Books on garden photography are relatively rare to find, compared against the literature in other branches photography or horticulture. Even amongst these, very few cover the full breadth of the subject as Ian Adams does in this book.

Personally, I dont care for the early chapters on equipment and general photographic techniques and I would assume other advanced photographers wouldn't either. On the other hand, these chapters make the book very self-contained. A beginner could easily use this book to pick up the basics of photography as well as learn the tricks of garden photography in particular.

This is the first book on garden photography that I've read that discusses how to prepare a garden prior to photography. Ian goes on to discuss some of the important ways of capturing the essence of a garden, including its seasonal visitors such as birds and animals.

Gardens continue to evolve through the seasons and the presence of an entire chapter reminds us that perhaps we should revisit a garden in an off-season in order to fully appreciate the planting combinations. The book concludes with a discussion of the business side of garden photography, where to find fine gardens and finally about making digital prints of garden images

This is certainly a well rounded book but I feel Ian could have added a chapter on horticulture. If the basics of photography has a place in this book, why not the basics of horticulture too? After all, this is a book about garden photography. While not a criticism of this book, it is certainly a suggestion to the next author contemplating writing another garden photography book. Speaking from experience, garden photographers will be able to better appreciate plantings if they knew more about plants. A rare plant draws my attention more than common ones. I'm also able to visualize vignettes in other seasons if I knew how specific plants evolve through the seasons.

The Art of Garden Photography in the latest and, so far, the best book on garden photography book that I've read. Ian's wonderful photographs and the breadth of coverage on the topic are what prompted me to add this to my bookshelf.

Gardens are one of the most easily accessible photographic subjects, next to family and pets. The vast majority of people have their own garden or live close to a public garden. This probably explains their popularity as photographic subjects. Successfully photographing them requires an appreciation of garden subjects and being a successful garden photographer further requires an understanding of the marketplace. Derek Fell explains all of these in his book "Flower and Garden Photography".

He starts off with a discussion of the pros and cons of various photographic equipment that could be employed in a garden. Next follows the description of three different views that will provide good coverage of any garden. Advice such as "take every path" and "look for an elevated viewpoint" are invaluable, if one refers to this checklist while photographing a garden. After all, it is far too easy to become so mesmerised by a garden that one fails to fully explore all the possibilities.

The business side of garden photography is covered throughout the book. As a very successful garden photographer, Derek Fell offers quite a bit of detailed advice on the plants whose pictures are in greater demand than others. Also described are potential markets, how to sell and how to track submissions.

I feel this book will appeal to anybody that is curious about garden photography or is contemplating work in this area. Experienced garden photographers might find Derek Fell's insights on the business side valuable. After reading this book and admiring the wonderful photographs, one will surely start seeing gardens in a whole new light, figuratively and literally.

This book is widely regarded as one of the first published materials on garden photography. Clive Nichols uses himself as an example when he emphatically states that one does not have to know much about horticulture in order to be a successful garden photographer. However, he does stress that the best way to improve compositional skills is to study the work of great photographers. Personally, I feel that one can be a better garden photographer with atleast a basic understanding of horticulture, and even more importantly, with a desire to learn about plants as you go along . That way, your eyes will catch new association of plants and you will learn to anticipate when different plants bloom and how their placements in various parts of the garden are influenced by their sun and water requirements. With a good knowledge of horticulture, one can quickly identify plant combinations that will offer continuous interest through various seasons.

The books starts with a usual discussion of equipment and exposure which all but the novice photographers can quickly skim in a couple of minutes. There is also a brief discussion of exposure but incident metering is conspicuously missing in the book.

Cloudy weather is widely considered to be the ideal weather for garden photography but Nichols shows how sunlight, especially intense sunlight, is ideally suited for certain gardens. He showcases the example of Mediterranean gardens where plants thrive under such conditions. He also writes that diffused lighting is most underestimated, indicating a 180 degree shift in approach to garden photography in the last decade.

Photographing Plans & Gardens has good coverage of different lighting and weather conditions, as well as seasons and plants to look for their best in each season.

Some of the key pieces of advice in this book have to do with identifying essential elements in a garden, recognizing patterns, shapes and color. On top of all this, there is considerable value in studying Nichols' photography.