Lexington, KY - We landscaped our backyard with Kentucky native plants six years ago and are pleased with the results. We see more birds throughout the year. The native perennials and shrubs provide blooms and berries from April through October. The various plants attract a wide diversity of interesting insects including bees, spiders, wasps, caterpillars and butterflies. The scene is always changing and I like to check it frequently.
My favorite time to visit the garden is early morning while everything is fresh. I've found if I carry a camera I often discover and see much more than I would otherwise. On these casual garden strolls, I'm not trying to make fine art photographs. Instead, my primary intent is to explore the garden to see what I can find.
I usually take my small point-and-shoot digital camera (Canon Power-Shot SD1200 IS Elph) - it is simple to use and fits into a pocket, though it doesn't usually stay there very long. I generally use basic default settings, changing to macro when I want to take close-ups (which I frequently do). I also keep the flash turned off. I like the soft natural light of early morning, late afternoon, or overcast days. Bright sunlight or flash tends to wash out colors. A photographer friend once told me if you can see a shadow, it's too bright for good photography, and I generally find this to be true.
Camera in hand, I meander through the garden until something grabs my attention. It may be a plant that's just beginning to bloom, an interesting insect, or something that seems so beautiful or intriguing that I can't resist trying to document it. Having the camera encourages me to slow down, look closer and see more. Frequently when I stop to take a photo, I see details or other subjects that would otherwise have escaped my notice, such as dewdrops, spider webs, tiny mushrooms, or the texture or subtle color of leaves. The simplicity of the camera encourages me to play with the possibilities and to look at subjects from different angles - from above, below, closer, farther away. As a result, I sometimes get an image I really like. Whether I do or not, I have seen the subject in greater detail and therefore know it in a very different way.
Reviewing and editing my images on the computer is the next step. With digital cameras, it costs nothing to take a photo, and the more images I take the better my chances for getting one I really like. Consequently, I usually have "extra" images. Selecting the few best images and deleting the rest is challenging but essential. Otherwise, my files soon get unwieldy.
One benefit of digital images is the visual journal they create. The camera records the date and time of each photo and when I view the images on the computer, I can tell what was happening and when. For example, by looking at the images I took on July 29, 2010, I remember there were abundant berries on the arrow-wood viburnum. Downy skullcap, a new plant, was blooming for the first time, and the trumpet honeysuckle vine still had red blooms.
Images can also remind me of changes I want to make in the garden - plants I want to add, replace or move, or areas I want to modify. Finally, the images can be shared with others - electronically, as prints, or personal gifts such as note cards and calendars.
Of course, many memorable experiences cannot be photographed. I'm remembering a recent special moment in the garden. I was concentrating on photographing red trumpet honeysuckle blooms when a hummingbird came within inches of my face. There was not time to move. Result: no image recorded, and no image needed to remember that moment.
It's easy to overlook what is close at hand. For me, the greatest benefit of using the camera in the garden is that it focuses my attention on one subject at a time. As a result, I observe my everyday world more closely and find joy in what I see.
This is a guest column from Betty Hall, whose photographs regularly appear with Ann Bowe's regular Landscape column. Visit www.bettyhallphotography.com to see Betty Hall's photos, read her backyard blog, and preview her recent children's book, "Monarch Magic."