How to Succeed at Garden Photography

What makes a great photograph? It's one of those unanswerable questions but I think it comes down to this: photographs help us to see the world in a different way, looking through another person's eyes and glimpsing beauty that we would otherwise have missed. It is easy to see why gardens are the ideal place to take inspiring photographs. Even the most untidy back yard can hide beautiful plants (yes, weeds can be beautiful too), a range of insects and everyday objects that are tinged with gold at sunset. So what are the best ways to photograph your garden?

Often much is made of having the right camera and the latest photographic equipment. I think that's probably the least important element now that digital cameras make it easy to take thousands of photos at amazing quality. There are a few situations where having interchangeable lenses and fill-in flash can turn an average picture into something special but more often it's the photographer, not the camera, that makes all the difference.

Light, Camera, Action

The most important factor is light. The human eye is capable of adapting to an amazing range of conditions but cameras are much less forgiving. Many people still believe that bright sunlight is best for photographs but it is actually one of the most difficult situations to work with. Overly bright foregrounds compete with sharp dark shadows and the detail and subtlety of colors is lost.

Of course, dull overcast conditions are equally poor, leading to mediocre images where nothing stands out. The best times for taking the camera into the garden are morning and evening when the light is softer and warmer, or when hazy conditions give semi-direct sunlight.

When photographing a garden we have the luxury of dealing with relatively static objects. It's not like sports photography where everything is decided in a split second. However, action can be important in gardens too, the movement of stalks in the wind or insect paths can make a picture come alive. To capture them you will need a tripod or a steady surface to rest on and a camera that can adjust to longer exposures.

Up Close and Personal

One of the easiest ways to get a fresh perspective in the garden is to take close-ups. It's not just good for flowers – leaves, vegetables, fruit and insects can all be amazing when enlarged. The first step is to get right down to their level, then experiment with the composition – do you want a group of flowers arranged in the photograph or to show just a portion of the leaf so that it extends out of the picture?

Many digital cameras will have no problem focussing on objects just 30cm (12 inches) away but another approach is to back off and zoom in as far as possible. This technique condenses the foreground and background which can yield interesting results, filling the frame with the plants you are photographing. For the best results you will need to use a camera with optical zoom not digital zoom or you will lose picture quality.

The rule of thirds is useful – imagine cutting your picture into three horizontally and vertically and try to position the main focus points of the image on the intersection of those lines. This gives much more interest to a picture than a single subject in the middle, particularly if there is a dominant and a minor point of interest that balance each other.

Depth of Field and Interesting Angles

The most neglected part of an image is always the background yet when the photograph is printed the background will be glaringly obvious. There are a few approaches that work well here:

1. Use a short depth of field to blur the background. Most modern cameras will have a Macro or Portrait mode that lets lots of light in (a wide aperture). This has the effect of blurring the background and, whilst this can make it quite tricky to focus, it also makes your subject stand out crisp and clear against the blur. This is one of the most widely used techniques in shooting good plant pictures.
2. Arrange your background carefully. An alternative approach is to pay meticulous attention to the background. Either move yourself to frame the perfect backdrop or move whatever you can to make the background unobtrusive or at least a good complement to the focus of the picture. I often spend several minutes carefully removing every little stone or weed from the ground around a plant before photographing it to ensure that nothing distracts from the main subject.
3. As a last resort Photoshop can be used (the clone stamp tool is wonderful at removing background objects!) but it's a lot more work than getting the background right first time.

Remember, you don't want to replicate the everyday images you see in your garden. You want to see the extraordinary so start looking for interesting angles. I will sometimes get right down to ground level to get a bug's eye view or take out a step ladder to gain a new perspective. In each case I am trying to find an angle that brings a fresh perspective or highlights the beauty of nature. A dramatic sky or the glistening drops of rain on a leaf can lift a picture; framing them is the photographer's skill.

For me, photography is a way of slowing down and appreciating my garden. I find it all too easy to be focussed on the tasks that need doing – weeding, planting, watering – that I forget to stop and take in the beauty of it all. A camera helps me do that. For other people it will be more about memories of their achievements. Whatever your reasons, taking time to photograph your garden can be an inspiring and rewarding part of your hobby that is satisfyingly creative.