I use Adobe Photo Elements to crop and resize my photos. I make photos 100 dpi for computer screen shots. That way they do not take up so much memory and upload faster to Photobucket and the Lily Auction. All photos come out of the camera rectangular.

Debra

Last year I got lazy and didn't crop or edit all of my photos, and I usually put the names in them. I got around to some, but not all. I use Picasa because it's free and easy to use. I just need a general touch up on my photos, I don't like to mess around too much because I don't want to make the colors look fake. The pictures come out of my camera rectangular too. I don't know if there is a setting to change it, only the quality of the photos themselves. When I take a picture, I concentrate on lighting and background first, then focus. I generally like to take pictures in the morning when the flowers are fresh and the sun hasn't faded them. I try to make sure there are no feet or chain link fences or anything else in the picture. My new camera has automatic macro but my old one I always had the macro setting (the flower) on, unless I'm doing a clump shot. I take few different shots just in case one turns out blurry then I can delete the ones I don't like. I guess that's about all I can think of for now.

Karen

Those are good points, tepelus. In addition, as I mentioned in an earlier post, purchase an inexpensive piece of foam core board and put behind your daylily if there objects behind the flower that are distracting. I have black, but am going to try a medium blue (I read in a book written by a flower photographer that this was the best color to use behind flowers) this year and see what results I get.

You can't stress paying attention to lighting too much and also, look at the angle you are taking the picture at and see if there might be a better direction to take the picture that might show the flower at better advantage. You may need to get down on your knees and take it looking up or vice versa, or try from the side as well as from above and straight on.

I can't wait for my daylilies to start blooming this year. These pictures have issued me a challenge to up my game in taking pictures of my daylilies. Thanks for the challenge and the enjoyable browsing. Now all I need is to find out where to find some these beauties that all of you have so graciously shared.

Ms. Faith

My biggest challenge is the sun: If I don't get out early enough, the sun is too bright and washes out the daylilies in the photos. If I go out too early, many of the flowers haven't opened fully. I'm not sure I'm ready to invest in a white umbrella like some photographers use.

I suppose I spend to much time on my photo's but I like to take my pictures early too! Also, I have several programs I could use but prefer the OLD pohoto deluxe. I have to use it on the xp because windows 7 won't load it. I first take my photos and load them onto the xp, then I crop them into 500 pixels. also I add the watermark stamp and send them to photobucket. The only time I mess with the color is if they are in the shade ( not enough light ) or the sun is glaring on them. The color is always as it is in my garden. The program is from windows 98 and I like it better than any I have used. When I size it in pixels, it does it's own proportations autmatically When I size them I also add the name....

I take fresh photos every year.. lots of time spent here but I also make a cd of them each year. Just for fun..LOL!!

Ellie

BTW, I load them into a folder on an external hard drive so I can have them handy and they don't take up computer memory.

I would emphasize Chris's point--that time of day is an important variable. I find that too early in the day, my camera produces different coloration (often a blueing) than when sun hits the flowers. Some hybridizers get their fancy photos by manipulating light effects or by using dark backgrounds. Some flowers too change coloration with more light. If you google certain cultivars, you often can find a lot of variation in picture colors. That is partly due to different cameras, of course; purples and black red cultivars can be especially difficult for a camera to capture correct color. I know I find it very frustrating when I see two very differently colored pictures of the same cultivar. Unfortunately, some photographers are more interested in a pretty picture than in reality.

Case in point about sun verses no sun on the flowers:

Robes For The Queen, no sun shining on the flowers, taken around 9 in the morning

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Same exact flowers a half hour later with the sun shining on them

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I like to take them in the morning, usually between 7:30 and 8 before heading for work because by the time I get home the flowers are half wilted or faded. On my days off, I take them a little later but before the sun hits them, or take their picture in the morning sun. Afternoon sun is too bright and washes the color out. I don't have an umbrella to shade them, so morning is my best option.

Karen