Your mission this month is to capture the colours, shapes and textures of summer flora. Whether you choose to shoot in your garden or in the wild is entirely up to you. You might want to capture a close-up showing the curve of a single petal, or a wide shot of a garden in bloom – whatever your subject, we’ll be looking for a shot that really captures the essence or ‘character’ of the flower or garden you’re trying to portray.
If you’re in need of a few pointers, here are some suggestions from Philip Smith, author of Better Plant and Garden Photography and founder of International Garden Photographer of the Year.
Get started today…
* Being a gardener helps, but if you haven’t got green fingers, find a garden close-by and talk to the person who knows it best, and ask them what’s in bloom and what to look out for.
* For the best light, you need to be in position at dawn, but if this isn’t possible, choose a day when it’s bright but overcast, because direct sunlight tends to wash out bright colours.
* To see more of Philip’s photos, or to buy a copy of his book, visit
www.philipsmithphoto.com. If you’re looking for guidance, Philip's site also has details of his one-day garden photography workshop at Chelsea Physic Garden on 21 September.
Capture a colourful garden image for your chance to see it in print and win a superb Lowepro rucksack worth £150…
How to enter Create a gallery on
www.photoradar.com, upload your entry and email the link to
digitalcamera@futurenet.com with ‘Your Mission: garden’ in the subject line by 23 September 2011. The three best shots we receive will be printed in issue 118, which goes on sale 18 October 2011. A selection of the best entries will appear on our website.
(I've literally just copied and pasted this from the mag! I hope it makes sense!)
11-09-11, 03:41 PM
