Exercise: How space changes with light

Outside in the garden...

When I was thinking of how to approach this exercise, I remembered not being very happy with the photograph taken of  the garden of a house I was selling some years ago. Understandably, it was taken at the same time as all the interior shots at a time of day when the sunlight was harsh and the shadows unflattering. So, I looked outside and wondered how pictures of our current garden might benefit from different lighting i.e. at 10am, 12 noon and 4pm.

The garden is narrow and not that long but the lawn twists and turns around small flower beds which could be seen as an attractive feature as might the small seating area at the end - an area of decking which catches the late afternoon sun. The camera tripod faced east with the sun to my right moving the shadows as it moved west and towards me during the day. So the early shot at 10am caught crisp shadows that emphasised the curves of the lawn and hinted at the decking area still in shadow.

At 10am:

P885: F8 @ 1/100  18mm ISO 100

At 12 noon we can seen the seating area emerging out of the shadows but the curved lawn is less accentuated  but looking a little wider.

P886: F8 @ 1/125  18mm  ISO 100

By 4pm the image below (P887) shows shadows stretching  across the lawn giving an impression that the lawn slopes from left to right and somehow the garden seems a little wider and shorter. The garden looks less interesting in this somewhat flatter image but you can better see the seat at the end.

P887: F5.6  @  1/160  18mm  ISO 100

I also had a go at taking some shots from different angles:

P888: F8 @1/50  18mm ISO 100 10am

P891: F8 @ 1/50  18mm  ISO 100 12 noon

P889: F8 @ 1/100 18mm ISO 100 4pm

P889 takes a tighter frame which better focuses on the seating areas; the shadow from the leafless trees drawing the eye to the first seating area and emphasising the width of the garden.Certainly, it pays to consider the effect that light and shadow can have on a space when trying to present  a location in a purposeful and attractive way.