media masterclass

6 | December 2013 | HMA news

Garden photography is all about capturing thespirit of a garden. These days, most cameras

and even your smart phone take great shots. Sothis summer, get out your camera and get out intothe garden. Here are some tips to help make iteasier.

1. The one golden rule with garden photographyis – don’t shoot under harsh lighting conditions. Inthe Australian summer that means don’t shootbetween 9.30am-4.30pm. The light is too harshand the result will be black shadows and ugly pics.The exception is when it’s overcast. The trick is tolook at the shadows. If these are soft then it’s OK toshoot but if they are dark (like you get on asummer day) then wait until the end of the day toshoot. Early morning and late afternoon light isbest to create magical shots.

2. Shoot in different seasons. A winter garden can

be an amazing place, with fog, silhouettes, frost,snow and ice if you’re lucky! While most peopleignore these elements, they are part of thegarden’s life too. Late summer and autumn arealso great times to shoot. Focus on seed heads,berries and colour and the garden starts to revealits structure. Most people get out the camera inspring but all the seasons offer terrificopportunities for garden photographs.

3. Think outside the box. Find some differentvantage points to shoot from. Quite often lookingfrom the back of a border can provide the bestshot. Try getting a ladder and shooting from up-high. Climb a tree or get up on the shed roof. Iknow one of the best vantage points to shoot mygarden is from the roof of my house.

4. Take a mix of shots. Take wide shots showing

the whole garden, try close-ups, portraits of plantsand planting combinations. Many gardenphotographers stick to one kind of shot - eitherclose-ups or wide shots. But shoot a mix for amore interesting way of recording a garden. Evenin your own garden, try to mix up the shots. Itcreates a great record of how your garden andplanting schemes have changed over the seasonsand years.

5. Try some early evening shots in the garden. Ifyour garden has lighting, or lanterns with candlesthis can make for very atmospheric pics. Shoot asthe light fades and before it gets pitch black. Thatway you have a mix of natural light and gardenlighting and the results can be fantastic.

6. Look for the unusual. Shoot a gate, a path or anarchway. It may seem obvious but a lot of people

Top tips to garden pics BY SIMON GRIFFITHS

HMA news | December 2013 | 7

The plant labels are written especially for kids and the Smarty Plants website is full of fact sheets, gardening projects and recipes for them and their parents. There’s also a section for teachers with lesson plans and classroom activities written to suit the Australian National Curriculum.

Not all kids want to run around the oval or chase a ball but all kids need exercise, and gardening is great exercise! Plus, they learn to relax, problem solve and enjoy family time growing delicious vegies for the dinner table.

Smarty Plants is all about getting kids growing. The specially selected vegetable seedlings are fast and easy to grow so that kids get the success they need to dig gardening!

www.smartyplants.com.au

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miss these things in the landscape. For example,sculpture, an unusual birdbath or birdhouse addcharacter to a garden and make quirky shots. If youarrange flowers from your garden, a vase-shot fullof flowers from the garden or even a basket orbucket of produce can tell part of the story of agarden and its seasonality.

7. Portraits in the garden. Try to include some picsof people in the garden or other inhabitants.Portraits of owners or pets, which are part of the lifeof the garden, make great additions to recording thelandscape. Also, wildlife in the garden can makegreat pics. Look out for birds or some of the smallerwildlife such as frogs and lizards that make homesin your garden. They are all part of the story of agarden and make great subjects for pics.

| Simon Griffiths is a garden photographer and author.