It’s here! It’s finally here!!

Hi Happy Scrappers!

Polly Liana here, with some photo inspiration for my very faaaaavorite season.   If you’re living anywhere that is snow-prone, you joined me yesterday in a big sigh of relief as we finally welcomed Spring back after a long, snowy and very cold winter.   Even though it’s not exactly balmy where I live, I’m looking forward to rising temperatures soon enough.  With those warmer temps, come small bits of green peeking out of the ground.  I was born and raised in Hawaii so I had never experienced the way the world slowly wakes up after winter.   Now I look forward with great eagerness to seeing buds and bulbs popping out everywhere I look.  It’s such a hopeful, happy sign that we’re finally coming out of the dreary, cold world we’ve been in for the past few months.   I get so excited about spring that I often take my camera and macro lens out for walks to document all the tiny changes happening outside.  Here are some tips for taking great macro garden photos.

1.  Get down low

It’s amazing how much you’ll notice if you change your view.  Crouch, squat or even lie down and look for interesting details.

 

2.  But be sure to look up, too

When the trees start flowering, they create the most amazing canopies of color.  This is one of the only times I reach for a wide angle lens in spring.  

 

3.  Fill the frame

When you fill your frame with something that’s usually thought of as being little and insignificant, it creates a very unique and interesting image.

 

4. Bokeh is your friend

See those colorful, blurry circles in the background?  That lovely soft stuff is called “bokeh” and it’s wonderful in the spring since there are so many rich green backgrounds around.  Bokeh can be achieved by shooting with a f-stop with a low number (2 or lower).  The f-stop is part of your camera’s aperture setting, which relates to how much light is being let into your lens.  Here’s some more detailed information about this, if you’re interested: understanding bokeh

 

5. Shoot in the afternoon light

Afternoon light in the spring and summer is positively magical.  It illuminates things in a way that cannot be captured at any other time of the day.   (Also, see that pretty bokeh again?)

 

6.  Be patient and watch closely

Look out for tiny events, like this ladybug doing circus tricks on these vines:

Or this tiny bud that has just popped out amongst the others:

 

Okay, it’s time for you to jump into a lightweight cardigan, grab your camera and head out into the dirt and flowers to see what you can find.  When you get something fantastic, please drop it into a layout with some of our wonderful spring products and share it with us in our gallery.  We look forward to seeing your awesome spring shots.

Happy snapping and scrapping!