The right light
>> Friday, August 2, 2013 –
foliage
I'm often complimented on the photographs I take for this blog (thank you!). Well, here's the secret...
...with the right lighting and the right plants, it's really easy to take beautiful shots!
In this case it's early evening light, with the sun getting low enough to throw my entire yard into shade (the land rises to the west of us, so I've never seen a sunset from my house. These low rays of sunlight "backlight" the plants in the front garden, making them glow. This is the best time to get the camera out! I especially like to look for foliage that is now glowing from this wonderful lighting.
Similarly, early morning sunlight is just as nice for photos. Much more difficult to capture in my yard though, as some parts of it are never touched by these gentle morning rays.
Also, I don't seem to be waking up as easily as I did a couple years ago, when early morning in the garden was my favorite time of the day.
For more great examples of using the evening sun to make a garden look amazing, check out Scott's Rhone Street Gardens. Beautiful photos, and so many plants in a relatively small space!
.
Great tips! Thanks! The promise of great photos like these is a big incentive to rise early!
Don't give away your secrets! Haha, just kidding :-) I agree, taking good photos is all about understanding and exploiting the light...sunsrise and sunset are the best...you can create such drama!
Pretty photos. The second one is my favorite. Yes, light is the magic maker, though personally I thank the heavens for auto-focus.