Gardens are for people, so put people in your garden photos
I’m heading to Portland, Oregon, soon for the 7th annual Garden Bloggers Fling and look forward to touring public and private gardens with 80 or so fellow bloggers. The only downside of touring with bloggers is that we all get in each other’s shots as we snap the same scenes, which can be frustrating — unless, that is, you make your fellow shutterbugs the subject of your photo, as I did during a photography workshop at last year’s Fling. I love the humor of this picture of my friends carefully framing their shots — of what?, you can’t help wondering.
If you enjoy visiting and photographing gardens too, whether on tours or in public gardens, you’ve probably run into the same issue. However, rather than think about ways to get people out of your photos, it’s more interesting and productive to consider when it’s appropriate to introduce people into your garden photos. Whether posed, as with this photo of a young woman whose white dress matches the white garden…
…or candid, as with this Little Boy Blue I photographed while shooting bluebonnets at the Wildflower Center, garden pictures with people in them add life, scale, and a greater appreciation of what a garden is for: people’s enjoyment.
We bloggers often wait patiently to capture images of birds, butterflies, bees, and other wildlife in gardens. People belong in gardens too, and yet we’ll take pains to avoid them in our photos. I wonder why, when some of my favorite garden photos are those that show people enjoying the garden.
I think one inhibitor is shyness about asking a stranger to pose for a photo. While we don’t hesitate to ask a family member or friend to say “cheese,” it can be intimidating to ask a perfect stranger. What if they say no? What if they get offended? What if they think you’re a weird stalker? I can assure you that in years of asking strangers to pose for me, I’ve never had a negative response. A smile, a polite request, and a quick hand with the camera (don’t make them wait while you fiddle with your settings) go far in securing your subject’s goodwill, as does thanking them afterward.
For candid photos, hesitation can come from not knowing what’s legal, especially with regard to photographing children. My own research has taught me that, in the U.S., photographing people in a public place (where they have no reasonable expectation of privacy) is perfectly fine so long as you’re not planning to use the photo in an advertisement. Artistic use, which includes blogs, is OK. (Click for a post I wrote in 2007 about photographing people and houses, with links to other relevant articles.)
Here are my own personal dos and don’ts. While shooting a garden, watch for other people enjoying the garden and be ready to capture the moment. Photographing a person who is talking or who is bending over to take a photo of their own rarely results in a flattering or interesting photo. Instead, look for someone who is exploring or delighting in a garden by sight, touch, smell, or the simple act of walking through it. A person who is relaxing in a garden can also make a good subject.
If you ask a stranger to pose, don’t just snap him or her against a pretty backdrop, like a posed family photo at the Grand Canyon. Instead look for a person who is doing something interesting, or whose clothing, demeanor, or own natural beauty has caught your attention in the context of the garden. Photograph them engaging with the garden.
Use people to give an idea of scale. I took several photos of this giant-leaved plant at Chanticleer, but it wasn’t until my children walked into the frame that it became interesting, dwarfed as they are by the umbrella-like foliage.
A person interacting with a garden, photographed from behind, can act as a proxy for the viewer, pulling them into the scene. An image of the waterfall and pond in the Family Garden at the Wildflower Center is brought to life by the boy crouching in the foreground, peering into the water.
People are eye magnets; use them to zero in the viewer’s gaze. Without the people in this long shot at Filoli, the sundial might have been the focal point (if framed more tightly). But the eye is drawn to people, especially faces, so try not to put them smack-dab in the center of your photo. The rule of thirds in photography applies to pictures of people too.
One more thing to consider: people can also give the viewer a sense of the season, which adds to the story your photo tells. In the photo above, you know the day is hot because of the bright sunlight and the parasols and hats shading the strollers.
The most important advice I can offer for putting people in your garden photos is to be prepared. Children make interesting subjects because they are active and unselfconscious, but like butterflies and birds, they won’t stand still for a picture. Adults enjoying the garden are just as photo-worthy, and they tend to be slower and easier to catch. Have fun on your next human photo-safari!
All material © 2006-2014 by Pam Penick for Digging. Unauthorized reproduction prohibited.
Love the post and your guidelines! I have newfound inspiration now to “populate” any photos I take with people. The plants and the bugs have been the stars so far. I guess, for starters, I’ll have to ask my husband to wear something other than gear from the sporting goods store. As for myself, gardening with certain sorts of underthings may also be in order! LOL. Have a great day, Pam!
Hahaha! Love your sense of humor, Kapila. —Pam
Great post, Pam and very useful information. I was wondering about the legality of photographing people and posting them to my blog, I was recently told that when photographing in a private garden that I should have people in the photo sign a waiver or get permission. I believe this is because it’s a private (hospital) garden. Do you have any thoughts on this? Anyhow, thanks again, very useful for the upcoming Fling!
I was told by my book publisher that photographs taken on private property during a public tour, assuming that photos are allowed (and I always ask), are publishable without seeking explicit permission. However, if I’m visiting a private garden when NOT on a public tour, I do request explicit permission before photographing or publishing on my blog.
In your example of photographing in a hospital garden, I would most definitely get signed releases from anyone in your photos before publishing them on your blog or anywhere else.
Again, this isn’t official legal advice but what I’ve learned online or been instructed by my publisher. —Pam
Thank you again, Pam – great info! Cheers and see you soon!
You make a compelling argument to populate our garden photos. And, I completely agree with you in theory but in practice my family has no interest in being revealed on the blog so they are out as potential subjects. As for public photos on trips the opportunity has not arisen but I’m grateful for the general guidelines provided. My preference for capturing wildlife over people so far has obviated the need for asking permission but you just never know when the chance to capture a real live human being will happen.
Exactly — you never know when the opportunity will arise. Being prepared, with an idea of what works, is the key. —Pam
Great idea, Pam, of course, most of the time, I’m the only people around and we sure don’t want to ruin the pictures with me, LOL. I’ll try to put my grandkids in more. Thanks for the reminder about people in pictures. We all tend to take landscapes on vacations and sometimes forget to include the humans.
Good people-picture opportunities aren’t as readily available for me either, Randy. But I do try to be open to it and ready when the opportunity arises. —Pam
You have some great examples of introducing people into garden photographs. And you are right about trying to take photos without the people. That is what I strive for but when people are in my photos they are never as good as these.
Remember, these are my better images, Jenny. Most of my people pics, like my garden pics, don’t amount to much. It’s all about taking lots of photos, a combination of practice and pure luck. —Pam
Great advice. Love your pictures too. Have fun at the Fling and take oodles of pictures to share. I won’t get to be there this year. WHINE…
I’ll miss seeing you there, Lisa, and you can bet we’ll all be taking lots of photos! —Pam
Great illustrative photos of all your ideas. Most excellent advice, and I will keep it in mind at the Fling, so dress in an appropriately glamorous fashion, okay? ;^)
Hoov, I’m glad we’ll have another Fling to get to know each other a little better. Soon you’ll learn that I am never dressed glamorously. 😉 I look forward to seeing you there! —Pam
your last photo should go into a competition. I always enjoy your photos, but that one is outstanding!
Why, thanks for the kind compliment, Diana! That one was a quick turn-and-snap as the girl went running by. It was a lucky capture. —Pam
Great pointers as usual, Pam!
I’m glad you found them useful, Kris. I need to take my own advice and put people in more of my photos too. —Pam
A wonderful and timely post Pam, I look forward to having you in my garden again soon. Although the fact you will have been here twice and I’ve never been to your garden does seem a bit wrong!
It sure does, Loree. You need to come visit! —Pam
Great great post, and such good suggestions!
I’m glad you think so, Commonweeder. —Pam
Hi Pam! Such a wonderful post and after enjoying all those gardens in Portland with you and all the rest of the flingers, you are right on. Surely some of our photos of just the gardens are lovely, but it’s the ones with the people that will definitely bring back the fondness of memories.
Hi, Kate. It was so nice to meet you at the Fling! I hope to see you in Toronto next year as well. —Pam
Years ago I realized I was adverse to photographing people, so it is something I’ve been working on. Since then, some of my favorite shots have been of random people enjoying gardens. All of them were totally unexpected, and I learned to be ready when opportunity presents itself.
Exactly, Les. It’s about being ready when the moment occurs. —Pam
Whenever I can include people in the shot attractively, I do. I agree, it adds both to the sense of experience and the sense of scale. Sometimes, though, you get more people than gardens – I think you know what I mean. It’s delightful to see my daughter (in her white dress) amongst your people poses above. It’s a lovely shot of her.
Lucy, right, Helen? She was such a good sport to pose for us — and so charming while doing it. —Pam