Leaves From My Garden

pages from the Notebooks of ..........Helen Cronin

  • Helen’s Garden
    • About the Garden
    • Garden Photo Challenge
      • About The Challenge
      • About The Garden Photo Challenge
      • Garden Photo Challenge Weeks 1-10
      • Garden Photo Challenge: Weeks 11-20
      • Garden Photo Challenge: Weeks 21 – 30
      • Garden Photo Challenge: Weeks 31 – 40
      • Garden Photo Challenge: Weeks 41 – 52
  • Gardener
    • Design
    • DIY
    • Gardening
    • Flower Garden
    • Kitchen Garden
  • Homemaker
    • Craft Projects
    • Natural Skincare
    • Recipes
      • Pickles and Preserves – General Notes
        • Preserves
      • Teatime Treats
  • Free eBook

Design

Ten Tips for Photographing your Own Garden

Each time I settle down to write a post here, I realise how important it is to get into the habit of photographing your own garden. I  built up quite an archive of plant portraits as I made my way through the Garden Photo Challenge I set myself. I also have quite a collection of photos recording the landscaping projects as we were doing them. Keeping a photographic record of your Garden can be an invaluable resource.

Photographing your own Garden: My Japanese Maple garden at Dovewood

With the advent of Mobile phones with built-in cameras the average person probably takes more photos than ever before. We live in an increasingly ‘visual’ world. So we really should make more effort to record our own gardens and not just those we visit! It can be an invaluable tool of reference. Remember we don’t have to have professional skills to record our gardens!

This is NOT a technical post about equipment or Photography techniques. (There are plenty of tutorials and courses available online for improving your photographic technique). My aim is to encourage gardeners to record their gardens for reference purposes. Create a photographic journal of their garden year is a valuable tool.

Ten Ideas for Photographing your own Garden

Photographing your own Garden Photo 2

Sunlight through the canopy of leaves

  1. Try to make a point of walking around your garden Camera/Phone in hand at least once a week/fortnight/month. Note it in your Diary or on the Calendar when you’ve done it and mark the next ‘due’ date.
  2. Decide which points of the garden give you the clearest views. Try to always take your photos from those set positions. (It may be that you get your best shot of the garden from looking out of a window). By the end of the year you will have a month by month record of your garden
  3. Take photos of what was a success: Container planting, Colour combinations, Bedding scheme or Hanging baskets etc. Photograph your disappointments too e.g. planting combinations, colour schemes that didn’t work as you had hoped
  4. How about photos as a ‘location reference’ for when you need to dig up dormant plants to move or divide them?

    Photographing your own Garden Photo 1

    Record the planting

  5. If you save the photos to your computer do ‘name’ the folder for quick access. If you print your photos take the time to make notes on the reverse of them. Try to use a photo album that has a space for notes beside each pocket.
  6. Mount your photos into Journals that have space for any relevant notes beside them. If you keep a separate Garden Journal make a note of when you were taking photos so that you can cross reference

    Photographing Your Own Garden Photo 3

    Winter contrast

  7. Sometimes looking through the lens of a camera will give you a whole new view of your garden. If you only have the Camera on your phone try using a piece of card with a square window cut out of it as a viewfinder. What you see, may surprise you!
  8. Take some shots from unusual angles eg looking up through tree canopy, or whilst lying on the ground. This may give you some ideas about installing lighting in the garden
  9. Light levels change through the day and the seasons. Making a visual record helps you to understand how the light levels in your garden. How important it is for plant growth, and why some of your plants may be struggling. Perhaps even prompt the planting of lighter-leaved or variegated plants in the shadier areas to bring a sense of light to them.
  10. Don’t forget to photograph the Garden through the quieter months of the year too. Looking at the structure or ‘bones’ of the garden will help you to make adjustments to the design and planting of your garden.  Perhaps giving you some ideas about where you could increase the interest for an all-year-round garden

On a Winter’s Evening……

Rose garden in Stour Row

When’s the best time to sit and sort through all your photo’s? When it’s blowing a hooly outside and the rain is lashing down! It is also the best time to make notes about what you want to change, as well as what can be improved.

Photographing your own garden is probably one of the best tools you can have outside of your garden shed. It helps for planning, as well as writing your Plant Shopping List when the catalogues arrive. And it is the best time to be reminded how well the garden grew, how much pleasure you got from working in it. You will be reminded of how much friends and family enjoyed it too.

No two gardens are the same. No two days are the same in one garden. ~Hugh Johnson

I hope these 10 tips for Photographing your own garden will have given you the encouragement to have a go over the coming year. I know photographing the plants for the Garden Photo Challenge made a difference to the way I look at the garden. Now I look more closely at plants, as individuals. Taking pictures of the different areas of the garden has helped me to view the garden as a whole and in yet another way.

You can start it any time, you don’t have to wait for the beginning of January. Do let me know how you get on, I would love to hear!

 

Sharing is caring!

0shares
  • Share
  • Tweet


Leave a Comment

« 8 Tips for Choosing Spring Bulbs
Advice for Safety in the Garden »

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Recipe Rating




Hello! Welcome to Leaves From My Garden

Cameo of Helen Cronin

My name is Helen Cronin

I am here to share my love of gardening with you, and to help you create, grow and nurture your garden. To encourage you to turn your ordinary space into a beautiful place, and to enjoy everything your garden and gardening can give you.

Sign up for the LFMG Newsletter and get your free copy of the eBook today!

Buy your Garden Design book – click on the image to read more

Categories

Recommended Resources

Follow me

  • Facebook
  • Instagram
  • Pinterest

Leaves From My Garden on Instagram

Heleniums can brighten the worst weather days, don Heleniums can brighten the worst weather days, don't you agree😊?
.
.
.
#heleniums #sunnyflowers #wetweather #wetsundayafternoon #sundayafternoons #yellowflowers 
#yellowflowers🌼 
#inmygarden
It's so lovely to gather a bunch of flowers from m It's so lovely to gather a bunch of flowers from my own garden - tbh I don't do it often enough!.
.
.
#flowersfrommygarden 
#ilovemygarden 
#ilovemyflowers #leavesfrommygarden #bunchesofflowers 
#bunchesofflowers🌷🌸🌹🍀🍁🍂🍃🌺🌻🌼
New favourite view of my garden. What's yours? #m New favourite view of my garden. What's yours?

#mygardentoday #gardenview  #inmygarden #gardensofdorset #dorsetgardens #lovemygarden #lovemygarden🌸 #englishcountrygarden #englishcountrygardens #cottagegarden #cottagegardens
This handsome chap lives just down the road from m This handsome chap lives just down the road from me!
.

#inmyvillage #cockadoodledoo 
#ilove🐤 #indorset #dorsetvillagelife
Load More… Follow on Instagram

  • Home
  • About Leaves From My Garden
  • Contact
  • Privacy Policy
  • Terms and Conditions

Copyright © 2021 · Divine theme by Restored 316

Copyright © 2021 · Divine Theme on Genesis Framework · WordPress · Log in

This website uses cookies to improve your experience. We'll assume you're ok with this, but you can opt-out if you wish.AcceptReject Read More
Privacy & Cookies Policy

Privacy Overview

This website uses cookies to improve your experience while you navigate through the website. Out of these, the cookies that are categorized as necessary are stored on your browser as they are essential for the working of basic functionalities of the website. We also use third-party cookies that help us analyze and understand how you use this website. These cookies will be stored in your browser only with your consent. You also have the option to opt-out of these cookies. But opting out of some of these cookies may affect your browsing experience.
Necessary
Always Enabled

Necessary cookies are absolutely essential for the website to function properly. This category only includes cookies that ensures basic functionalities and security features of the website. These cookies do not store any personal information.

Non-necessary

Any cookies that may not be particularly necessary for the website to function and is used specifically to collect user personal data via analytics, ads, other embedded contents are termed as non-necessary cookies. It is mandatory to procure user consent prior to running these cookies on your website.