A solid overcast sky, in fact, acts like a giant white umbrella to cast soft and even light - ideal for portraits. But early-morning or late-day sunlight can put your subject in a beautiful warm glow. Also, sidelight or window light can create a striking mood portrait. Harsh, sunny midday? Even up the lighting extremes ... by either filling in the shadows with fill-in flash, or by moving your subjects into open shade.

Study the creative images by BetterPhoto members and instructors, and you'll see not only all sorts of lighting, but compositions too. Many pictures offer a full-length look of both mother and child, while others are "head-and-shoulders" shots, and still others are tight close-ups. Some are formal portraits, many are casual portraits, and more than a few are eye-catching candids. In a couple of images, the child is shown alone ... except for the mother's loving hands.

In fact, the only limiting factor in photographing roses is a creative one, not an equipment one. Whether you have a simple point-and-shoot camera or a sophisticated SLR, you can record beautiful pictures of roses. Some shooting suggestions:

• Watch your background. Roses are so beautiful, you don't want a "busy" background - lots of objects, colors, or highlights that draw attention away from your subject.

• Black and white ... why not? As colorful as roses are, they can look verrrry nice in black and white.

• As for lighting, what works best for people also works best for flowers! That is, beware of extreme lighting contrast - a scene filled with glaring highlights and deep shadows. Instead, try fill flash, a reflector, or a diffusion disc to soften the light. Or move into the shade, or photograph in the warm light of early or late day. An overcast day? Bring out your camera!

• For ideas and inspiration, don't miss BetterPhoto's Pictures of Roses gallery.

• Flash Photography: Balancing with Ambient Light by Jed Manwaring
  
• Creative Techniques in Flower Photography by Tony Sweet
  
• Fun Children Photographs by Vik Orenstein
  
• Capturing Your Kids in Pictures: Keep Shooting by Jay Forman
  
• Photographing People in the Outdoors by Kerry Drager
  
• Close-Up Photography: The Art of Selective Focus by Kerry Drager

• Pictures of Roses gallery
  
• Mother and Child Photos and Pictures gallery

• Jim Zuckerman's Mastering Light
  
• Vik Orenstein's Studio Portrait Lighting
  
• Brenda Tharp's Mastering Macro Photography
  
• Tony Sweet's Fine Art Flower Photography
  
• Jay Forman's Capturing Your Kids in Pictures
  
• Vik Orenstein's Photographing Children

• Symbolic Meaning of Roses - By Color