tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8488599.post6490248781476555290..comments2023-11-03T08:59:11.561-04:00Comments on May Dreams Gardens: True Confessions - Some of My Photos...Carol Michelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07796344366326535406noreply@blogger.comBlogger26125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8488599.post-75521708221251108892007-11-12T15:39:00.000-05:002007-11-12T15:39:00.000-05:00I laughed out loud reading this post! And some of...I laughed out loud reading this post! And some of the comments, too! <BR/><BR/>I'm a documentary filmmaker, and for those of you who don't believe the garden "touch ups" in magazines, I can tell you some stories about the documentary film world... but I won't ruin it for you ; ).<BR/><BR/>I've stood on chairs and laid on the ground, cleared a few dead leaves, and done some brightening in Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8488599.post-65236451521543646332007-11-11T13:26:00.000-05:002007-11-11T13:26:00.000-05:00Hahaha,One of my neighbors does a lot of gardening...Hahaha,<BR/><BR/>One of my neighbors does a lot of gardening with silk flowers. Her Daff have been in full bloom for years.<BR/><BR/>I haven't added anything to my pics but I do make sure to get in close and crop my photos or set a plant in front of a background to cover the ugliness behind it.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8488599.post-37086842108253765272007-11-09T21:20:00.000-05:002007-11-09T21:20:00.000-05:00LostRoses... Aw, gee, shucks, thanks for the nice ...LostRoses... Aw, gee, shucks, thanks for the nice comment.<BR/><BR/>OldRoses... And then do you go ahead and weed and deadhead after the picture was taken?<BR/><BR/>Linda... You are the only one to admit to putting silk flowers in your garden! Too funny!<BR/><BR/>Carol at May Dreams GardensCarol Michelhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07796344366326535406noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8488599.post-25503483004698451722007-11-09T19:59:00.000-05:002007-11-09T19:59:00.000-05:00OK, time for my true confession. We have silk bir...OK, time for my true confession. We have silk birds of paradise flowers stuck in with our real ones! They are right next to a patio and guests have NEVER noticed -- unless we've pointed it out to them! We got the idea from friends that had a large yard and used silk flowers along the back flower beds' edges for a graduation party! So glad they told us their secret. ;-)<BR/><BR/>However, now Lindahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00856895903184791308noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8488599.post-46834579154459708312007-11-09T00:59:00.000-05:002007-11-09T00:59:00.000-05:00I've been known to hold branches out of the way or...I've been known to hold branches out of the way or even hold onto a stem to steady it if it is particularly windy. Most of the time I'm guilty of the opposite of staging. AFTER I take the photos, I realize that I should have weeded, deadheaded, trimmed etc.!OldRoseshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10307114475443602351noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8488599.post-55860317360082750052007-11-09T00:07:00.000-05:002007-11-09T00:07:00.000-05:00Carol, I was reading your posts back then but I ca...Carol, I was reading your posts back then but I can't remember last month much less June of '06. As for ruining your reputation with me...as if! I may have been Queen of Scots but you are the Garden Queen!LostRoseshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06586462466899344347noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8488599.post-38275264057772856822007-11-08T21:54:00.000-05:002007-11-08T21:54:00.000-05:00Marc... Thanks, and I think weeding before taking ...Marc... Thanks, and I think weeding before taking pictures isn't the same thing as adding to the picture to create something that isn't really there.<BR/><BR/>Leslie... I thnk we all primp our gardens a bit before we take pictures.<BR/><BR/>Bill... Hmmm... a black piece of paper to make the plants stand out? I assume that just makes the plants look better, like waiting for the right light or Carol Michelhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07796344366326535406noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8488599.post-60373504161583462012007-11-08T20:36:00.000-05:002007-11-08T20:36:00.000-05:00Never staged. Sometimes tidied up prior to the p...Never staged. Sometimes tidied up prior to the photo op, but what you see is what is there.<BR/><BR/>Not fooled by the blue monarch, no I wasn't! too funnyhealingmagichandshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03785882461027155830noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8488599.post-81972849478012622952007-11-08T19:22:00.000-05:002007-11-08T19:22:00.000-05:00Love the phony butterflies! I've never even thoug...Love the phony butterflies! I've never even thought to stage any garden shots, although I've dead-leafed and tightly framed shots to exclude things, such as the telephone pole. Maybe I should start trying to do some creative staging - where can I get some of those butterflies? :)Mr. McGregor's Daughterhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05911409327006498766noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8488599.post-83582596472315230812007-11-08T10:08:00.000-05:002007-11-08T10:08:00.000-05:00Carol, I posted right before I went to bed,while i...Carol, I posted right before I went to bed,while in bed my mind was on this post about staging pictures. I realized I had forgotten about the fall leaf picture that is on my blog. The leaf was on the ground and I placed it on the stump to get a better shot. So I guess I am guilty of staging a shot.I also strategically placed the butterfly that emerged in my house on flowers in my craft room to Robin's Nesting Placehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05894844125547373328noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8488599.post-63335078095906774192007-11-08T09:21:00.000-05:002007-11-08T09:21:00.000-05:00Oh, gracious, Carol--that series of photos was jus...Oh, gracious, Carol--that series of photos was just too funny!<BR/><BR/>I've been trying to stay out of the garden-photography "expose," but I'll confess to being stunned at the claims floating around that many published garden photos are faked. I've been working in garden-book publishing for 17 years and have been involved in countless photos shoots for both books and magazines, with nearly a Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8488599.post-51549912376153895312007-11-08T07:56:00.000-05:002007-11-08T07:56:00.000-05:00Nope, no staging although I am very good at moving...Nope, no staging although I am very good at moving myself around so that the composition is clean.<BR/><BR/>I've gotten in some very strange positions which I am sure make my neighbors wonder about my sanity.Melissahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03418200517338216765noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8488599.post-69463340715824493312007-11-08T06:03:00.000-05:002007-11-08T06:03:00.000-05:00OH, Carol, you are a riot! That photo with the pa...OH, Carol, you are a riot! That photo with the paper clip holding the butterfly made me choke on my juice.<BR/><BR/>No, I have never really staged anything for a photo - but, I did buy a bunch of pastic lily pads for the pond once. They were as pretty and as effective as your paper butterflies :o)Maryhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02040099513110890878noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8488599.post-40588261952362290592007-11-08T00:27:00.000-05:002007-11-08T00:27:00.000-05:00I have never staged a photo of my garden, but I ha...I have never staged a photo of my garden, but I have made fake butterflies before. I got a wooden butterfly "windchime" from someone. It didn't make any noise, but the butterflies were pretty. So I took all the butterflies off and stuck them on wire which I then stuck in the ground all around my garden. My garden looked like a butterfly haven!<BR/><BR/>Where did you get your butterflies?Sylvanahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13186604429680496847noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8488599.post-56803541931262826672007-11-07T23:11:00.000-05:002007-11-07T23:11:00.000-05:00I once saw a picture in a magazine that had the wr...I once saw a picture in a magazine that had the wrong flowers for the plant in the picture. It was a tropical garden so they couldn't fool me. It was soo staged.<BR/><BR/>My pictures on the other hand are what you see is what you get. The snipping of spent blooms, removal of dead twigs and leaves and other minor arranging or photo editing that most of us would do is "fluffing" not staging. Good Christopher C. NChttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15621322814577793080noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8488599.post-69949140047136857522007-11-07T22:53:00.000-05:002007-11-07T22:53:00.000-05:00Shocked, Carol, I'm shocked! No wonder I feel my g...Shocked, Carol, I'm shocked! No wonder I feel my garden is inferior. So glad you 'fessed up, though I must say I don't remember that post!LostRoseshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06586462466899344347noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8488599.post-87194702798948776072007-11-07T22:38:00.000-05:002007-11-07T22:38:00.000-05:00Love the butterflies, Carol. But what do you mean-...Love the butterflies, Carol. But what do you mean---they aren't real??<BR/><BR/>I did feel naive while reading Saxon's post, which you refer to. No, I didn't realize the extent to which the beautiful garden photographs in magazines are faked.<BR/><BR/>Needless to say, nothing that dramatic happened in my garden during the recent TV shoot. Camera angles were carefully considered, and I'm sure Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8488599.post-43766877783306015482007-11-07T22:06:00.000-05:002007-11-07T22:06:00.000-05:00I haven't staged anything, but I do try to get the...I haven't staged anything, but I do try to get the best angle and the best light when taking pictures. I also Photoshop to enhance the pictures or crop them. <BR/><BR/>I saw snow flurries yesterday, Carol. I'm not ready for winter.Robin's Nesting Placehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05894844125547373328noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8488599.post-67484082627114718172007-11-07T21:59:00.000-05:002007-11-07T21:59:00.000-05:00carol, you are funny... paperclipping butterflies!...carol, you are funny... paperclipping butterflies! i must be really naive when it comes to this b/c i am even surprised that magazines fake their snaps. i just always imagined folks making sure everything is "just right" prior to a photo shoot. <BR/><BR/>i definitely concentrate on photographing the desirables and not the uglies in my garden. <BR/><BR/>i like bill's idea of the black background..Meemshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16341998120938921741noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8488599.post-48943059333799119122007-11-07T21:19:00.000-05:002007-11-07T21:19:00.000-05:00This is very funny, and I toddled over to the orig...This is very funny, and I toddled over to the original post. I guess i'm sort of naive, because I just assumed that maybe gardens were groomed, (well weeded, etc) for garden mag shots, but not stuffed! I can tell you this--any photos I take of gardens, mine or others, whether for here in my blog or for publication in my various client magazines and papers, etc are the real thing. <BR/>I don't Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12107236871193698777noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8488599.post-59521592653371530892007-11-07T20:55:00.000-05:002007-11-07T20:55:00.000-05:00I have done everything Marc, Leslie, and Bill have...I have done everything Marc, Leslie, and Bill have done--except the black paper. And I have also dragged toys and other miscellany out of the picture. Of course, there's also cropping the photo after you've taken it, and then photoshopping.<BR/><BR/>I watched an editor from Fine Gardening photograph my garden for my article "Digging Up a Garden's History." She didn't do any staging, but she was Kathyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11106962533729909868noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8488599.post-70796568123111927012007-11-07T19:08:00.000-05:002007-11-07T19:08:00.000-05:00Since most of my plants are in containers, I have ...Since most of my plants are in containers, I have a few times moved a container to get better light. And since I carry my camera with me as I work in the garden, I am often inspired to take a photo while I'm weeding or deadheading -- so is that really staging?Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8488599.post-71239608680865914722007-11-07T18:29:00.000-05:002007-11-07T18:29:00.000-05:00Oh Carol I thought this was so funny then I read o...Oh Carol I thought this was so funny then I read other comments. At first I didn't think that deadheading or holding some imperfect blossom out of the way or pulling a few weeds before photoing a space was staging. I guess it is. So I am GUILTY. <BR/><BR/>For a garden party I placed clippers, hat and gloves on a bench to make it look interesting. I think I took a picture of that. However Lisa at Greenbowhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07743973292900758183noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8488599.post-27453655944638810382007-11-07T18:19:00.000-05:002007-11-07T18:19:00.000-05:00That is really funny. I have trimmed back other p...That is really funny. <BR/><BR/>I have trimmed back other plants to get them out of the picture and pulled off leaves and stems. <BR/><BR/>And sometimes I have placed a piece of black cardboard behind the plant to give a better background.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8488599.post-56361255045125400322007-11-07T18:00:00.000-05:002007-11-07T18:00:00.000-05:00Not being the best photographer I can barely remem...Not being the best photographer I can barely remember to take photos let alone stage them...but I admit to pinching off leaves that look beat if they are close to the flower I'm trying to get. And holding branches back with flowers that were past their prime to get a shot of the good one.growingagardenindavishttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15959600840504166899noreply@blogger.com