Photography by Clive Nichols.
Thanks to smart phones and ever more sophisticated compact cameras, we are all photographers now. The pair, who met more than a decade ago, before Gina had been gripped by the ornamental grasses that now happily co-exist with her lush perennial planting.
It’s the biggest difference between amateur shots and professional ones, says Nichols, and the only way that you will get bitingly sharp pictures.
Invest in a Tripod
Shoot in Early Morning or Evening
Autumn mist rises off the box parterre at Pettifers. In the evening colours are much richer and the low sun creates a warm golden light that can also be spectacular.
Go for the Glow
Clipped boxwood and yew in the Pettifers lower parterre. By shooting directly into the sun you will backlight plants and flowers but you will often get patches of flare too.
No Sky Necessary
The light at dawn on a late-summer border of echinacea and Cornus controversa ‘Variegata’ at Pettifers.
Go Macro
Pink berries on Sorbus vilmorinii. A macro lens will give a minimal depth of field (if you use a large aperture such as f4 or f3.5), creating what the Japanese called “bokeh,” where the background is blown out of focus and your subject pops out of the frame.
Let’s Go Indoors
Some of the most effective still-life shots can be very simply taken inside on a windowsill using nothing more than soft natural light, and it’s a good way to still be able to take pictures even if nothing much is going on in the garden.
And, adds Nichols, it’s much harder to get a great garden shot than it is to get a brilliant plant shot because outdoors there are so many more variables, including light and wind and the fact that the whole garden scene needs to work as one picture.
The Thirds Rule
Just as things always look better planted in an odd number, a picture often looks better when the subject is placed slightly off. And just like planting, compositions can look more effective if there’s a pattern of repeated features or plants, no matter how subtle, within the shot.
The parterre at Pettifers framed by a rose arbor. Nichols also suggests creating interesting viewpoints by moving around: shoot high up in a treehouse, up a ladder or take detail shots low on the ground.
Frame Game
Narcissus ‘Johann Strauss’ flowering in springtime.
Plan Ahead