Photography in the greenhouse

A greenhouse gives you a fantastic opportunity to develop your photograph skills because you can control all the elements of composition, light, and timing. Pick the plant or flower you want to photograph and set it up in the centre of your space. Now move around to see how it looks with light coming from different directions. Often, the petals will glow when the light is behind the flower, which is called backlighting and it is often the best type of lighting for translucent subjects like petals.

Grey and overcast days provide great opportunities for flower photography too, because even light and no shadows can be perfect for filming dramatic plants like orchids. You can use a spray bottle to create rain droplets on leaves or petals – remembering to remove them afterwards to prevent mould and scorch – to give a highlight to your pictures. Night photography is also an option and you can either use flash or film with slow exposures against the night sky – a cactus framed against the moon, for example, is a surreally attractive image.

Try interesting angles and backgrounds. Consider getting down low on the ground or shooting with the wide angle setting on your lens. Don't despair if the background behind the flower is unattractive. Try replacing it with a coloured piece of paper or fabric.

Taking a photo every hour, or every half hour, as a flower opens, can create a superb record of the development of your favourite plant and this can really only be attempted in controlled conditions like those of a greenhouse.