Capture Spring Photography

Spring is upon us and with it comes the beautiful palettes of color that Mother Earth wears. Spring flowers are in bloom, grass is turning green and trees start blossoming and budding in a rainbow of splendid colors. It’s also the perfect season for picture taking because the weather is pleasant and mild.

April is the first full month of spring and is also the usual month of a very special holiday celebrated by those of the Christian faith, Easter (although this year it does fall on the last day of March). Easter is certainly a colorful holiday to capture on film. Besides the usual spring backdrops, with Easter comes many family traditions and events. Family dinners and gatherings are the perfect opportunity for getting pictures of family members that live out of town. Some other “Kodak moments” include: the kids coloring Easter eggs, family photos of everyone wearing their special Easter outfit and snapshots of the children taking off to hunt a yard full of Easter eggs.

For those of us scrapbookers that also love to garden, this is the perfect season to photograph the first blossoms of your garden and make a “brag book” of sorts. I wouldn’t consider myself to be an all out gardener, but how I love to see the fruits of my labor bloom in the warm spring sun. These first blooms are short and sweet so capture these exquisite moments on film and make an album to share with friends and family.

For those shutterbugs that don’t have the green thumb of their own, cities and communities often celebrate the arrival of spring with garden shows, festivals and other events. Some folks are fortunate enough to be near beautiful botanical gardens that make a magnificent picture with or without a subject person. Contact the parks and recreations departments in your area to find out some of the upcoming happenings. And there’s always the local greenhouse or garden center. Some of our local garden centers are a frequent stop for local professional photographers. Asking permission beforehand is probably a good idea. The owners will probably be proud to have their flowers as your backdrop.

Other noteworthy days in the month of April include Earth day and Arbor day. Each of these is a perfect photo opportunity. Plant a tree, help clean up a park and make a scrapbook page of these activities. Visit the local Zoo to celebrate April as Zoo and Aquarium month. Now that you have some ideas for your photos, try these tips for making spectacular spring pictures!

• Zoom in or Move in on your subject to eliminate distracting elements in the background.


• Pay attention to the shadows cast on your subjects especially when outdoors. Move around the subject to find the best position to avoid harsh shadows OR use a fill flash (turn the flash on when outdoors).


• Experiment with viewpoints- i.e. get down on a child or flower’s level or even lie on the ground to create an interesting shot rather than taking the picture from above.

Outdoor pictures are best when taken on an overcast day, early in the morning, or later in the afternoon avoiding the shadows cast by a midday sun.

See lots of spring layouts in our A Spring Thinggallery!