Have you noticed ? The days are getting longer. It is too soon to actually see the difference now, but a few days ago, exactly at the winter solstice, I took advantage of the sun being at its lowest point to make a series of photographs of shadows against a north facing hill. I hike this [...]
Recently I photographed at the Ruth Bancroft Garden in Walnut Creek, about an hour from my home, and needed to arrive before dawn. The Bancroft Garden is one of the most iconic gardens in America, full of mature cactus and succulents in a summer-dry climate, a testimonial to Ruth’s plant choices 50 years ago and successful gardening [...]
The best time for garden photography is the soft light of early morning after dawn, or late afternoon at dusk. However that is not always possible, especially if you are visiting a public garden. I wrote a post here a couple years ago “Photos on the Road” about a trip to Norfolk Botanic Garden when [...]
I love the morning light when photographing gardens. Gardens are fresh, the air clean, and the light is sweet. It is nearly impossible to work in the hot sunny light when the brightest colors take on a contrasted, metallic look and the shady areas become black holes. In California where there is little humidity in the [...]
Photographers talk about “The Light” in reverential terms. It is the life blood of outdoor photography no less than it is the lifeblood of plants for photosynthesis. Learning how to read the quality of light is the single most important skill in good garden photography. I have talked about it for years here at Gardening [...]