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Post by peterob on Jun 13, 2023 22:48:06 GMT
I am at a total loss as to where to start this thread. Because the purpose is to seek advice I guess appraisal is as good a place as any. I like gardens (not mine - rather on a grand scale) but every guide to photographing gardens starts with the advice to start at dawn where the light is best and there are no people. Practically speaking - harsh sun overhead and people all over the place is the norm for access to gardens. I'm not that fussed about individual flowers. Just to capture the feel of the wider "picture'. Here is a [poor] picture from today. I liked what I saw, it was just lovely. How the heck to capture the memory ? Does this look credible ?  DSCF3372.jpg by Pete, on Flickr I was tempted to post as an alternate landscape for the monthly theme. |
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Post by kate on Jun 14, 2023 6:07:02 GMT
My advice is to pick your spot carefully and also try from different levels. Get down low, for example to get the feel of the vegetation, or the height of the trees. Or simply enjoy your stroll.
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Post by peterob on Jun 14, 2023 6:32:11 GMT
My advice is to pick your spot carefully and also try from different levels. Get down low, for example to get the feel of the vegetation, or the height of the trees. Or simply enjoy your stroll. Thank you Kate. Getting down low is aspirational - I can't get up again! Maybe start using a tripod and use it to take my weight as I pull myself up again! It is a lovely place. We've been visiting a couple of times each week while I rehabilitate and I much enjoy the stroll. It would be nice to be able to do it justice photographically.  DSCF3367.jpg by Pete, on Flickr  DSCF3373.jpg by Pete, on Flickr |
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Post by zx9 on Jun 14, 2023 6:53:48 GMT
My advice is to pick your spot carefully and also try from different levels. Get down low, for example to get the feel of the vegetation, or the height of the trees. Or simply enjoy your stroll. Thank you Kate. Getting down low is aspirational - I can't get up again! Maybe start using a tripod and use it to take my weight as I pull myself up again! It is a lovely place. We've been visiting a couple of times each week while I rehabilitate and I much enjoy the stroll. It would be nice to be able to do it justice photographically. DSCF3367.jpg by Pete, on Flickr DSCF3373.jpg by Pete, on Flickr I rather like the second image. It sounds like you are having the same feelings about garden photography as I am having with landscape photography. |
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Post by peterba on Jun 14, 2023 6:57:25 GMT
My advice is to pick your spot carefully and also try from different levels. Get down low, for example to get the feel of the vegetation, or the height of the trees. Or simply enjoy your stroll.
All good suggestions, Kate. However, I think that the last of these is easily the best.  |
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Post by peterba on Jun 14, 2023 7:02:52 GMT
Maybe start using a tripod and use it to take my weight as I pull myself up again!
It's a good trick, Pete - and one I often use, to assist my creaking knees.  |
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Post by peterob on Jun 14, 2023 7:13:49 GMT
It sounds like you are having the same feelings about garden photography as I am having with landscape photography. Yes maybe it is. I [still] have trouble understanding your alternate landscape intention but I suppose "mini" landscape is what I seek to achieve in garden photography but it never quite works. I've wondered, from time to time, about looking for some tuition. I did that for bird photography before I set out to take it more seriously [and by implication spend much more money than I'd consider sensible] and found a day out with an expert very useful and money well spent. I've not found similar propositions for gardens - its either all beginners stuff (this part of the camera is called a lens) or macro. |
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Post by zou on Jun 14, 2023 8:20:18 GMT
I like all of those images Pete, but that's because the scenes are beautiful and you've framed/composed in a manner which accentuates that. Having said that, I wouldn't award any prizes to them as 'garden photography'. Why not? I think this is a matter of perception in photographic genres, which have been heavily influenced by semi-arbitrary categorisation due to photo contests, salons, and the like. These clearly fit the genre but don't have the 'uniqueness' or wow factor that contests are looking for. So do you want to shoot scenes like this, which beautifully capture the memory of gardens you visited, or are you wanting to tick someone else's boxes on a list you can't even see, for some kind of validation? If it's the former, I think you are doing well, if it's the latter, well, you're weird!  |
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Post by aitch on Jun 14, 2023 8:29:35 GMT
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Post by zou on Jun 14, 2023 8:33:30 GMT
Expanding on what I said, if you are unhappy with your current efforts, can you identify why? Other than, of course, they don't look like the types of pictures in garden photo contests etc. Once you have put your finger on what it is that is disappointing, you can work toward honing that aspect, working the scene, practicing etc. to improve it.
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Post by kate on Jun 14, 2023 9:10:41 GMT
I like all of those images Pete, but that's because the scenes are beautiful and you've framed/composed in a manner which accentuates that. Having said that, I wouldn't award any prizes to them as 'garden photography'. Why not? I think this is a matter of perception in photographic genres, which have been heavily influenced by semi-arbitrary categorisation due to photo contests, salons, and the like. These clearly fit the genre but don't have the 'uniqueness' or wow factor that contests are looking for. So do you want to shoot scenes like this, which beautifully capture the memory of gardens you visited, or are you wanting to tick someone else's boxes on a list you can't even see, for some kind of validation? If it's the former, I think you are doing well, if it's the latter, well, you're weird! Oh yes, the fuzzy contre jour romantic mush of IGPoTY photography. |
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Post by Kath on Jun 14, 2023 10:45:51 GMT
I'n not seeing anything wrong with the images you've shared here but I think Zou is spot on. They are not the kind of images that win 'Garden Photography Awards' and you need to think about whether that's your aim in taking these shots or not before appraising them for yourself.
Of the three images you've shared here I like the third one best of all. I think because it's a portrait shot not a landscape one. I shoot a lot of portrait-oriented shots in gardens because I think it's easier to hone in on an aspect that you find appealing. Our field of view is restricted so we're not trying to cram in the whole thing and the composition is necessarily tighter. So that mgiht be tip one. Also you've found a good spot that lets the contrast between bright and shady areas lead your eye. We are drawn to brighter areas of an image. If the whole image is bright we end up not really sure where to look. So maybe spend more time looking at what is happenign with the play of light and shade in front of you. And if it is all bright, is there an obvious focal point to concentrate on instead? Or a sneaky way of framing a thing?
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Post by zou on Jun 14, 2023 11:16:01 GMT
I know you don't always want to be carrying big lenses but a 70-200 etc. is really handy for subject isolation.
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Post by MJB on Jun 14, 2023 11:31:41 GMT
I always find using paths, hedges, etc. as lead-in lines helpful in making images like this have a more pleasing aesthetic.
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Post by gray1720 on Jun 14, 2023 11:40:14 GMT
Do stop sitting on the fence Kate, and tell us what you really think.
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