Composition in gardening, and photography also

This morning I received an email from a very dear cousin. She, Chloe and I had recently returned from a visit to England together to see our relatives, all of whom (including this particular cousin), I had never met. We later shared photos of the trip, and my cousin commented on how better the pictures I had taken were as compared to hers. She asked what camera had I used which, in her opinion had to have been better than hers.

I emailed her that in my opinion it was not the camera – hers was just as good as mine. But it was in the composition of the picture, and the use of light. So today I would like to emphasize these elements in photography, designing a garden, or even, to some degree, composing a song (right, Alison?)

The absolute first, in my opinion, is the positioning of the subject in the picture, which should always NOT be in the center of the picture. Position it instead “off center,” closer to any of the four corners.

For example, compare this picture, with the one below. The focal point in the first case (same subject, same time) is centered. It makes the photo "boring."

And now the same photo, with the focal point moved to one of the four quadrants:

Secondly, light is our friend. Without light, there would be no life. Light makes our photos sparkle. Of course, when Uncle Freddie has egg all over his face, and you want to document, you can’t ask that he stay that way until the light becomes favorable! But on the other hand look to take photos, (and enjoy your garden also), when the light is more favorable, as, for example, in the picture below.

And in this photograph also:

Composition is a little more complex, but understanding it will allow us, even if we are not photographers, to better understand why certain things that we see, we find particularly appealing. Let’s see the photo below:

This photo, taken from our upstairs veranda at evening, is framed by the trees on either side of the photo. The picture also has strong horizontals. How many are there? I see the horizon, the tree tops, the two fence lines, the vineyard, and, to some degree, the lighted fence of the deck and the roof over the deck, as well as the railing. They all give the picture strength. This is contrasted by the verticals of the two rainbows, as well as the tall trees, particularly the one on the left in the fore front.

Chloe, not only a wonderful gardener, but also a fine artist has known this for years. She recognized the beauty of a rose standing next to a vase next to the window many years ago. She documented it in the painting, “Rose of Winter,” reproduced below. Notice the positioning of the rose itself, the main element, in the upper left quadrant.

Below are photos of flowers I took, early morning, when the light seemed best. Please look at the composition, and the effect of the light. Chloe also wishes to point out that plants with the opposites on the color wheel enhance each other (the yellow and the purple in the upper right hand corner). So for example, when gardening, plant yellows and purples close to each other:

And again, in this photo where reds and greens enhance each other:

Lastly, I while sitting at my desk earlier this morning, I was interrupted by Chloe rushing to grab the camera. She had brought part of her garden indoors in anticipation of a visit with friends and the light was perfect. Below are the pictures she took from inside our house. The white of the flower is enhanced by the dark background:

And also this one:

So, to wrap it up, think of the composition of what you are creating. And remember, “Light is your friend.”