Un-Wild

As you know, I'm mostly a "wild" nature photographer and I don't spend a lot of time photographing gardens or other "human-tended" natural things. However, the DC area is home to some spectacular gardens (some of which feature native species or native plant sections) and I do on occasion like to visit these spots during their peak times. Sometimes it is because it allows me to get unique group images or close-ups that would be difficult in the wild; and sometimes they can just be useful places to practice my craft and revel in the beauty of nature. Plus, they are often a much shorter drive than the wild places that I like to visit. 8-)

One such spectacular garden (and for my money, the best generalist gardens in the area) is Brookside Gardens in Wheaton, MD. I recently spent a morning photographing there in the hopes of catching some of the rapidly fading spring tulips. It gave me some great opportunities to play with shallow depth of field and with isolations within fields of flowers.

Gardens are great places to have fun and experiment. And who knows? Maybe some of those techniques you experiment with will find their way onto your next "wild" photo trip.