Your Garden Pictures
We at Canada’s Local Gardener are looking to our amazingly talented friends to send pictures of their gardens, of their private relaxing space.
The picture we all want to capture.
What is in a picture? What is it you want to see? What is it you want us to share? There are always so many questions, and ultimately the answer is: it’s subjective.
When you look at and study the master’s paintings of old, you try to put yourself into their mind’s eye, what they were trying to capture at that moment in time.
When taking pictures, it is that very same thought which initially goes through your mind. You might not even think about it; an example having friends over for a barbeque and simply clicking away. Creating memories for tomorrow.
We take thousands of pictures at Canada’s Local Gardener, this is an insight as to how we go about it.
Timing is the key. An old cliché perhaps but nonetheless, timing is vital if we are going to capture the truest beauty of the garden. From tight small spaces to huge landscapes everything has to be just right.
The early morning light is gentle, clear and bright. There is sometimes still dew in the garden and the sun catches it with a low angle to make it shine. Sometimes we capture pictures of overnight rain petals in the garden, like tear drops from heaven. The shades of green from the many hostas beguile our eyes while the tantalising colours of many perennial’s sparkle as if to say ‘pick me!’. The colossal spires of delphiniums reaching for the sky call out our names with their brilliant colorings.
At the heat of high noon, lots of plants can appear tired. The light is coming from all around, too bright and hot, dulling the colours and over-dazzling the eye. This can be a good time to take garden pictures in the shade, though, with shards of light coming through the tree leaves to light the flowers of ‘Bottle Rocket’ ligularia just so, as if it’s spotlit on a stage.
Evening time brings a different perspective in taking garden pictures entirely , long drawn-out shadows cross the manicured lawns, trees gently sway in the cool summer breeze of the evening. Smoke billows from the barbecues, all the while the garden plays an intrical role in our daily life. Finally, daylight falls to night, and the stillness of the air grabs a hold of you. The night lights sparkle amongst the perennials and annuals alike. Casting new shadows, different perspectives of what the garden treats you with. Perhaps you even have a water feature, the sounds of running water capture your ears and you see reflections of water lilies lounging, while the tall spires of Cyperus papyrus ‘King Tut’ stand bold, strong and true.
So where does all this lead. Well taking pictures is an art in itself. There are many questions you have to take into consideration when doing this.
What are you taking pictures of?
- Starting seeds, the first bud
- Vegetables
- Annuals
- Flower pots and bedding
- Close up
- Landscapes
- Trees
- Shrubs
- Doorways
- Paths
- Patios
- Fences
- Sheds
- Greenhouses
- Water features
- Fields
The list can go on and on. Typically, these can be found in most gardener homes.
- Size: We ask for large image files, no more than 6 MB, at a minimum 300 dpi. PDF or JPEG. They must be that large for printing in a magazine. It’s different from what you see on a screen.
- Focus is key: A slightly blurred shot wont do! If, however you have a central focus with blurred images around that could work.
- Colour through light: Light will always play a major part in the quality of the picture or subject matter.
- Quality over quantity: Getting happy and taking lots of pictures can sometimes pay off. By this we mean you may end up with 2 perhaps 3 great shots. Think about professional photographers who take thousands of pictures only to get a few perfect.
- Tell us why you think the pictures work, what you were feeling at the time of taking them, why they are so important to you?
- A spectacular lawn, what made it so, how you treated it; the story sometimes is where the pictures come to life
- A stunning patio: pots, pergolas, lights, ambience. How you came to live in your Eden, what inspired you to create it
- Trees, tress and more trees. The garden is always alive with a plethora of trees
- Perennials and annuals, a collection and creation of what you see in its beauty
- Vegetables are the new gardens of envy, your favourite vegetables to grow and what you do with them
- Herbs, we all love them, how they help us every day, their aroma, their style, their glory
