This will be my shortest Gardening Gone Wild post yet. Not because I have nothing to say, nor because my words are so poetically haiku. Not because it is the holiday and few are reading gardening blogs, nor because I am trying to stay away from religious sentiment.
I am on a cruise ship in the Caribbean trying to upload from a satellite. Continue Reading →
Feather grass enveloping Phormiums
We finish the chapter on ‘Good Garden Photography’ with part six – telling stories. I will have a whole chapter, ‘Think Like a Gardener’ that is about finding the themes that can be found in all good gardens, but for now and as you review your year’s images, think about what you are saying with your images. What was the garden saying to you ?
We started the chapter with good composition, filling your entire frame with just those elements that bring balance to the photo. We talked about light, and paying homage to what you see in a gardens. A good photo will do all this and then tell a story, state an opinion, communicate what you really saw. Continue Reading →
This photo of tall succulents in a narrow bed against a white stucco wall was taken in bright sun to accent the shadows. The intriguing composition is meant to provoke thinking about plant design and sun light.
A good garden photo is more than a nice composition, it should tell a story. Sometimes the story is no more than communicating good garden technique, for which all our lessons thus far on composition, balance, framing, and light help the photographer concentrate on simply expressing garden appreciation. Continue Reading →
Lesson 2.3 in PhotoBotanic Garden Photography Workshop
Most of us see in three dimensions but the camera sees in two. In this chapter, as we learn how to Think Like a Camera, we will need to understand how the camera flattens shapes and how to use those spaces we see in three dimensions to become building blocks of our compositions in two dimensions. Continue Reading →
Seeing as how most of the Northern Hemisphere is now experiencing autumn at one level or another, I figured it would make this next lesson on garden photography a bit more relevant if I actually show some fall photos. (Yes, California has fall color too…)
The focal point of a picture is its subject, the story of the photograph. It is often the focus point as well (the focus point being the point of sharpest focus), but for our lesson in composition, I want you to think about what you are trying to say with your photo. Organize the frame so that your viewer can’t help but see your focal point. Continue Reading →
