This beautiful Snakeshead Fritillary was photographed at RHS Wisley, Surrey. It involved lying down on a very wet floor in the early morning light. I was able to capture the soft bokeh background that you see here by using selective focus on an isolated bloom.

Image copyright Susan Phelps 2019

3) Fill the frame

Filling the frame with your subject helps to eliminate anything in the background that could detract from your subject. As you move in closer you’ll be amazed at the intricate detail and patterns that you will see. You can either use a telephoto lens and zoom in to the flower or use a dedicated macro lens which has the ability to focus on objects that are very close to the end of the lens.

Shallow depth of field is when only part of the image is sharp and the rest is soft and out-of-focus. You can achieve this by using a wide aperture (low aperture number) such as f/4 or f/2.8

Focussing can sometimes be a challenge when shooting close up. There are times when your camera will struggle to focus, you can disable your camera’s autofocus and switch to manual (or use the switch on some lenses MA/A) This will prevent your lens "focus hunting".

If you need to reduce camera shake use a tripod or rest your camera on a sturdy surface, such as a low wall and either use a shutter release or the self timer function on your camera. Another tip to stabilise close up shots is to be comfortable, to help you stay clean and dry while shooting, bring a rag or an old yoga mat you can lay on.