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23.02.10
Capturing images in winter gardens
Professional garden photographer Jason Ingram brings an individual approach to all his work, combining his passion for photography and the subject itself. Here he tells Photography Monthly how to look for and capture alluring images in winter gardens.
The first rays of light
Every month will offer something special to shoot in your garden. As far as time of day is concerned, the first hours of daylight and the last are always best with warmer colours, golden light and softer shadows.Winter is a great time as you can shoot for most of the day as the sun never gets too high and the shadows are softer. Another key factor about shooting first thing in the morning is that the wind tends to be lighter. Wind is probably the single most destructive condition for garden photography. Always use the weather forecast to see what the wind is doing — anything up to 10mph is usually okay.
What’s your creative process?
“I always try to tell the story of the garden if I am shooting a feature. When a magazine commissions me to shoot a garden, I always look to see how the garden works together with all the elements involved, not just the wide and the macro. The single most important thing for me is the initial period of ‘getting my eye in’. Quite often, I can arrive at a garden and if it's quite large it can be overwhelming — the window of good light is often very short and you need to get so much covered. Once you start, things will flow and you will almost become part of the garden as you move around. Don’t be afraid to come off the tripod occasionally, as it can help the flow. If you can recce a garden beforehand, that is great, otherwise a compass is always handy to know where the light will be.”
Tread carefully
Look before walking into a garden if the ground is covered with frost or snow. You don’t want to miss a shot because you have created unsightly footprints on an otherwise pristine landscape.
Identify the patterns
Look for structure, shape and form in the garden. Winter shows this off beautifully once all the borders have died back. Look for interesting.
On the shoot
- Find backlit subjects and shoot into the light as much as possible. The structure of a garden is often shown off much better when backlit.
- Get low — often the flowers that do appear in winter are very small and low to the ground. Remember your kneeling pad or waterproof trousers if you want to remain dry and warm.
- Look for silhouettes and strong shapes that can make wonderful monochromatic images.
- Don’t always take just the wide views and macro detail; look for strong mid-range shots and play with the depth of field.
- Come off your tripod occasionally. I certainly recommend a tripod to train and control what you look at within the viewfinder, but I really enjoy shooting a little quicker from time to time. Not all shots need to be sharp throughout. I will often use my 85mm shooting wide open at f1.4, which can give a wonderful feel to a garden — lots of softness surrounding a very minimal point of focus.
- Stay warm and try not to get wet. This is really important if you want to enjoy a full day shooting in a winter garden.
Texture and Light
Light is the most important element for wide to mid-range shots, but flower portraits can be taken on an overcast day or if you have a diffuser, which will control the light. There are always lots of interesting textural shots to look out for: tree bark, shed doors or even rusty gate posts. Always look to see what the light is doing — side lighting for these details will bring out the best textures.
Kit bag
- Nikon D3x
- Nikon D2x
- Nikon 24-70mm f2.8 G AF-S ED lens
- Nikon 60mm f2.8 G AF-S ED micro lens
- Nikon 85mm f1.4 D, Nikon 80-200mm f2.8 D
- Manfrotto tripod and ball head
- Epson P3000 card reader
- Sekonic spot meter
- Various Lee filter
- ND grads
- Polariser
- X-rite Mini ColorChecker Card
- Black card for flagging light
- Wimberley Plamp
- Gold and white card for reflecting light
- Lastolite diffuser
- Billingham 550 bag
- Kneeling pad
- A good pair of waterproof lined trousers. I have a pair of Helly Hansen snowboarding trousers. I spend most of my time on the ground, so these are essential.
- A compass — to see where the light is coming from.
Jason's words of wisdom
“If you struggle to get up in the morning, then this is not the job for you! For most of the year, I am ready to start shooting at about 5am. The main thing with garden photography is looking and observing. If you have a garden, it is worth looking out of the window and watching how the light changes the look of your garden throughout the day. Don't be afraid to shoot into the sun. I have said it before, but backlit subjects are generally far more interesting.
Biography: Jason Ingram
Based in Bristol, Jason Ingram travels the world photographing gardens, plants, food and people. He also works in collaboration with TV presenters Toby Buckland, Monty Don, Carol Klein and Joe Swift as well as providing the stills for the BBC’s Gardeners’ World series. He graduated in photography from Salisbury College of Art in 1992. He turned freelance after three years assisting and two years working as a photographic hand printer.
www.jasoningram.co.uk
This feature is from the February 2010 issue
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