How to Get Great Photos of Your Favorite Plants

After my talk for the Grosse Pointe Garden Center, several people wanted more information on how to improve their photos using their own equipment.

My first tip is to get out early or stay out late. This means that the best light begins just before sunrise and just after sunset. This period of "magic light" provides a nice low,raking light that defines shapes very well. Trying to get good results when the sun is high - from 10am to 5pm - will be quite difficult.

This time of day will also have low light levels, so camera shake can be a problem. I recommend the the photographer bring a chair with them and use the seat or back as a rest for the camera. (the photographer can sit in the seat too) Most people have seen paparazzi chasing stars with cameras, but never noticed the one thing they have in common: a certain way of holding the camera with arms tucked into the body so that the camera is solidly supported. The right hand holds the right side of the camera; the left hand holds the bottom of the camera. This also keeps fingers out of the lens. (no more pictures with fuzzy blobby things in the upper left corner!)

Another tip is to get out there in all weathers and all seasons. Keep taking pictures of the same plant through the growing season!

Now, I just said something bad: taking pictures. One should "make a photograph" not "take a picture." The act of making a photograph better describes the process. One should be actively looking at the subject, seeing the light and how it reveals the subject, knowing what camera settings can be used to best advantage. "Taking a picture" is just a grab at success. "Making a photograph" just might ensure success.

When composing a photograph, what is beyond the subject or around the subject can make or break your composition. Always check the corners of your frame; always watch your background. Look for power lines. Attend to the neighbor's bright yellow green blue red plastic child's toy monstrosity and keep it out of your photograph!

Take your time. Walk all around your subject; get closer, farther, higher, lower. Don't just run in, ambush the poor plant and fire away.

This might be a good time to talk about the virtues of digital capture. With a digital camera, one can preview each image - an invaluable help. Digital capture also means that there is no penalty for making more images. Take the memory card to Walgreen's and print only the ones that you really want. Try doing that with film. The costliest aspect of an ongoing photographic hobby is now gone.

The final tip for this first installment is to get closer. Your physical proximity to the plant is important - arm's length is a good place to be. You can experiment with walking farther away and zooming in to fill the frame, but things look flat and boring.

More photographic tips will come in future posts. For now, go outside and take another look at your garden - through a photographer's eyes.