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Garden Photography Limitations

With any photography and garden photography is no exception you will have limitations placed upon you on what you can do. Some of them you can overcome others you will have to work around.

The number one limitation will probably be the weather. Although we want to be able to get garden shots whatever the weather and if we can, capture the different seasons, there will be some weather conditions that are more of a challenge than others.

Rain for example, may allow us to have a wet looking or globulized rain drop flower head or leaf, but it is not good for the camera or our kit, or for the general garden open view where it potentially will distract from the main feature.

Snow on the other hand will offer both different challenges and present light reflected from below.

Frost is generally good photogenically, but be aware with digital cameras that being out in the cold for too long can cause your battery to use more power, so back ups are required.

Overcast or foggy days if captured right can add more drama and a mysterious feeling to the image.

All you can say with the UK weather, when you plan to do something on one day it will be different to what you expected. You can leave in the morning and it will change later that day, so always be thinking ahead, have ideas for each scenario don't limit your creative objectives, work with what you've got.

Other limitations will include:

In Public Gardens:

  • They don't grow what you want

  • No access to the garden at the time or date you want

  • Light may not be ideal for when you can be there

  • You may not be able to use a tripod

Timing of the Plants Life:

  • They are not out when you expect them to be

  • They go over too quickly

  • They are not at their best, because they have become damaged by weather, eaten by insects or by some other means.

Think of limitations as not being there to put you off, but a means of placing a challenge before you that needs to be conquered and options explored to overcome and make the situation work for you. Of course sometimes, like when the plant is not at its best, you just have to concede that it's portrait is not possible today, but the wider view can be captured and capitalised on.

Within any garden trip we will encounter many opportunities we did not expect and while we have limitations to overcome we also have the good fortune to discover opportunities we did not expect.

See Larger Image A Feature Garden

See Larger Image A Water Lilly

 

 Frost & Fog combined

 


See Also:

 


By: Tracey Park Section: Gardens Section Key:
Page Ref: gp_limitations Topic: Gardens Last Updated: 03/2011
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