Photography Tips

​

• Read the instruction manual for your camera to familiarize yourself with all the functions.

• Take photos regularly and experiment. Try shooting the subjects with multiple settings to learn what effects you like.

• Try an inexpensive tripod for beginners or for shaky hands. A tripod is also highly recommended when you use the time function on the camera.

• When doing close-up photography, remember that the depth of field is limited and it can be all but impossible to have the entire subject in focus. It is best to focus on the most important part of the subject.

• Subject and camera movement is magnified when taking close-ups. To limit this you will need to steady the camera and the subject to prevent blurred images. Using the camera's flash can "freeze" the image and reduce the effect of camera and subject movement.

• Turn off your camera's date-imprinting function for exhibition images because it is a visual distraction in the printed image. If you have access to a photo-editing program, it may be possible to edit out the date stamp on the digital image.

• Try to choose an angle where light is streaming in from the side or behind your subject.

• Avoid letting direct light into your camera lens.

• On cloudy days light is even and colours are vibrant; shadows are reduced so it is easy to capture areas that would otherwise be in half shade or half light.

• Quality of light is critical; avoid taking shots in bright sunlight between 9:00am and 5:00pm as colours will look washed out and shadowy areas will look too dark.

• The best time to capture your garden is early morning, approximately two hours after sunrise. Morning light is soft and warm. The last few hours before sundown can provide nice light similar to that of morning.​