How to Create Artistic, Dreamy, Soft Focus Flower Photography

[@CC-wr7zo]

I am macro beginner, I saw many tutorials and I love so much your soft art macro style. It's rare on KZbin. I'm going to try today ! Thank you.

[@mgmoats]

Thanks , glad you like it.

[@JulesMoyaert_photo]

Very, very funny! "Why is it out of focus?" was the very first question from my wife! 😃😃😃 Mike, this is an outstanding tutorial that reinforces my photographic beliefs, no matter what people say, no matter what they say! Thank you! By the way, your photos are just gorgeous!

[@mgmoats]

Thanks, and your wife is in the majority when saying that. lol

[@deannagorski2026]

I absolutely love this style

[@gillyb44]

Oh my a man after my own heart. I love my soft focus dreamy flowers, but as you say they are not appreciated by many, certainly not at my camera club. It’s an artistic interpretation which most do not understand. All photos they think have to have razor sharp F8 look. If only they knew how difficult it is sometimes to get that special look and feel. Thankyou for sharing.

[@mgmoats]

Thanks for sharing Gill.

[@marilyngiannuzzi9867]

Thank u,I love photographing sun flowers!

[@mgmoats]

Thank you.

[@annmarief.4822]

Thank you!!!..I love this style..I entered one of my soft dreamy macros into my camera club competition.The score is out of 15, judge gave me 9 and told to me it was a good try, and wished me well on my macro journey, suggested I do a tutorial on focus stacking.....

[@mgmoats]

You will learn that most people don't like soft focus images (other than macro photographers), that's why the judges were telling you to look at focus stacking which is design to get more of the subject in focus. But they don't realize you don't need focus stacking to get enough depth of field, you can get it done with one shot. Check out my blog post. www.tinylandscapes.com/blog/focus-stacking-waste-of-time

[@annmarief.4822]

@@mgmoats thanks I will have a look...I prefer the soft dreamy types of macro...I better get used to no one else liking it hahah...love your work!

[@mgmoats]

@@annmarief.4822 Thanks annmarie.

[@karmakern7119]

Love the white flower at the end. It was perfect..

[@mgmoats]

Thank you, glad you liked it.

[@robertmcnamara6425]

Mike, thank you for the inspiration!!

[@mgmoats]

Thank you, Robert, glad to hear you have been inspired.

[@johnlocke7097]

I will never understand how people can not like that. Another great video

[@mgmoats]

You find out in the next video.

[@johnlocke7097]

@@mgmoats I should know better

[@Rizlafilm]

Absolutely wonderful....

[@mgmoats]

Thank you.

[@jimkeener3773]

I have been trying to learn how to make photographs like this. Now I know. Thanks, Mike.

[@mgmoats]

Join my Macro Photo Club and you'll learn a lot more about macro/close-up photography. www.tinylandscapes.com/macro-photo-club

[@NECHOLA]

I love these!

[@mgmoats]

Thank you.

[@SanjayJoshi-ls3bj]

It's different than conventional "clear" photographs ! I like it. I will try to learn watching your videos !

[@BevSantini]

Definitely will give this a try!

[@mgmoats]

Have fun.

[@peterhardy6136]

Hello Mike really love your work I'm with you all the way, I would be interested on your opinion about the lensbaby velvet Regards peter

[@mgmoats]

Thanks Peter, I tried the velvet, and to me it doesn't seem any different than my macro lens.

[@marilyngiannuzzi9867]

Beautiful,my kind of photography!

[@mgmoats]

Thank you Marilyn.

[@smkunder1]

Definitely different, but it does seem to have a unique look. Great video

[@mgmoats]

Thanks Steve.

[@williamcharlesworth4617]

Mike, absolutely love your macro flower images. Have loved the style for a long time. Haven't shot too many of the dreamy style. Have had really good photographers tell me that I had to work on my focus, too much was out of focus. They knew what they were looking at, but just didn't like the style and were, in their way, told me so. They suggested that close up style with conventional lens was far better. Blah! I love macro. Your work is spectacular. Bill.

[@mgmoats]

Thank you Bill, appreciate your kind comment.

[@ritaophelia]

Love love your video's and your images

[@mgmoats]

Thank you Alice, glad you like them.

[@annajison3690]

So glad I came across this. Very good tips. I had been doing it the wrong way. Thank you. Will subscribe!

[@petergulliver3225]

Good video Mike, there is a word for people who can't or won't understand art it's: Philistines.

[@mgmoats]

Thanks Peter.

[@cropperson5583]

Well done ! You never cease to amaze me with or mastery of the art. I was not necessarily a big fan of this style but your images have convinced me and I will experiment with it for sure!

[@mgmoats]

Thanks Crop Person, glad you like this style. It's not as easy as it is to produce images with more in focus, but fun trying.

[@mikesensier3656]

I understand exactly where your coming from with this soft focus thing...I think it looks gorgeous. Keep up the good work...really enjoying it.

[@mgmoats]

Thanks Mike, appreciate you kind comment.

[@jocelynelebon5230]

Terrific photos, Mike. Thank you for the tips. I absolutely love this style of flower photography.

[@mgmoats]

Thanks Jocelyne, glad you like it.

[@nickfanzo]

I guess these experiments never saw the great Ernst Haas’ photographs of blurred flowers, or Dennis Stocks?

[@mgmoats]

Thanks, I'll check out those names.

[@nickfanzo]

@@mgmoats Ernst Haas is one of the greatest photographers who ever lived. I think you’ll like his work Check out the abstractions and nature photographs. They’re all amazing, however. He also used motion blur in a lot of his work, truly an innovator

[@wkuhlewind8928]

I noticed that the one I liked most (as in the yellow poppy) were the few that had the structural elements like a sepal in focus with the single color petals allowed to be out of focus. My eye was satisfied with the sharp element of structure while my heart was tranquilized (?) with the dreamy subtleties within the single color of the petals.

[@mgmoats]

Thanks

[@inkslinga1]

Love It......I have nearly always tried to get maximum sharpness but I think I shall give this a try.....

[@mgmoats]

Graham, most of what I do is all in focus, but this is something different that does seem to appeal to a certain group of flower photographers.

[@lusojo32]

Love this dreamy style macro photography, Thank You sharing Mr. Moats !!! I’ll definitely try to take a shot and will post it on the macro geek website. They again.

[@mgmoats]

Glad you liked it Jose, good luck with your soft focus photography.

[@bobpeyser4448]

Thank you Mike! Your videos have been very helpful to me.

[@mgmoats]

Glad you like them!

[@TRunner4]

Some of my favorite images I have ever seen are this style. It has always been said that images should tell a story, well in macro work it is hard to do that. But this shallow depth of field to me can say so much. Why can a painter paint something abstract but when a photographer does something abstract they get criticized? It makes no sense to me.

[@mgmoats]

Thanks David, I'll explain why people don't like these images in a new video tomorrow.

[@wkuhlewind8928]

David, for my $0.02 worth, I think that people require photographs to capture or document reality (a medium of realism) rather than a means toward self-expression, that is, art. Further, the uncritical critics have experienced blurry pictures coming out of their Instamatics and were extremely disappointed because their documentary purpose was frustrated. I’d be interested in learning from others why the uncritical critics pan selective focus (selective out-of-focus) photographs.

[@minibuns5397]

I like to form water droplets using glycerin in a syringe. It makes the images more artistic.

[@mgmoats]

Yes that does add a nice touch.

[@lisarobertson7011]

Thank you Mike, I love this style of photography!

[@mgmoats]

Thanks Lisa.

[@MatthijsLangerman]

I realy like the look this gives. I can see why some people wouldn't like it. But I would make a bigger (a4 is thr biggest I can do myself) print of it and frame it above my desk. Thanks for the tips and ideas!

[@mgmoats]

Glad you like the video. Thanks.

[@ianblackman2144]

Very nice work

[@mgmoats]

Thanks Ian.

[@helloprofkk]

That is an interesting tripod. Which brand/model is it? Great video.

[@francescad4054]

Thank you so much! A totally inspiring video. The photos are gorgeous, you don’t want to copy nature, you want to interpret it and this is what you’re doing, plus helping us to think and see different. I have problems with background, my backgrounds often wreck my photos, can you give us some tips on that too?

[@mgmoats]

Thanks Francesca, I'll do something about backgrounds in future videos. You also might want to look into my Macro Photo Club, which has over 200 instructional video on macro, and does cover working backgrounds. www.tinylandscapes.com

[@francescad4054]

Mike Moats thanks, I really appreciate it. I’m a newbie I’ve always done landscapes and milky way but since the lockdown I’ve been spending time in my yard. We cannot even go to the parks here in northern Italy but as soon as they reopen no-one will stop me and my dogs. I’m getting a Tamron 90mil. Hope it’s a good choice. I’ll keep watching your videos. Have a good day :)

[@313w47st]

absolulely hit my heart. Thank you.

[@mgmoats]

You are welcome Charles.

[@elsiepoynton9576]

Thanks love your tutorial

[@mgmoats]

Thanks Elsie.

[@Bob71650]

Hi Mike , Love the images. I was just wondering if you have to worry about your backgrounds when shooting this kind of image? Thanks, Bob

[@mgmoats]

No, because I am filling the frame with only the flower. Plus if there was some background, the shallow depth of field at f/2.8 would easily blur it out.

[@Bob71650]

@@mgmoats Thanks Mike, Just one more thing, are you using any special lighting for these types of shots? Thanks, Bob

[@mgmoats]

@@Bob71650 Nope, just the natural light that's available.

[@debamohapatra5403]

Love it

[@mgmoats]

Thanks Debra.

[@clydehamilton8138]

Hey Mike - As usual a very informative video. I haven't shared many of my soft-focus flower photos so I haven't experienced the negative reaction you mentioned, but the more I thought about it the more sense it made. Since you also shoot flowers (and stems) completely in focus with a soft background I wondered what the non-macrophotographer reaction was to those images.

[@mgmoats]

Those image go over fine, because the main subject, the flower and stem are in focus, so people have no issues about a a completely blurred out background as a solid color.

[@clydehamilton8138]

One last question - what's the reaction when you show both the fully in focus shots, along with the more abstract soft focus images? Say a 70 to 30 mix of fully in focus vs. soft focus images. Hopefully that would inform the viewer that you do know the difference and that you're making an artistic choice. Just wondered.

[@mgmoats]

@@clydehamilton8138 When I was in the art show for seven years, almost no one bought the soft focus images, so after the first year I took them all out of the booth, it would be like 90 percent for in focus, and 10 percent for soft focus.

[@Exercises10]

Great videos, Mike, I watch them every day. Do you have a way to shoot a rose? I am very challenged to finding creative ways to capture a rose. Thanks and have a great day.

[@mgmoats]

Thanks LuAnn, I have so much content and expect I will hit on what your after, so keep watching.

[@Rafaga777]

Beautiful photos. I like this style a lot and I make quite a lot of photos in this particular style. But I stopped showing these photos to other people. Most of them just shrug and say: what’s that supposed to mean?...

[@mgmoats]

Exactly right, I'll talk about that tomorrow.

[@wkuhlewind8928]

Seems to me that the photo doesn’t to “mean” something. Meaning speaks of message. These photo evoke moods......

[@MarcySB]

Really beautiful! Did you light them any special way?

[@mgmoats]

No, all natural light. Thanks.

[@lkupova1]

Thank you for the great videos! I've learned so much from you! What is the tool, that you are using to hold the flower?

[@mgmoats]

It's called a Plamp, by Wimberly.

[@lkupova1]

@@mgmoats I just saw your video about it. Thank you for the answer and the detailed video!

[@oneeyedphotographer]

F2.8 is the largest aperture.

[@mgmoats]

Correct.

[@hankfoto]

What I saw was photo ART Notnot news paper photography, were all should be in focus.

[@mgmoats]

That's very true Henry, no one stated this is anything but artistic flower photography.