What to shoot in March

The Anglo-Saxons used to call March ‘Hyld monath’, meaning stormy, and it’s certainly living up to that history so far! But fear not, Spring is nearly upon us. In fact, I saw my first 2008 bumble bee weeks ago.

It seems to have taken a while to get here; we’ve been through floods, high winds, rain, snow and even earthquakes, but I for one have been looking forward to a number of things that this time of year heralds.

I say this because I imagine I’m not the only Gosnapper who’s spent time around the house in the last few months, depressed by the cold and the rain, desperately trying to find something inside to photograph; in the gallery over the last few weeks I’ve noticed still lifes of numerous household items ranging from pot pourri to a collection of vegetables to a lightbulb. Not that I’m being derisive over these things- often photos of the simple things can simultaneously turn out surprising results whilst being the most difficult to get right. For me, though, I see Spring as offering a number of things for a photographer:

- Natural light. Wave goodbye (hopefully) to those dull, flat days; say hello to lower ISO speeds and less noise! On average, the sun will set around 15 minutes later each week, equating to an extra hour of daylight each month. I’ve recently been inspired by a number of photos I’ve seen that were taken around 40 minutes before sunset- the warm, golden tones in the light at around that time can make for great atmosphere, and if human subjects are involved, some beautiful skin tones. My plan is to have all my kit ready to go, and then when the conditions are right- jump in the car and find a good spot.

- April showers. It only occurred to me this morning, but I realised that I’ve never sought to take a photo in rainy conditions. Given that I live in England and that rain is probably one of the things England does best, I have been wondering whether I can capture something worthwhile when it’s wet. I know rain and cameras don’t mix too well, but I’m sure that with a little effort I could produce a photograph of a scene immediately before or after a rain shower, and there would be something of merit within it….sunlight breaking through the dark cloud, Spring lambs huddling under trees for shelter, water droplets glistening on new foliage, rabbits emerging from under hedges after a downpour, a brilliant rainbow against a slate grey sky.

- Flora and fauna. There’s a hive of activity quietly going on in the plant and animal world; buds have appeared and are opening up to bring colour back into the world; bees and other insects are appearing; birds are busy with nesting activities. Personally, I intend to work on some macro photography skills. I’ve never done it before but I’d like to mark out an exact tripod and camera position allowing me to re-visit it over the course of a month in order to document the progress of the same bud within an identical frame. I’ve always found time-lapse video photography impressive to watch, so it’d be interesting to see the progress of nature in my own stills. Also worthy of note is the daffodil- the flower most associated with the month of March. I’ll be on the look-out for an opportunity to take a photo involving this flower that captures something a little different…I’m not sure what, and I don’t know if I’ll find it, but see what you can come up with- daffodils pop up in so many places I think it would be interesting to see if we can come up with some truly unique images of them.

Other things of note…the 17^th March is St. Patrick’s Day. You might not want to photograph leprechauns (especially as I hear they’re pretty busy at this time of year), shamrock or Guinness; but for those who live in Ireland or those for whom Ireland occupies a special place in their heart, why not plan a shot that typifies what Ireland means to you? And last but not least, Easter comes early this year…I’m thinking portraits of young children with Easter eggs! If you don’t have any young children in your family or circle of friends, why not just sit back and enjoy an Easter egg yourself?

Happy snapping!

Chris