A splash of red
Poppies are an iconic sight in the British countryside and in full bloom throughout the early summer they are one of the highlights of summer landscape photography, adding a splash or red to fresh green fields. Fields of poppies can be hard to find though, often popping up to cover a field one year and then disappearing the next. The best way to seek one out is to explore your local area or keep an eye on social media early each summer.
Whether you find a field red with flowers or a scattering of poppies along a verge, here are a few tips for photographing them.
Use backlight Poppies look amazing when lit from behind by low sunlight, the light glows highlights the hairy stems and glows through the thin petals. Lens flare can be a problem when shooting towards the light so use a lens hood or your hand to shield the lens.
Don't neglect composition It's easy to get excited by the amazing colours but as always, composition is key to a good photograph. Look for a distant focal point to add a sense of depth or perhaps a path through the field to lead the viewer into the shot.
Less is more A field of bobbing red flowers is an amazing sight but you can create beautiful images with just a single flower or a sprinkling of flowers on the edge of a field. A macro or short telephoto lens is perfect for isolating the subject and creating a shallow depth of field to help focus the attention on the flowers.
Go out in any weather You don't need blue skies for poppy photos, the combination of moody skies and the vibrant red flowers can be very dramatic and the even lighting on overcast days is perfect for detail shots of individual flowers.
Use a telephoto lens A long focal length is great for picking out individual flowers and if you shoot wide open (using your largest aperture), the shallow depth of field will render the background smoothly blurred.
Experiment If it is breezy, try using a slow shutter speed to blur the flowers or surrounding crops.
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