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The Ins-and-Outs of Landscape Photography, and Why it Matters [Blog Takeover]

Outdoor kitchen at sunset near lake

Hey there, hi there, and hello! My name is Vanessa, and I’m the Media & Marketing Specialist here at Drost. I’m the person behind the keyboard writing all these blog posts, as well as our social media posts and newsletters. For this blog post, I’m breaking the metaphorical fourth wall to take you behind-the-scenes on a recent landscape photography adventure I got to go on. In this blog, I’ll be covering:

  • Why landscape photography matters for a landscaping company
  • The organizational process behind the beautiful finished photos
  • The lessons learned for our next adventure

I’ll also be sharing some behind-the-scenes photos and stories, so it’s kind of like you get to be there–minus the intense sunburn. You’re welcome.

Okay–ready? Here we go!

Why does landscape photography matter?

Before we get to ‘how it went,’ let’s start with ‘why did we do this in the first place?’ Good landscape photography is expensive and time-consuming, with lots of moving parts to organize. It can be stressful and complicated, but it’s also incredibly important to landscape company. It’s one thing for us to tell you, “We build landscapes inspired by the beauty of Northern Michigan.” It’s another thing for us to show you.

Above: A collection of professional photos we’ve done over the years, highlighting patios and pathways, water features and walls, fire features and outdoor kitchens. You can see more photos of our landscapes in our project gallery.

They say a photo is worth a thousand words, and good landscape photography (and video) helps us communicate what we do–and the quality of our work–better than any of the words I could ever write. Good photos tell a story and evoke a feeling, and that’s invaluable as we attempt to help people create their own backyard paradise. Photos are also a great benefit throughout the landscape design process, as we can show clients a wide variety of styles and materials, enabling them to refine what they like best.

How to get good landscape photos (AKA: The ‘behind the scenes’ work)

Before getting photos of the spaces our team has designed, built, and maintained, we had to determine what spaces we wanted photos of. This started with a question to our project managers, as they’re the ones on site and know which sites are mature enough for professional photos. That’s right–we tend to wait a few seasons after finishing a new landscape design and build project before we head back for professional photos. This gives the plants a chance to grow up and fill in the space more, creating a better visual impact.

Above: Photos taken just one year apart. The second photo was taken at a slightly different bloom time, but you can clearly see how much the plants have grown in a single year.

After determining which sites we’d like to get photos of, it’s time to start coordinating all of the moving pieces. First, we need to discuss with our clients and ensure that we have their permission to come hop around their property for a day–or two–to take an adequate number of photos. We may also need to discuss more technical elements with them. For example, we may need to clarify if there are any landscape elements (like lighting or water features) that are on a timer, or ask if they can leave some lights on inside the house to create an ambient glow and a warmer feeling in the photos.

After getting everything cleared with our clients (who, it should be noted, have been amazingly generous and so kind to us and our photographers), it’s time to coordinate with our Landscape Services teams. These are the team members who will head out to the site ahead of our photographer to ensure everything is in tip-top shape. It’s a little bit like making sure everybody’s shirts are ironed before the family photo–you want to look your best, and we want our landscapes to truly reflect the attention to detail that’s been put into them.

Depending on the property, here’s what might get done before a professional photographer ever steps on site:

  • Our Garden Care team will visit the property to perform tasks like weeding, pruning, or mulching.
  • Our Lawn Care team will ensure any lawn areas are trimmed to the appropriate height.
  • Our Pool, Spa, and Water Feature Maintenance team will perform any necessary cleanings and tests to ensure all features are free from any hiccups.
  • Our Lighting and Irrigation teams will adjust timers as necessary to ensure our photographer isn’t left in the dark or treated to a surprise shower.

This is a lot of moving pieces to fit together–and often they all need to be moving within the week before our photographer is on site. But our teams are pros, after all, and they do an incredible job getting a landscape ready for its closeup.

Lavendar landscape photography closeup

What to do when the photographer arrives (AKA: Stories from the sites)

For this round of professional photos, we worked with two different photographers. First up was Alex Childress, a local photographer we’ve worked with to capture lots of photos and videos of our team in action. We had two sites we wanted him to visit, both finished and both properties I’d never been to.

After rescheduling our photoshoot due to weather (a common theme when capturing landscape photos in Northern Michigan), we were gifted a beautifully sunny day and took just about a full eight hours between the two sites. The project manager for the sites, Emily, joined us to point out areas of focus and lend her professional eye–a valuable resource, as I’d never visited these properties and definitely benefited from her direction!

It was a full (and very hot) day, and we were all tired and quiet on the ride back. But we got some excellent photos–here’s a tiny sneak peek…

Landscape photographer photographing landscape

The following week, the weather again threw our plans for a loop, and our second photographer arrived a day earlier than we had originally anticipated. Chris Major, a landscape photographer with experience as a landscaper himself, has done work for landscaping companies across the country, and we’ve worked with him in the past to get some truly stunning photos. He arrived at our office late Monday afternoon, and within the hour we were on site to get our first round of photos with him.

It was a long night and a race against the ominous clouds rolling in from the lake. But sometimes that wild weather makes for really great photos, and we got a dramatic show with lighting flashing across the lake. It was incredible to watch–until the torrential downpour hit and we had to high-tail it back to our cars.

Above: Snapshots at Site 1 before the storm hit–and a little lightning across the lake.

The storm made for a moody morning, and we met Chris on the second site he’d be getting photos of. While it wasn’t the sunrise we were hoping for, the landscape played well with the layered grays in the sky, and we’re interested to see what kind of feeling these photos carry with them.

After finishing up there, it was time for a late breakfast and another visit to site number one. This year, it was important to us to capture some more lifestyle photography. We’ve always wondered how our landscapes would read with people in them, exploring the site and giving context to the size and scope of it. During his last visit, Chris was able to snap a few lifestyle photos, but we put much more focus on it this year and spent the entire afternoon capturing photos and videos with people in them.

Above: Photos from the moody morning on Site 2 and behind-the-scenes of our lifestyle photoshoot. Our little model was one of the daughters of our landscape architect Hilary, and she did amazing!

We spent the whole afternoon on the first site, with a close eye on the time to get back to the second site for an evening photoshoot there. After a quick break to grab props and a bite to eat, we met again on site number two and were joined by the project manager, Jason, and his wife, who would be our models for some lifestyle photos there.

It was another long night, but this time around we got the sunset we were hoping for. The skies were stunning, and if these are the kinds of photos I got with nothing more than an iPhone, I can’t wait to see what Chris got.

Above: Behind-the-scenes photos of Chris capturing a gorgeous sunset and our lovely models, and some quick snaps of the outdoor kitchen on site.

After finishing up on the second site, we said our goodbyes to Chris…or so we thought. But weather wasn’t the only force of nature we were working with during this photography adventure. The other?

Bob Drost himself.

Bob came to the front desk on Wednesday morning and said there was a third site he’d just visited that was looking amazing, and he wanted Chris to get some photos of it. This definitely wasn’t in the plan, but luckily for us, Chris was still in town and totally open for another evening. So, the scramble started–you remember that list of things to coordinate before the photographer gets on site, right? We now had less than a day to connect with the homeowner and visit the site ahead of Chris getting there. Thankfully, our clients were quick to respond and incredibly gracious, giving us full use of their space for the evening, and we had team members available to help us out with things on-site to get it picture perfect.

Despite it being completely outside what we’d planned, this final bonus evening was perhaps the most fun of our photography adventure. Chris and I had fallen into a rhythm–and a little bit of sleep deprivation–so we saw the site through similar points of view and shared a lot of laughs. Unlike the other sites we visited this week, this one was located in a very public spot, so we got to chat with a few passersby and heard plenty of compliments about the landscape.

As the light shifted from late afternoon to evening and then night, we got to watch the landscape transform, with new areas coming into focus and different elements to highlight. We watched the Big Dipper come into view directly over the house, and Chris hurried to get his camera at the right angle to capture it–and then his last battery lost the last of its power, and we were done.

We grabbed a very late dinner with a bonus visit from Matt Ross of the Botanic Garden at Historic Barns Park in Traverse City then all went our separate ways, exceptionally exhausted but incredibly happy about all we were able to accomplish.

Above: Chris doing what needs to be done to get the best angles of site number three. On my list to bring for our next photography adventure: a stepladder.

What I learned from this landscape photography adventure

As Chris and I were leaving site number three, I told him I was going to make a list of everything I learned.

“That way, we won’t have any of the same problems next time!” I said.

“Mm-hmm…” he said, looking at me from the corner of his eye.

“Then we can have all new problems next time.”

He smiled. “That’s more like it.”

So, here are a few of the lessons learned during this round of landscape photography:

  • Plan for the unplanned – Despite our best efforts, there are just things that will happen outside the scope of our careful planning. The weather is a constant variable that changed our plans more than once, causing our whole team to pivot in order to accommodate less-than-ideal conditions. But this is just part of planning photography sessions around the weather of Northern Michigan, and I learned to hold my plans with an open hand.
  • Make a list–and check it twice – The list above of all the moving pieces to coordinate pre-photoshoot is just a fraction of the list I’ll be referencing for our next photography adventure. There are a lot of elements that are very site-specific, and many I didn’t know to check up on (oh, yeah, did I mention this was my first foray into working with professional photographers for landscape photography?), so there were some things that could have gone more smoothly throughout the process. I definitely learned to be thorough, check, and double-check.
  • Expect the unexpected – This might sound a lot like the first lesson, but it’s a little less about looking ahead and more about rolling with the moment. There were plenty of things that I didn’t expect–on-site changes, a bonus day at a bonus site, and even working with Hilary’s daughter were all things that popped up at the last possible minute. I learned that flexibility–and keeping calm in the midst of surprises–is incredibly important to not only get the shot, but have fun doing it.
Outdoor kitchen at sunset near lake

That’s a wrap!

It was an exhausting couple of weeks, but also so much fun and a great learning experience. I’m so grateful to our team for all the work they put into these sites, to our clients for their flexibility and kindness throughout the process, and to our photographers for their excellent work and creative vision.

I’m excited to look through and start sharing these photos on our Facebook and Instagram–and extra excited for the next photoshoot, whenever that is.

If you like what you see...

…contact our team today to create a space that stuns.