UCCE Tulare/Kings Counties Master Gardener Program

Garden Photography
By Ann Belau, UC Master Gardener

Do photographs of your garden not do it justice? Are they flat, boring, and out of focus? Garden photography is a skill that is easy to master with some practice. If you'd like to learn to take better garden photos, dive right in and try.

You don t need an expensive camera to take good pictures. It can help, but it isn't a must. However, you do need to know what your camera will and will not do. With many cameras you just can't take good close-up shots because they will be out of focus. I wasted more film than you can imagine before I learned that lesson. I generally use 100-speed film for most of my shots. Kodachrome 64 is very good for flower photos, but because it is slower it works best with your camera mounted on a tripod. You can use faster films but there will be more graininess in any enlarged photographs.

The best time for flower and garden photography is the early morning hours when the light is soft. Second best would be late afternoon. You don't want the light source (the sun) directly overhead because this light is harsh and it's hard to capture a pleasing picture. Colors are flat and there is no subtle distinction between tones. I love to take flower photographs on a cloudy day, or even when there is a light rain, the colors are vibrant and alive.
To begin, head to the garden with camera in hand and a pair of clippers in your pocket. When you find what you think might make a nice photograph, examine it through the viewfinder. Many times everything will look perfect except for one dying blossom or a leaf off to the side. Out come the clippers to carefully remove that blossom. Look again and see if more adjustments are needed. Don't change too much because you want the photograph to look natural, but some things will need to be removed; a piece of plastic plant tape glowing in the sun can ruin a photograph. You might also look through the viewfinder and notice the bricks look dull at the base of a plant. Bring out the hose and wet the bricks down. That little bit of attention to detail can make all the difference in the world to the finished photo.

When first starting out the one-hour film developing services are a great help. You can shoot your photos and then dash down to have the roll developed to see what you have. If you don't like the results, chances are the flowers haven't faded and you can try again.

Remember not to limit your photography to just your garden. I find it a great help when visiting nurseries, botanical gardens and garden shows. It's much easier to photograph a plant with its label than it is to try to remember everything later on. I also take pictures of pleasing plant combinations that I might want to try in my garden; of course I always ask permission if they're in someone else's yard.

Don't expect every picture to be perfect. You may only get one or two really good photos out of a roll. Try again and again and with practice you will learn and improve. Be observant when looking at magazines and other photographs. Notice what you like about a certain photo and try to capture that quality in your own photos. Soon you'll have pictures to be proud of.

July 22, 1999

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