Today I thought I would take you behind the scenes and share a glimpse my process of editing flower photographs. I have created a short video to show you the transformation from the off camera photograph to the final piece of art.

Behind the scenes – editing flower photographs

I have created this screen shot of my work process. Because my processing work takes a very long time (I probably spend 10% of my time taking the photographs and 90% editing them) I have put this video at high-speed. 20 times faster in fact, so it should make it a little more interesting to watch. 

Photography

I set up this gerbera flower in my photography light tent. These tents are fairy cheap to buy, or I have known people make their own using a cardboard box and tracing paper! The tents give a diffused and consistent light across the object you are photographing.  

For this set up I placed the flower on a large sheet of white paper which bounces back some of the light. It also makes a simple background to edit with later in the process. I have a couple of studio lights set up on each side of the tent which gives the image enough light, but also helps to reduce unwanted shadows. 

Editing Flower Photographs

I am a big fan of Lightroom and Photoshop which I use to store and edit my photographs. I know lots of people love the completely natural look that you can get from a Jpeg image straight off the camera. But for me I love the process of playing around with an image and making it a piece of art to hang on your wall.

First, I import the images into Lightroom and make some basic adjustments to exposure and select my lens correction profile. Once I’m happy with this I click on the “edit in Photoshop” selection to import my image into Photoshop for editing.  I start by ensuring I’m happy with my adjustment my tweaking these settings in the camera RAW filter. Next I remove any unwanted elements such as dust spots on the lens or specs of dirt on the petals using the spot healing tool. With this floral image I first cut out around the flower and fine tune this with the masking tool. Once I am happy with the cut out shape I add a background layer with textures to create some interest. 

Any questions?

I realise that this is a very basic overview of how I edit photographs. So if you have any questions about how I process my images I am happy to answer them. You can contact me through my website or using any of my social media pages. 

What can I buy?

This beautiful new floral design is available on all of my usual products, from prints and canvasses, stationery items such as notebooks and stickers, as well as household decor from wall clocks to mugs. You are sure to find a product that inspires you!

pink gerbera aline dress

pink gerbera scarf

pink gerbera floor cushion

pink gerbera tote bag

pink gerbera iPhone case

Love this new design?

Buy it here: – I want that Pink Gerbera! 

Sara Sadler

Photographer

I am a fine art photographer based in the South of England. I enjoy sharing my photographic adventures, hints and tips.

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sarasadlerphotography.co.uk