007 – In praise of … Backyard photography

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We’re living strange and worrying times. With lockdown orders in most places on earth, is it possible to keep on practising photography?

Many of us in Europe have to stay either inside or in close proximity to their home, except for essential shopping. In France, you’re allowed to go out 1 kilometer away. In Brussels, where I live, there is no real set limit but you’re supposed to just go out for groceries, dog walking, or pharmacy, meaning you won’t go 10 miles away with your tripod and explain the police that it is essential for you.

That leaves us with the good old backyard photography solution. If we are stuck at home, and still want to put our gear to good use, it may be time to realise there are plenty of opportunities to take cool images inside or very close to our homes.

Granted, not every homes have the same photo opportunities, depending on where we live. But the indoor option is always present.

I gathered a few photos, all taken either inside or not further than a 1 kilometer radius from my home. All these were not really planned or taken during a photo trip. Just indoor, in the garden, or during a very short walk .

Most of the time, some zooming or cropping was necessary to remove human elements like playgrounds, lights, paths, objects, or people.

One rainy day, talking a short walk with the dog right before Sunset, I was rewarded by an amazing light (and weather condition). Again, I had to tight frame a little bit to avoid houses or signs.

the two images below were shot three meters from the entrance of my parking lot. The trick was to make it look like I was in a field, although I had cars entering and exiting the property while taking the pictures, lying on the ground, next to the parking sensors.

Why not set up mini scenes in the garden, or balcony, and get closer to the subject. Chris Wallace, a photographer from the UK has brilliantly done it with legos. You can find the gallery here. This is part of my modest take on this with fairies.

People who enjoy a garden have infinite photo opportunities, right at home, particularly after rain.

The proxy/macro option is another way to enjoy photography. There are always plenty of little creatures to watch and shoot (with a camera ), inside or outside

The indoor flower session can be rewarding too (shots taken with my daughter, one of us holding the flower in front of a white background…

Of course, for every pet owner, Pet-photoshoots are always great fun, whether indoor outdoor.

Being at home means you don’t have to carry around a full load of gear, and it’s a good time to experiment with more exotic lenses that you may have would not usually take on a trip… Here with a trioplan.

We can also grab a couple of speedlights, and turn our living room in a studio to discover portraiture.

Even confined, it is true that we can still enjoy photography, or even try out things we’ve never tried, like water drop photography, or light painting. This will be for the second wave.

To close this post, I will now suggest we all send a collective message to this god damn virus that keeps us inside….

Thanks for reading through…