Landscapes At Longwood Gardens – Indoors!

Continuing in our “Oh The Places We’ll Go” series, we head now to beautiful Longwood Gardens…

Longwood is located just outside of Philadelphia, PA, and is stunning at any time of year. In the winter, while all the outdoor gardens are “asleep”, the conservatory is filled with thousands of colorful flowers and plants, and is a welcome respite from the cold and dreary days we’ve been experiencing for the past several months on the east coast. 

I have been a member at Longwood for close to a decade. The little over an hour drive keeps me from getting there as often as I would like, but I still visit about a half dozen times of year. Those times I spend enjoying the beauty with my camera, and challenging myself to come up with new and more creative compositions than the last time I was there. I also scout out the best places to bring a small group of photo enthusiasts, for workshops which I also lead about 4-6 times per year.

Each January through March, Longwood usually holds their annual Orchid Extravaganza, which features thousands of orchids in amazing displays throughout the massive conservatory. That is a favorite time for me to hold a photo trek, as people are desperate to leave the cold temps and gray skies for warmth and any signs of spring!

I will normally make this a completely macro-focused event, concentrating on the tiniest details of flowers and plants. It is a fun and very challenging few hours, but the rewards of the images and just being there are well worth the efforts!

This year, due to issues stemming from the pandemic, the Orchid Extravaganza was not held, but new and beautiful displays were still created. Not wanting to lose this opportunity to get my workshop participants together as in the past, we decided to still go, but with a few changes.

For one, since tripods are no longer allowed indoors while pandemic restrictions are in place, it would be next to impossible to come away with good, sharp, macro images. So, we are changing our focus to Landscape Photography indoors.

So often, photographers come here and spend hours photographing single flowers-even pieces and parts of those flowers, while missing the beauty of the bigger picture. The layers of color and floral design are amazing, and not to be missed just because you’re focused on a single flower or other tiny details.

Here are a few photo tips…

Watch your shutter speed and make sure it is not too slow that you get blur from hand-holding without a tripod. Turn on image stabilization to help steady your shooting and prevent image blur. Give thought to your aperture choice. If you want most of the scene in sharp focus, use a smaller aperture. If you want to be a little more creative, use a wider aperture for shallower depth of field. You can see the difference in some of the images below. Compose your image thoughtfully. Choose a foreground, middle and complimentary background. Use a circular polarizer to remove glare from foliage and add richness to the colors.

And if you are in the area and would like help in creating images like you see here, or are looking for a photography workshop focused on creative composition, color, depth of field, HDR, use of creative filters and lens and more-in a fun and friendly environment, then please check out the the trek detailed in the Events section of the website on the home page. It is coming up soon and only a few spots remain! Would love to have you join us!

Here are a few of my favorite images from the conservatory this winter. I hope you enjoy them as much as I did in creating them.

And if you are in the area and looking for a photography workshop focused on creative composition, color, depth of field, HDR, use of creative filters and lens and more, then please check out the the trek detailed in the Events section of the website on the home page. It is coming up soon and only a few spots remain! Would love to have you join us!