15 Creative Garden Photography Ideas Made Simple

by Darlene Hildebrandt

Dive into the world of garden photography with these 15 ingenious garden photography tips. Whether you have a sprawling garden or just a windowsill of plants, these tips will transform your photos into masterpieces. So grab your camera and let’s explore the endless possibilities that your garden offers for stunning photography.

You can do this even if you don’t have a big garden or it’s the wrong time of year in your area. Perhaps you can visit a local farm, greenhouse, or conservatory.

side lighting brings out the texture in this squash leaf — Side lighting here brings out the texture in this squash leaf.

15 creative ideas for garden photography:

These garden photography tips will help you capture the essence of your garden.

Look for a capture texture
Use backlighting
Try different camera angles and views
Get closer
Try macro
Capture non-plant garden items too
Try b/w
Capture the first frost
Capture the birds and the bees
Vary the aperture
Make some bokeh
Look up – way up! Literally!
Photograph the dead bits
Shoot at dusk
Do some HDR

Let’s look at each of the tips individually.

#1 – Look for texture

The first tip is about looking for texture, which actually means paying attention to the direction and quality of light falling on objects in the garden.

squash leaf showing texture because of the direction of the light hitting it

When you find a great subject that has a lot of texture, pay attention to the light. Come back at different times of day if need be until the light is optimal. You want the light skimming across from the side (as seen in the images above and below) because that will emphasize the texture the most.

Move around the subject and see how the light changes. Take one photo from each direction.

Light falling on these Comfrey leaves provides clear definition in the texture of the leaves — Clearly visible texture on these Comfrey leaves

Remember to look at the quality of light too. Hard light such as direct sunlight will provide deeper shadows, more contrast, and enhance the texture.

Compare the image above (hard light) with the one below (soft diffused light). Can you see the difference the quality of light makes? Neither is right or wrong, just experiment with both.

#2 – Use backlighting

Foliage and flowers both come alive and take on a beautiful glow when the light shines through them. This is one of the essential garden photography tips that can make your subjects truly glow. So use that to your advantage and position yourself to capture some backlit subjects.

Notice how it also brings out the colors and the texture, so that’s another bonus of backlighting.

#3 – Try different camera angles and views

When you find something that grabs your attention, take more than one image. Move around the subject and look at it from all angles.

Try a variety of different viewpoints. Get up high and look down on the subject. Get down on the ground and look up at it. See how it looks from the side, or even tilt the camera and get funky with it.

The main takeaway here is to take more than one photo of each scene. Explore it fully and then review the images later on the computer and decide which is your favorite.

#4 – Get closer

One of the biggest mistakes I see many photographers make is including too much in their images. The image is taken too far away and the subject is too small or lost in the scene.

So, get closer.

AND closer!

And then, get closer yet!

Now we’re getting into macro photography territory. But can you see how much simpler and less cluttered the image below is compared to the ones above?

Notice that I’ve separated this tip from the one below. I want you to see them as two distinctly different ideas.

Just keep in mind the phrase “get closer” as you photograph your garden and ask yourself “Is this close enough?” If not, or you’re not sure – get closer and take another image.

#5 – Do some macro photography

Now that you’ve gotten close, get in even tighter and go for the macro shot! Macro shots are a fantastic avenue in garden photography to explore the minute details.

There are many ways you can do macro photography without breaking the bank including:

Both of the images below were created using a normal 50mm lens and an adapter to mount the lens backward. Yes, you read that right! A $20 accessory can help you make images like this.

#6 – Photograph non-plant items too

Gardens are made up of a lot of other items besides plants. So look around and see what you can find. Remember that the stack of lumber in the corner, the old rusted bicycle, and even the fence might make an interesting image.

If you have a rock garden, photograph that too. We have a very special rock in our garden (this is for you Brad) that’s just visiting.

#7 – Do some black-and-white photography

You may not have even considered photographing your garden in black and white, but I highly recommend you give it a go. All that’s needed for a good b/w photo is contrast. So look for a subject that stands out, one that has nice light on it to enhance the texture.

Look at the example below. Can you see how the lighter leaves stand out well against the darker ones in the background? You can further emphasize this when you do the b/w conversion if you do it correctly. Add more contrast, deepen the blacks, brighten the whites, and make it pop!

#8 – Capture the first frost

If the weather is already turning cold in your area, pay attention to the weather forecast and get out early in the morning after a frost occurs. The leaves and any flowers left will transform into sparkling frozen statues.

Once again, remember that light matters. Always pay close attention to the light. If it’s not adding to the subject, then it’s distracting from it. Position yourself in a spot where the lighting works and enhances the subject.

#9 – Remember the birds and the bees

Insects start slowing down as the weather gets cooler so that presents an opportunity. Bees are sluggish at this time of year, so try and capture them sitting on a flower, or what’s left of the flowers in your garden.

Note: If you put out a bee watering station it will help keep the bees hydrated and give you a chance to photograph them there too!

Don’t forget about our feathered friends too. Birds move a lot quicker so you’ll need to be ready. A longer telephoto lens is advantageous as well so you can keep your distance and not scare them away.

Capturing the birds and the bees is among the garden photography tips that add life to your photos.

Read more here: 8 Beginner Tips for Better Bird Photography

#10 – Vary the aperture

This tip is about experimenting with different camera settings. Don’t get stuck on one aperture and take all your photos at f/8. Look at the following examples.

Can you see how drastically different this subject looks at different aperture settings? Which of the images do you prefer?

The one taken at f/11 is very busy and the subject is lost. But at f/1.4 it’s now gone too far the other way and not enough of the subject is sharp. So perhaps somewhere in the f/2.0-2.8 range might be just right.

This is a perfect example of why you need to try different settings. Also, make sure you have enough depth of field to cover your subject.

Likewise, in the first image below, only a small portion of the tree trunk is sharp and the leaves fall out of focus. In the last photo, the bokeh in the background isn’t as prominent. So f/2.8 handles both of those issues nicely.

Which brings us to the next tip!

#11 – Create some bokeh

Bokeh is created in-camera by using a large aperture, but you also need a few other things to make the magic happen.

The background must be fairly far away from the subject
Using a longer lens will give you more bokeh
Look for bits of light in the background – those are what turn into the much-desired blobs of bokeh

#12 – Look up to the sky

This goes along with tip #3 above, varying your camera angle. For something different try pointing your lens straight up at the sky and see what you can find to photograph.

To create an image like the one above read the following: How to Create Sun Flares for Effect In-Camera.

#13 – Photograph the dried-up bits

If it’s autumn where you live, the leaves and plants are probably starting to dry up and turn brown. But don’t shy away from those subjects. Just take a different approach.

Maybe turn down the color saturation a bit or apply a LUT to create a vintage look in the processing phase as I did with the image above. I personally think shriveled flowers and leaves have a lot to offer photographically.

As photographers, don’t we tend to like old decrepid things that are falling apart or falling down? An old barn, a ripped dirty shoe, a discarded and rusted out old car are all prime photography subjects. Why not flowers too?

#14 – Photograph at dusk

Have you ever photographed your garden after sunset? When the sun is down and dusk is upon you that’s a great time to do some blue hour or night photography.

Your garden may look totally different after sunset. We have a few solar lights that come on after it starts getting dark so I tried to capture the mood.

Make sure you use a tripod and follow these tips for getting the right exposure: Night Photography Settings – Guide to Getting the Best Exposure.

Notice that I’ve shared two versions of each of the images above and below. The second of each is set has had the Sun Rays tool applied using Luminar Neo. Depending on the light sources, the Magic Light AI Extension might work as well.

After Magic Light AI added with Luminar Neo

#15 – Do some HDR

Night photography lends itself well to doing HDR. The high contrast between the dark shadows and bright lights cannot be captured in a single image, even if you are shooting in raw format.

So in this case, you’ll want to bracket and take a few different exposures and blend them using a photo editing software that handles HDR. I use both Lightroom Classic and Luminar Neo’s HDR Extension for doing that. They are both good.

Above are the four bracketed images I took of a garden scene in my yard. For more help doing HDR read this: To HDR or Not – When and If You Should Use HDR?

Below is the finished HDR image created by merging the ones above.

But I wasn’t happy with it because the sky took on a weird halo and was dark in parts where I didn’t want it to be. Can you see the halo I’m talking about? The sky is lighter around the wooden pergula and it just looks fake.

So I decided to try a sky replacement and came up with the image below. I think it looks natural enough to be believable. I fooled my husband, Rob, he thought it was the original sky. If I didn’t tell you the sky was replaced, could you tell?

The Unspoken Rules: Ethical Considerations in Garden Photography

While this article is all about your own garden, you might sometimes venture into another’s green haven. In those moments, remember the unspoken rules.

First, always ask for permission. It’s not just polite; it’s respectful.

Second, be a good garden guest. Avoid stepping on flower beds. And please, don’t pick the flowers.

These aren’t just manners. They’re the ethical backbone of garden photography. So, whether it’s your garden or not, these tips make your session respectful and creative.

Bonus tip – practice your editing skills

We’ve already discussed b/w and HDR so I’ll leave you with this bonus tip. Once you have your garden photos use them to practice and hone your photo editing skills.

Every week I host a livestream on my YouTube channel where I edit subscriber submitted images and demonstrate different tips and techniques using Lightroom and Luminar Neo (it’s totally free!).

We do a different theme or topic each week and recently we looked at how to edit garden photos. You can join in live each week and you can also watch the replays at any time. There is a TON of value in here, all you have to do is show up to watch and/or participate (in the chat and/or send in some images).

Your turn to get out in the garden

Now it’s time to put down your phone, step away from the computer, and go do some actual photography.

I challenge you to create a minimum of 10 different images of your garden (or a friend’s garden, or a local park) and share your favorite one or two in the comment area below. Show us what you have created!

Cheers,

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DarrylT

Tuesday, April 2, 2024