Picture perfect beautiful flowers deserve to be beautifully portrayed. At Marginpar they get the assistance of photographer Paul Heijmink, one of the world's best floral photographers with an incredible eye for detail. So, let's zoom in here on some wonderfully detailed pictures of stunning flowers.
The Unique Style & Beautiful Images of Paul Heijmink
With his unique style, he creates the most beautiful images. And although Paul has already photographed hundreds, if not thousands, of flowers, every flower remains a new challenge.
Paul Heijmink is "born among flowers", as he describes himself. His parents were in the flowers and plants and his brother didn't escape the flower virus either; owning a florist's shop. "It must be in the genes."
Clearly, because in addition to his activities as a photographer, Paul also works at the Plantion Flower Auction. There he regularly takes new types of flowers and plants with him that end up in a vase or in the garden at home, to be photographed afterward. "The advantage of growing your own flowers is that you can pick them at exactly the right time for the photo. Paul is by all means a perfectionist and a huge enthusiast. He glows as soon as he starts talking about flowers. And Paul has a lot to tell.
About that right moment, for example. When is a flower at its best? "It's a game of elements. The right ripeness, the right lighting, the right quality. Some flowers are very fragile, roses for example. Rose petals show tiny fractures if they have been shaken too much during transport. You don't see that in a normal photo, but you can see it in the way I do it."
Infinitely Sharp
Paul has a special technique, 'focus stacking', with which he gives his work a clear signature. The flowers are photographed close-up and are extremely sharp. And it is precisely this sharpness that is so special. "As soon as I've created the scene, the lighting is right and I've determined my frame, I take 10 to 15 photos. I start focusing on one point in the foreground and shift the sharpness up a few millimeters each time I take a picture. After that, I combine those photos after which one photo remains that is infinitely sharp. Then I adjust my frame and start again."
Extremely Close
"I used to do it more than I do now: shooting from extremely close range. Real macro photography, in which you capture the details perfectly, magnifying a flower completely. Sometimes you just don't know what you see anymore. Gypsophila, for example, even people from the flower box don't know what they're looking at anymore".
Favorite
Paul starts to shine even more when he talks about his favorites. Although he can't name one flower as a real favorite, because there is something beautiful to discover in almost every flower. "A parakeet tulip, Anemones (so photogenic), Clematis, and oooooh those Astrantias. They're so beautiful up close. Dahlias sometimes look like watercolor paintings. And Delphinium, that one becomes transparent in a picture. Wonderful.
The Perfect Picture, Completely Different
That perfect picture, that's the ultimate goal. You can do anything with it. "I had the Clematis Amazing® London the other day. Then you think, "Five pictures are enough", but I keep going. Sometimes you want a picture of a backside. Then you think, "Who takes a picture of a backside? But that can be really beautiful. I just turn them around, put them in a clamp or vase, and sometimes put a diagonal block underneath. In the past, in macro photography, I used to do it by hand, but I don't do that anymore. I like it more in the studio." More about Paul? Have a look at his Facebook page.
