Spring is no time to be lazing around indoors binging on TV. The outdoors is alive bursting with colourful blooms, scents filling the air, wildlife adjusting to the brighter mornings, and the weather warming up, even if only slightly.
If you have a garden, you will be busy. Consider taking a step back to enjoy the beauty of what is flourishing. Capture a picture, print and frame it, and start building a collection that shows your garden throughout the year. Spring perennials coming into bloom, fading, then hibernating, just as the winter blooms come in.
With different photos taken at different times of the year, you could create a magnificent feature display in a multi-aperture frame.
For those without gardens, or perhaps a low-maintenance garden, there are likely to be plenty of places around your local area that let you enjoy the same wonders of nature in all its bustling glory.
Consider the following places as backdrops for significantly colourful prints
Nature reserves
Nature reserves are managed by Trusts with the primary goal of preserving certain plants and wildlife. These are dream settings for macro photography. Some reserves are pollen havens for attracting bees, others focus on wetland wildlife with ponds that are attractive to amphibians. Frogs, toads, and tadpoles are what you find on many reserves in the spring.
Later in the season as the autumn approaches, dragonflies' flit into the reserve to lay their eggs. Nature reserves have wildlife meadows filled with various plants, each specifically selected to attract the species they aim to preserve.
Many of Britain’s meadows are free to explore, dog-friendly (keep dogs leashed), and although most of the land may look like it is growing wild, it is actually maintained. You can find a surprising number of colours, variegated leaves, different shapes of flowers, and plants with different textures.
Even for those who are not into photography per se, a stroll around a nature reserve could be just the thing to give you the inspiration to set a new colour scheme for your home decor.
Use what is local to you to influence your design choices. It can create a more balanced, and personal connection to your home environment than choosing a design scheme from a home décor magazine, blog, or online video channel would.
Local country parks
Local parks are near the polar opposite of nature reserves. These are maintained for the benefit of the community. Some are accredited, others are managed by Trusts, and the majority will have landscaped areas.
The landscaped areas in local parks are popular spots for wedding photographers. These areas offer splendid backdrops for any type of personal photography. Family, portrait, or getting photos of pets running around lush, flush lawns. Depending on the park you visit, you may even find some wildlife.
Find spring inspiration on your doorstep!
The spring brings brighter mornings earlier, and sunset later. For the early risers, open a window and listen to the sound of nature.
Depending on your location, you may hear birds chirping, and frogs croaking, or if anyone nearby has chickens, you’ll hear them. Roosters, you will definitely hear.
If you want to photograph wildlife near your home, sun up is when to get to the window, into the garden, or take a stroll around the block to see what creatures are awakening. These are nature’s alarms and can make spectacular photographs for framing and displaying.
Fancy updating your family photo without the cost of a pro photographer?
A top way to enhance spring photographs of people among nature is to coordinate clothing. The background is already colourful. There are greens, blues, purples, yellows, and pink petals coming into bloom. The last thing you want in photos is colour clashing oranges and lime greens that detract from the surrounding landscape.
Neutral toned clothing of whites, beiges and light caramel, blend in better with nature.
The only other thing to get right is the time. Sunlight is stronger at midday so that is when you will get a lot of shadow effects in your photos. The first thing in the morning and at sunset is when the sunlight is softer.
Go make the most of what this spring has to offer. The more you capture, a more interesting a photo collage you’ll be able to create. You just need the photos!