Garden & Flower Photography

Garden & Flower Photography Workshop

Who should attend
Anyone interested in photography whether you use a digital or film based SLR or ‘Point & Shoot’ instamatic. Although the course is primarily aimed at those in the garden and landscape industry, it would benefit anyone interested in improving their photography and camera technique. Gardens, and flowers in particular are probably the most photographed subject next to family snaps. This course is designed not only to improve your understanding of the camera, but also your shooting and composition skills taking you to new levels of ability and satisfaction.

Course Outline
The course comprises a series of photographic lectures and practical sessions. The emphasis will be very much hands on, with the core segment of the teaching revolving around creating photos of plants & gardens suitable for web presentation, fine art and magazine publication. The students will be steered through a number of instructor lead exercises which will reinforce the class room learning.

Instructor - Duncan Heather MSGD. APLD.
is one of Europe’s foremost garden designers and until recently sat on council for the Society of Garden Designers in the UK. To-date he has won five gold, one silver & one bronze medal and three best of show awards for his design work.

Duncan studied photography at art college, before going on to study horticulture He set up his own design practice in England in 1987, but his love of nature and in particular, plants & gardens brought him back to photography in the late nineties.

Working under the alias Giles Heather, he now travels extensively, photographing both private and public spaces as well as the wider landscape. His work is sold in 30 countries around the world, and his images have appeared on scores of magazine and book covers, calendars, posters, national ads, trade ads, brochures, and corporate promotions, include The London Times, Garden Illustrated, The English Garden Magazine, & Country Living.

His photographic work is represented by three of the leading stock agencies and he has had several one man shows in the UK. He is a full member of the British Institute of Professional Photographers, The Royal Photographic Society and the British Professional Photographers Association

He is principal of the Oxford College of Garden Design and regularly lectures on all aspects of design and photography.

Syllabus
Introduction to Camera Types & Lens Choice
An over-view of the different camera types and how they work both digital and non digital. We will look at lens choice, comparing the pros and cons of wide angle to telephoto and discussing when and where to use each.

Exposure & Depth of Field
A vital part of photography but an area that causes the most amount of confusion. We will look at metering systems both in-camera and external and will discuss the three main aperture settings and in what circumstances to use each.

Macro Flower Photography
By far the most popular form of photography next only to the family snap. We will look and lens choice and the different equipment you can use. We will discus studio lighting as well as field work and will look at how to create stunning photos of plants and flowers suitable for the fine art flower market.

Garden Photography Telling a story
Illustrative photography requires a wide range of skills in order that a complete picture of the site can be built up. This style of photography demanded by magazine & newspapers is also useful for web site display and even organising a photo album in a logical order. We will discuss how to organise a shoot and look at a range of photographs from wide angle ‘big picture’ shots that set the scene to small scale intimate detail photos that reflect the personality of the garden and its owners. Lens choice, camera angles and composition will all be covered opening your eyes to new photographic possibilities.

Equipment:

Preferably a 35mm SLR camera or if not a‘Point & Click’ with macro (Flower setting) and Aperture Priority setting.
Selection of lenses (ideally between 24-200mm full-frame)
Macro Lens or Dioptres (Close up Filters)Tripod
Optional Extras:
Tillers kneepads or water resistant ground sheet
Macro Flash head
12-24” Diffuser
Flower Clamp
NG & Polarizing filter