Do you ever get the feeling that being a commercial gardener you are expected to be a master of all trades and skills?
You might be pruning the roses when your client asks if you could mend the leak in the irrigation pipes or re-set the paving stone on the edge of the patio?
I know, it is always hard to stay focused on the job you qualified for and there is always the temptation to take on too much.
One extra skill that is worth taking a little time to learn is digital photography.
There are so many events that can be captured and so much activity and interest in the garden or countryside that the memory alone can not do it justice.
Take it from me, cutting a lawn on the top of Selborne hangers at 8pm on a mid summers day might seem like it was yesterday in the minds eye but a couple of photographs or a little burst of video will mean that the little memory will live for ever.
I have a 35 mm Canon camera which I bought some 17 years ago with a telephoto and wide angles lens. I paid a lot of money for it at the time but now it rests in my cupboard and has not been used for about 8 1/2 years.
The reason being the digital camera. Whilst my first foray into digital photography was with a rather cumbersome Kodak I moved onto probably one of the finest examples of a compact camera a Sony Cybershot.
If you wear a belt with your secateurs or grafting knife attached then it is just as simple to attach a digital camera as well to catch those candid moments or a magnificent bloom at its best.
Of course there is another use for a digital as well. Whenever I priced a landscape job I would take a series of photographs of the subject area that was to be transformed. It meant I could keep a visual record of the site both for the 'before' and also so that whilst working out the design I could re-visit the garden without actually driving there.
Landscapers will also be aware that some clients might try it on a bit to maximize their budget. Take photos of any apparent damage that you see on first inspection. This might include loose or chipped paving, damaged down pipes or broken fences etc.
There are so many benefits from using a digital camera and in my opinion it should be included in every gardeners toolkit.
I have now moved onto an Olympus Digital 600 and I must say for real clarity it does not touch the Sony and I am a bit disappointed that I changed but I will persevere.
Prices have tumbled too and the Olympus set me back a mere 199.00 euros in France which is about £130.00.
Add your photos to the garden network.
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