In the November/December 2011 issue of Garden Design, Becca Bergman Bull profiles Photographer Karen Bell. Capturing a garden's vitality through a camera's lens can pose a challenge. Trying to do so in winter is even harder.
Karen Bell has led seasonal photography workshops at the Brooklyn Botanical Garden since 2005. These are some tips she offers for creating compelling outdoor images:
1. In winter, natural light is at its 'whitest' and the shadows at their longest, making for difficult, contrast-heavy conditions. Try shooting on an overcast day when the light is even and colors appear more 'true'.
2. Trees take on a graphic beauty without their leaves. Consider using back light to show the tree in silhouette. Or, get close up with the light coming from one side and concentrate on the texture of the bark.
3. Because of the harsh lighting and stark lines, winter is an ideal time to experiment with black and white or sepia.
4. If it's a windy day, select a slow shutter speed -1/60 or slower- to show motion.
5. For close-up shots, use a low aperture setting (F 2.8, for example) to bring the subject into focus and blur the background. Or, if your camera has it, try the macro setting. Don't use the zoom feature on your lens while in macro mode, especially not with point-and-shoot cameras. Instead, physically move your camera closer to or farther from the subject.
Still life in winter, is just a 'Point and Click' away!
Author: Jan Hemming, MG, Victoria Chapter
