exposition/exhibition. Let the world see what they normally won’t see with normal eyes. Let the see the flowers through your vision or your camera lens. Add some additional subject to them, like maybe an insect or a person, it will give more creativity and make difference to the picture.
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TheFinalMiracle
