Views from a Garden Picnic

Vantage points when photographing the garden make all the difference in perspective.

We walk around our gardens upright looking out across the way or down at a particular plant or vignette.

But to photograph the scenery from that stance does not always turn out to be the most appealing view.

It isn't all that atypical actually to be found in our gardens squatting down in various contorted positions and twisted maneuvers to get to an open bloom or stationary critter.

We don't mind looking silly for that better angle trying to achieve that 'just right' vision we want to capture through our lens.

Springtime and there is so much happening all at once in the garden we don't want to miss a thing. Yes, first day lilies have flushed out.

This is the perfect time of year to enjoy the garden by just 'being' in it.
I have my 5 year old grandson to thank for helping me occasionally put down the shovel to play. Since he's with us weekly on a regular basis we spend a good deal of time together... much of it outdoors. We created a fun activity when he was a toddler to pack up our lunch, toss a blanket on the grass, plop ourselves right in the middle of the back gardens to eat and chat about discovering the habitat that surrounds us.

We've labeled it with various 'pretend' names that have morphed as he's grown older. At this stage we simply call it our 'wilderness journey' adventure. He with binoculars in hand and me with camera in hand as we discuss our favorite butterfly or bird or dragonfly or squirrel or plant or flower. We each do our best to name all that we see while we either sit or lie on the blanket.

When did you last have a seat on the ground in your garden just to see what you could see?

One of the first things I notice is the undersides of leaves.

Large, colorful leaves...

Small leaves...

Lacy leaves...

and leaves I'd never think to photograph until a future season when trumpeted flowers will be the irresistible draw.

What a splendid sight from this seated position.

Like they say... "the eye of the beholder" I suppose. Brilliant greenery of agapanthus and blackberry lily standing erect and sturdy with the promise of blooms destined to appear in the not too distant weeks.
It happens almost every time. We see something we've never seen before. A monarch sipping from a miniscule flax lily bloom? That is a first. I'm pretty sure the monarchs know when our little guy is around. Not only do they always come out to play but they put on quite a fanciful show for him.

Paying close attention is the object of this fun time as we aim to spot as many garden critters as we can. The feeders where cardinals frequent daily is a good distance away but as long as we can see them from the vantage point of the blanket they are eligible.

Perspective. What do you see at eye-level? What do you see a bit farther up and farther up still from the ground up!

Sitting anywhere for any length of time is not easy for me. One of the keys to this amusement is to linger for a goodly period of time. The depth of what we notice increases over time. That's why this little exercise in 'sitting and noticing' is eye-opening on an inspirational level and calming/relaxing all at the same time.

Perspective. Leave it to the innocence of children to teach us the best lessons in life!