Whilst it can be tempting to trim and prune our garden hedges and create a neat-looking outdoor space, wildlife prefers it to be wild! Keep one area of your garden wild and you\u2019ll be amazed at the visitors you have coming to see you. If you\u2019re after a certain species do your research first and find out what plants they like.<\/p>\n
Capture resting insects<\/strong><\/p>\n\t\t \u00a9 Jim Turner Instead of running around after flying insects wait until they have rested. American photographer Jim Turner captured this image of an augochlorella aurata commonly known as sweat bee in Brookside Gardens, Silver Spring, Maryland, United States, and was the winner of the Wildlife in the Garden category. Wherever you are in the world, bees are notoriously difficult to capture if they are moving around! \u2018This bee was standing on the anther of a Lilium flower and the longer it stayed, the more it became clothed in the red grains of pollen,\u2019 Jim says.<\/p>\n Know your subject<\/strong><\/p>\n\t\t \u00a9 Henrik Spranz Austrian photographer Henrik Spranz (www.spranz.org) came in second place in the \u2018Wildlife in the Garden\u2019 category and tells us how he got this shot. \u2018The black-veined white butterflies [Aporia crataegi] can be found roosting in groups in the early morning. With them keeping so still before the heat has had a chance to warm them up I set up this shot using a wide open aperture to get this bokeh effect of the surrounding meadow. I used a Berlebach Mini-tripod and live view for manual focusing.\u2019 When it comes to his best tips for photographing butterflies Henrik says, \u2018Learn about your subjects, their habits, and nutrition. For example, many species of butterflies roost on plants they get nectar from.\u2019<\/p>\n Know your camera<\/strong><\/p>\n Wildlife cannot be directed \u2013 so to up your chances of getting that great shot, know your kit inside out. For action shots, set your focus to the tracking feature and put it into the burst frame mode so you can pick the best image from the bunch.<\/p>\n The background is vital<\/strong><\/p>\n With wildlife images it\u2019s easy to get so focused on the subject that you forget about the background. The background makes or breaks an image so it is really important. Many wildlife images work by isolating subjects against a plain setting. Open your aperture to blur the background or if you\u2019re shooting your subject at a close proximity with a long lens this will occur anyway.<\/p>\n Be quiet<\/strong><\/p>\n\t\t \u00a9 Lynne McClure Canon EOS 5D Mark III with Canon 70-200mm lens, 1\/250sec at f\/4, ISO 500<\/p>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\n Commended photographer Lynne McClure captured this image of a rabbit in her garden just as it was about to eat one of her Cosmos flowers. \u2018I am a person who loves to garden,\u2019 she tells us. \u2018This was taken in an area where I spread wildflowers. Rabbits seem to love poppies, so that is what drew this creature to that spot. It didn\u2019t seem afraid to have me close by. I sat very quiet and still in the mornings with my trusty camera and was able to get the shot. I love wildlife photography as I find animals so interesting to observe. I provide them with appropriate things to eat and fresh clean water to attract. I have two bubblers in my yard that draw in birds and squirrels.\u2019<\/p>\n Water wildlife<\/strong><\/p>\n\t\t \u00a9 Chris Mills Canon EOS 7D Mark II with Sigma 105mm macro lens, 1\/250sec at f\/4.5, ISO 100<\/p>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\n Chris Mills was commended for his image \u2018Frogs in the Pond\u2019 in the Wildlife in the Garden category and finds taking images of wildlife to be good for the soul. I suffer with There\u2019s a wild jungle of flowers outside your back door waiting to be discovered<\/p>\n Love the light<\/strong><\/p>\n Photographer Emily Endean loves good light for her floral captures. \u2018Great photography is all about great light. Shoot at sunrise or sunset to give you that soft glow and warm colours. Or even explore the woodland floor at sunrise, look out for pockets of light coming through the trees; this has to be my favourite thing to do \u2013 certainly during bluebell season, which is coming very soon!\u2019<\/p>\n Stick to the path<\/strong><\/p>\n Photographer John Campbell makes sure he is respectful to the environment he\u2019s shooting in, and if you are taking photographs in a shared space then you need to take this into account too. Composition tips<\/strong><\/p>\n Look for leading lines, pathways or any other elements in the scene to help with the composition. If you\u2019re going for a symmetrical finish search for repetition of lines of flowers and patterns in the frame to help you create a strong result. Finally look for layers of flowers and shoot through for an effective image.<\/p>\n All about the colour<\/strong><\/p>\n\t\t \u00a9 Emily Endean Nikon D610 with Sigma 70-200mm lens, 1\/400 sec at f\/5.6, ISO 200<\/p>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\n Emily Endean\u2019s (www.emilyendean photography.co.uk) image \u2018Pretty in Pink\u2019 was highly commended in the Beauty of Plants category and was captured in Dorset. \u2018It was a warm summer\u2019s eve and I\u2019d heard about this field of pink Papaver (poppies) on the grapevine and had to go and see it for myself. It was tricky to find driving through the lanes of the Dorset countryside but when I came across it, wow, it was so worth the drive. A sea of stunning pink! I took a few shots of the wider vista but as the sun began to drop I decided to switch it up with a zoom lens and use a shallow depth of field. I used the sun as a backlight and singled out some of the beautiful flower heads.\u2019 Follow Emily on Instagram @Emily_endean_photography<\/a> and Twitter @Emily_endean<\/a>.<\/p>\n Get up early<\/strong><\/p>\n Photographer John Campbell (www.roomoflight.com<\/a>) took second place in the Beautiful Gardens category, and shot this wideangle scene (below) at Knoll Gardens in Dorset on an autumnal morning. \u2018When I started photographing gardens, it was so lovely to be working on my own in beautiful places that I had completely to myself. It\u2019s a special feeling that makes up for getting out of bed at silly o\u2019clock,\u2019 he tells us. \u2018Don\u2019t try to shoot gardens in the middle of a sunny day,\u2019 he advises. \u2018You need to be there in the golden hour, at sunrise or sunset, to get the best quality of light and those gorgeous warm tones. Being outside so early in the UK means that it can be cold, even in the summer, so pack layers, and good shoes.\u2019 He is currently photographing the gardens at Buckingham Palace for the first official book, The Royal Gardens at Buckingham Palace, due to be published in spring 2021 by the Royal Collection Trust. You can follow John on Instagram @room_of_light<\/a>.<\/p>\n\t\t \u00a9 John Campbell Canon EOS 5D Mark IV with Canon 24-105mm lens, 1\/30 sec at f\/5.6, ISO 100<\/p>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\n Create movement (double exposure)<\/strong><\/p>\n\t\t \u00a9 Jacky Parker Nikon D750 with Nikon 105mm macro lens, 1\/250sec at f\/11, ISO 200<\/p>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\n Jacky Parker (www.jackyparker.com<\/a>) is a flower and nature photographer based in a village called Sway village on the edge of the New Forest national park. \u2018I took up photography about 14 years ago whilst studying for a diploma in horticulture,\u2019 she tells us. Jacky\u2019s image saw her win first place in the Beautiful Gardens category. She took this image in the new forest lavender farm in Wiltshire. \u2018Echinacea \u2018Salsa Red were the brilliant red stars of this beautiful summer palette of colours taken at the gardens of the New Forest Lavender Farm. I captured a double exposure to soften the grasses and create an evocative botanical daydream,\u2019 she says. \u2018At the editing stage I used a Gaussian blur layer and using a layer mask once again adjusting the opacity and using the mask to paint the flowers in whilst leaving the grasses slightly blurred, giving movement.\u2019 You can follow Jacky on Instagram @jackyparkerphotography<\/a>.<\/p>\n Focus stacking<\/strong><\/p>\n\t\t \u00a9 Nigel McCall Canon EOS 5DS R, Canon TS-E 90mm tilt-shift macro lens, 1\/6sec at f\/16, ISO 100<\/p>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\n Although you might think focus stacking is just for close-up shots it also applies for some wider angle scenes where keeping the foreground to background completely sharp is key to the overall effect. Nigel McCall, who is a finalist in the Beautiful Gardens category, took this image in Aberglasney Gardens, Wales, one frosty morning in April. \u2018It was early April and nighttime temperatures had been relatively mild for some time. Spring displays were starting to look good, especially the wonderful border of Tulipa rising from a sea of Myosotis. Then, unexpectedly a last frost hit. The alarm clock was set. I captured the end of winter and the beginning of spring.\u2019 To create the final effect Nigel focus stacked four images together using Helicon Focus software.<\/p>\n Get experimental with your flower and wildlife photography<\/p>\n Experiment<\/strong><\/p>\n\t\t \u00a9 Jane Simmonds Canon EOS R with Canon 24-105mm lens, 1\/60sec at f\/8, ISO 400<\/p>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\n Jane Simmonds (www.janesimmonds.co.uk<\/a>) is a creative photographer based in the Forest of Dean in Gloucestershire. Her work is inspired by the natural world, from her garden to her daily walks in a local woodland. \u2018I am drawn to colours, patterns and shapes and use alternative techniques like multiple exposures and intentional camera movement to create my abstract images,\u2019 the photographer tells us. To get this image, which was highly commended in the Abstract Views category, Jane combined multiple exposures of three Cyclamen flowers to give a unique textured effect. If, like Jane, you like abstract photography then you need to be willing to experiment. \u2018I don\u2019t have any fixed ideas of what I want an image to look like when creating my abstracts \u2013 my approach is experimental and playful and involves letting go of the traditional \u201crules\u201d of photography. I play around a lot with different camera settings such as white balance and exposure compensation for creative effect as well as trying various blending modes (for multiple exposures). Sometimes the results from my experiments are not very interesting and there are probably a lot more failures than successes but that unpredictability is what appeals to me with this type of photography.\u2019 You can also follow Jane\u2019s work on Instagram @janesimmonds31<\/a>.<\/p>\n Blend layers<\/strong><\/p>\n\t\t \u00a9 Jacky Parker Nikon D750 with 105mm lens, 1\/1000sec at f\/3.2, ISO 320<\/p>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\n This image, called \u2018Autumn Rudbeckia\u2019, taken by Jacky Parker, came first in the Beauty of Plants category. \u2018I saw this beautiful, late summer flowering Rudbeckia at the New Forest Lavender Gardens in Landford, Salisbury, and knew I had to capture it. Its orange colour perfectly reflected the beginning of autumn.\u2019 To create the final effect Jacky edited the image using her floaty petal technique as she explains: \u2018The image was duplicated and layered in post processing. I then adjusted the opacity of the top layer and changed the blending mode to create movement in the petals.\u2019<\/p>\n Fake rain<\/strong><\/p>\n To add some texture and sparkly bling to your close-up captures, use water and a spray nozzle and apply a light dusting of drops over the petals or subject. Simple tricks such as this bring another layer of interest to the frame.<\/p>\n Look at the small details<\/strong><\/p>\n\t\t \u00a9 Carlo Cinthi Nikon D5 with Nikon 105mm macro lens and Nikon TC-17E II 1.7x teleconverter, 1\/400sec at f\/14, ISO 640<\/p>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\n This highly commended image in the Wildlife in the Garden category is called \u2018A Spider\u2019s Path\u2019, is by Italian photographer Carlo Cinthi. \u2018For such a tiny spider in the garden, every raindrop became a giant obstacle as it continued its journey along this blade of grass,\u2019 he says. To get such a super-close-up result he used a 105mm macro lens with a 1.7x teleconverter. Note that if you are using a teleconverter like Carlo\u2019s you will lose x 1.5 stops of the minimum aperture setting. Carlo used an aperture of f\/14 to keep the drops and spider sharp, and increased the ISO to 640 to give him a shutter speed of 1\/400sec.<\/p>\n Try this kit for capturing animals<\/strong><\/p>\n Long lens<\/strong><\/p>\n For garden wildlife you will want a lens with that extra reach. Anything from a 100mm to 200mm lens will do the job in this type of setting.<\/p>\n Seeds<\/strong><\/p>\n To create a wild garden patch sprinkle some seeds this spring to start attracting lots of different insects. If you don\u2019t have a garden look into a hanging basket or a window sill planter that will still attract creatures.<\/p>\n![\"\"](\"\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/05\/Tip-1-Jim-Turner-__285540__383985231_672523951-509x400.jpg\")
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Nikon D500 with 105mm macro lens, 1\/250sec at f\/11, ISO 200<\/p>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\n![\"\"](\"\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/05\/Tip-2-Henrik-Spranz-__288675__383985241_672523951-scaled.jpg\")
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Canon EOS 5D Mark IV with Sigma 180mm macro lens, 1\/1000sec at f\/4, ISO 500<\/p>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\n![\"\"](\"\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/05\/Tip-4-Lynne-McClure-__263506__383985251_672523951-scaled.jpg\")
\t\t\t![\"\"](\"\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/05\/Tip-6-Chris-Mills-__281273__383985252_672523951-600x400.jpg\")
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\nmy mental health including agoraphobia and I didn\u2019t leave the house until I started volunteering at this organic garden several years ago.\u201d Chris took this image at Ashfield Gardens in Worcestershire. A pond attracts loads of wildlife like frogs, dragonflies, damselflies, newts and birds to name just a few. In this shot Chris has made excellent use of the light which highlights the frogs in the water, and creates a brilliant bokeh background.\u2019<\/p>\nFantastic flowers<\/strong><\/h3>\n
\n\u2018I always keep to paths and never step into borders or planting schemes \u2013 someone has worked so hard to create the garden that you need to have respect and understand each plant is precious to them.\u2019<\/p>\n![\"\"](\"\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/05\/Tip-10-Emily-Endean-__285573__383985281_672523951-574x400.jpg\")
\t\t\t![\"\"](\"\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/05\/Tip-9-John-Campbell-__288131__383985272_672523951-600x400.jpg\")
\t\t\t![\"\"](\"\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/05\/Tip-8-Jacky-Parker-__281121__383985262_672523951-600x400.jpg\")
\t\t\t![\"\"](\"\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/05\/Tip-13-Nigel-McCall-__274580__383985291_672523951-630x362.jpg\")
\t\t\tCreative close-ups<\/h3>\n
![\"\"](\"\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/05\/Tip-16-Jane-Simmonds-__282311__383985302_672523951-533x400.jpg\")
\t\t\t![\"\"](\"\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/05\/Tip-15-Jacky-Parker-__290839__383985301_672523951-600x400.jpg\")
\t\t\t![\"\"](\"\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/05\/Tip-17-Carlo-Cinthi-__258079__383985311_672523951-600x400.jpg\")
\t\t\tGarden photography kit list<\/h2>\n