We all know that April showers bring May flowers. Since we've had a rainy April - witness the floods in the Dakotas - we can assume a bumper crop of May flowers. And flowers are a favorite target of every camera enthusiast. Here are a few tips to help you make your flower pictures knockouts.

When you photograph flowers, you have to make a couple of important decisions.

As with any photograph, your first decision is to decide: What's my subject? Is it a macro of a stamen? A single flower closeup? A bed of hundreds of flowers? A field of thousands? From this decision will flow many specifics of your picture.

Let's start with the macro - that is, with extreme closeups. Of course, you can only take this type of picture if your lens has a macro mode. This rules out most point-and-shoots which can't focus closer than two or three feet. With a macro, you're focusing from a few inches!

When you shoot a macro, focus is all important. Your plane of focus is very shallow - just a fraction of an inch. So you have to make another decision: Exactly what part of the flower do you want to be in sharp focus? The pistil? The stamen? A petal? (We've run out of high-school biology terminology, but you get the idea.) Unless you're a botanist, you will probably make this decision "on the fly" - that is, as you look through the viewfinder. When you see the image that you want, snap it!

While it is possible to take a good macro handheld, our advice is to use a tripod if at all possible. Since the flower is probably swaying in the wind, changing the focal point every moment, you're better off not adding the additional confusion of a swaying camera too. Use a tripod and be patient. Most often, the wind will die down from time to time and the flower will stand still and "pose" for an instant. That's the instant to shoot!

While on the subject of wind, here are some other tips: If the wind is blowing hard and steady, the flower will probably sway incessantly and fast, so that you will be hard-pressed to get the shot. Consider waiting for another time - perhaps, the next day - when the wind has died down. If you must shoot during an unremitting wind, place a make-shift shelter around the flower to protect it from the wind. A few sheets of poster board may be sufficient. (Of course, keep the shelter out of the picture!) Or tie the flower stem to a thin post (the type you will find in any garden center). Or both.

How should you expose this shot? The easy way is to trust your meter. It will generally give a fairly accurate reading in this situation. For pinpoint exposure, however, we recommend that you use a gray card or take an incident reading. (These alternate methods have previously been explained on this site. If you are unfamiliar with them, they may still be posted in the Recent Topics section.) By using one of these alternative methods, you end up with an exposure that is precisely calibrated to the light, and is not affected by the color or reflectivity of the flower.

Macro flower shots can be pretty. But if you want to turn the ordinary macro shot into an extraordinary photograph, try to add something of interest. What? How about a bee gathering pollen? Or a spider crawling inside? Or a butterfly? Or a hummingbird? Now you've got something to grab the viewer's attention beyond a pretty picture. This type of photograph may not come easy - you have to wait for the critter. But if you wait long enough and your patience is rewarded, you can end up with a really great photograph.

Let's move on to consider the shot of a single flower head. Much of what we said for the macro, applies here too. You can't get close enough for this type of picture with most point-and-shoot cameras. You're better off using a tripod. Exposure will be more precise if you use a gray card or take an incident reading. And the picture will often be improved if you can add a crawling critter.

Good focus is still important, but it's not so critical as it was with the macro. The zone of good focus is now a few inches, not just a fraction of an inch. So, while you still want to focus well, you don't need to watch focus so critically.

An added decision for you to make with this type of shot is to consider the direction of light. It's possible to take a very attractive picture with the light in its "usual" position, streaming from behind you toward the flower. But give strong consideration to backlighting - that is - light coming from behind the flower, toward the camera. Since flower petals are usually translucent, backlighting can give them an iridescent glow that accentuates the flower's color and brings it to life.

How should you decide which light is best? Easy. Walk around the flower, observing how it looks through the viewfinder from different positions. Keep a sharp eye. You may see an appealing shadow from one position. A glow of iridescence from another. Maybe you can get both together. Walk around, and then shoot from the position that appeals most to your eye.

Two words of warning here. First, when the light comes from behind you, watch your own shadow carefully. Usually, you want to avoid casting a shadow on the flower. Second, when you are shooting with the flower backlit, watch out for flare. You don't want the incoming light to shine directly into your lens producing ghostlike blobs. (You can avoid flare by either positioning your camera so that the light doesn't shine directly into your lens, or by shading the lens with your hand or a hat or any other opaque object. Just be sure that the object is kept out of the image frame.)

There's a second additional decision to make when you are shooting a single flower head. How high or low do you want the camera to be?

In other words, from what angle do you want to shoot the flower?

Once again, the answer is best determined by your eye. As you walk around the flower to watch the play of light from different sides, also look through the viewfinder to see how it looks from different heights. Don't be lazy. Lie down to see it from a squirrel's-eye view. Stand up and raise your tripod to see it from a bumble-bee's view. Let your eye decide which you prefer.

What about a bed of flowers…or a field of them? Here, you can probably use a point-and-shoot as well as an SLR. A tripod is less necessary. Focus is no longer critical - it can extend for feet or even miles. And metering with your built-in meter will probably produce a good result.

What about the direction of light? It still can make a difference. If you can check how the flowers look from different sides, by all means do so. Frontlighting may be all right. Backlighting - or sidelighting - may be better. Camera angle - that is, height - is usually less important in this type of long shot. (You should still stoop down to see if the image is improved from a low angle that will accentuate the nearest flowers.)

What should you look out for here? We think you should go back to the very first decision: What's your subject? A bed or field of flowers may look exquisite to your eye, but often makes an awfully dull picture. Look for something that will add interest to the picture. Something else that will draw the eye of the viewer and be the subject of your picture, with the flowers acting as swatches of color that complement it.

If you're photographing a flower bed, look around. Perhaps, a child playing amidst the flowers will make a far more interesting picture. Or the house behind it. Or the apple tree in the foreground? Or the fence. Or anything else you can find to draw the viewer's eye and add interest.

Do the same with a field of flowers. Is there a barn that would make a better subject? A tree? A windmill? A lone person far out in the field (Christina's world!)? A babbling stream? A majestic mountain landscape? Chances are, if you look around you'll find lots of potential targets that will add considerable interest to your photograph.

To sum all this up: Flowers are colorful and can make beautiful subjects when you're close up and they fill the frame. You're better off finding another subject, and using the flowers as an "accessory", when you're shooting from farther away.

— Article reprinted with permission of New York Institute of Photography.

By Liz Masoner

Now that you?ve explored the basics of fireworks photography you are ready to fine-tune your images. Some extra preparation and a little creativity can take your fireworks images into a whole new range.

Framing
We?ve covered the basic idea of framing wide so that you won?t have to recompose your shot with every shell. But how do you make the most of that wide frame? Scout your location ahead of time. If you are shooting a fireworks show you have seen before, you will have a pretty good idea of where the shells will explode. Explore the possible vantage points for the show in the daylight. If you are not familiar with the show, call the local promoter or fireworks company and ask them what the target sky area will be for that show. When you are scouting vantage points there are several things you should keep in mind.

* Is there a vantage point where you can include an iconic landmark in the frame?
* Are there power lines in the way?
* Will there be streetlights or other light sources around that could flare or ghost on your images?
* Are there going to be a lot of other people around who might bump or knock over your camera and tripod?
* If the weather is threatening, can you get your equipment out of rain quickly?

Focus
While you can easily set a film SLR to infinite focus and be relatively sure of your focus, digital cameras are often a bit more finicky in focus. With a digital camera you will need to either use your manual focus setting and focus on the first shell by hand or partially prefocus your camera and then allow the autofocus to fine-tune the focus with the first shell. If you allow the autofocus to fine-tune the focus you should immediately turn the focus mode back to manual so that your camera will not try to focus with each shell. If a building or other landmark will appear in the frame you can also focus on that structure.

Once you have the focus distance determined you should consider your depth of field. Aperture settings are not just for light control when it comes to fireworks. Fireworks are actually rather large items and require a fairly large depth of field. This larger depth of field is especially important if you are including a landmark or other structure in your image. F-Stops of 14 or higher are your best bet for crisp images.

Exposure
Fireworks have a wide range of light intensity. However, even the faintest firework is probably at least as bright as a streetlight at the same distance. Because of this you will be able to shoot with much slower film speeds and faster exposure times than you might instinctively think. If you are including a landmark or building, take an exposure reading off of that structure and underexpose just a little. If there will be nothing in the image you will have to guess at the first exposure. Remember that some of your exposures will be slightly underexposed and some will be slightly overexposed due to the changes in the fireworks themselves and how many shells are exploding at one time.

Some suggested starting points for determining exposure are:

* Aperture 16
Film Speed 100
Shutter Speed 2 Seconds

* Aperture 14
Film Speed 200
Shutter Speed 2 Seconds

* (Finale of Rapid Shells)
Aperture 18
Film Speed 100
Shutter Speed 1.25 Seconds

If you are shooting with a digital SLR select RAW mode for more freedom in recovery of slightly overexposed or underexposed images.

Support and Eliminating Shake
Tripods or other sturdy support are a must for fireworks photography. Even the best image stabilization technology is unlikely to be able to give you a rock solid image at 2 seconds handheld. Tripods do not have to be expensive to be stable. Even most cheap tripods have a hook on the bottom of them that is designed to hold weights. These weights provide extra stability for lightweight tripods. A couple of wrist exercise weights tied together work wonderfully for tripod weight without being too bulky. Remember to check your tripod?s manual for weight limits. If you are not going to use a tripod, you can use anything from a pillow to your camera bag for support but be aware that each time you touch your camera it will shake slightly.

To eliminate shaky fireworks, you need to avoid shaking your camera. Some shake will happen just by the shutter raising and lowering. However, most shake comes from photographers pressing the shutter button and then releasing it. If you will be manually pressing the shutter button, do not stab the button and yank your hand back. This will cause a lot of shake. Relax your hand on the camera and gently press the button. Leave your hand on the camera body. This is a lot like carrying a full glass across the room. The more relaxed you are, the less you shake. Alternatively, if your camera has the option of a remote release (either wired or wireless) you can nearly completely eliminate shake. It also eliminates the need for you to stand so close to your tripod and risk bumping it with your feet. Remote releases are generally available for under $50.

After Capture
Because you will not be adjusting exposure for each shell, some after processing is usually required for great fireworks images. Levels, Saturation, and Contrast are the most common adjustments for fireworks photography.

* Levels
Levels allow you to adjust the light quality of your image. By setting the darkest point and lightest point on your image you can dramatically increase the power of your image.
Lesson on Levels

* Saturation
Sometimes your fireworks images will look slightly washed out due to exposure or competition from other light sources. A quick way to correct this is to pull up the ?adjust hue/saturation? control in your photo editing software. Increase the color saturation slightly (no more than +10) and then adjust the ?lightness? down slightly (no more than -15) to darken the sky and add clarity to the colors.

* Contrast
If your images still look slightly washed out you can adjust the contrast to add some clarity to the explosions. Be careful not to add so much contrast the brightest parts of the explosions look completely overexposed.

In April 2006, I'd been enjoying a day out in Malham, one of the many picturesque villages in the Yorkshire Dales. For anyone who doesn't know Malham, the village is surrounded by some of the England's finest limestone scenery. I'd made quite a few images in Malham but was finished a little earlier than planned so I thought I would drive around and see some more of the local sites. Whist exploring I saw a sign for Scalebar Force so I stopped the car and went to have a look. The waterfall captivated me from the first minute I saw it. It's quite a high waterfall around 40 feet and has 6 steps, which change the flow and direction of the water. It's in a small wooded ravine and getting down to the lower level involved a tricky scramble down a muddy bank.

Unfortunately, It was a very sunny day not really conducive to photographing a waterfall. The sun's reflections were bouncing off the water and the surrounding rocks making it almost impossible to get a successful image. I decided to take a few shots to try an establish a great composition that I could come back and capture on another day. Once I felt I'd I found that view I decided to head back home thinking about the image that one day I'd make.

In 2006, I used to share my weekends between the Yorkshire Dales and the North Yorkshire Moors. If I went to the dales on a saturday, I would be on the moors on Sunday. On this weekend I woke up early on the Sunday morning and headed to Goathland, a village more famously known as Aidensfield in the television programme Heartbeat. I parked up and got myself ready to go down to Mallyan Spout, a nice waterfall which flows over the rocks into West Beck. As I got ready I realised that there was no sign of my tripod in the car. It suddenly dawned on me that I'd left it at Scalebar Force. A landscape photographer without his tripod is almost like a footballer without his boots. Feeling rather stupid I got back in the car and drove the 120 miles or so back to Scalebar Force in the hope it was still there. Suprisingly, at the bottom of the waterfall, there was my tripod. It was a bit wet from the overnight rain but that didn't matter.

The conditions that day in the dales were extremely overcast and a little bit wet. Fortunately, the rain was just drizzling at the time and I just felt this was a great time to capture the image I had been rehearsing in my head. The overcast conditions ensured that light on the waterfall was even and there were no bright reflections on the water or rocks to contend with. They conditions also ensured that the shutter speed would be slow enough to slightly blur the water without requiring any filters. I composed the image just as I had planned the day and captured the image. There was a huge element of danger to this shot as I was stood on the middle of the beck almost "welly" deep in the water. With thousands of pounds worth of equipment hovering a few inches above the water there is a huge risk albeit an exciting one when you know that a slight slip and that could be the end. Sometimes it's worth the risk, I call it the 'he who dares' approach.

On reflection I like this image a lot. I didn't try to capture the entire waterfall as many others do but tried to focus in on a smaller but attractive part of the waterfall. It is easy to turn up and feel compelled to fit everything in the frame, I still do it but you don't need to. I like the flow of the water which is an essential element to capturing waterfall images but what I like more is the colours and texture to the rock. It really compliments the smooth flow of the water.

I guess there is a morale to this story somewhere about always looking after your equipment. If this is a rule then sometimes things don't turn out so bad if you break them!!

Scalebar Force, Settle, Ribblesdale, Yorkshire Dales
Aperture: F22, Shutter Speed 1 sec, Focal Length: 14mm