Gear:
Sony a7III
Sony FE 4/24–105 mm G OSS
Sony FE 2.8/16–35 mm GM
Simply put, this is when the wild garlic is in bloom! This period is usually quite short and lasts only a few days, up to maybe 2, maximum 3 weeks. Depending on the region, you should observe the wild garlic flowering from the end of April to the middle or end of May so that you don’t miss it. If the first buds already look like the one in the next picture, then you should take the opportunity to go into the forest in the next few days to photograph flowering wild garlic.
When the flowering is in full swing, you should take every opportunity, even if local conditions may not be perfect. Waiting for thick fog in spring can work, but it can also lead to a missed opportunity. Usually a damp morning in the forest, light rain or morning sun is also enough to take great pictures.
It’s best to scout a few locations in advance. In March you can recognise wild garlic by its garlic scent and the typical, elongated green leaves. Wild garlic also often occurs in large colonies, which is why you don’t have to look for small patches. To narrow down the choice of forests where you can look for wild garlic, you can do some research online.
Search Google Maps/Earth for dense deciduous forests. Look at the topography of the forests. If there are small valleys, gorges or depressions with small streams or riparian forests of rivers within these shady deciduous forests, there is a high probability of finding wild garlic there. Wild garlic grows up to an altitude of 1900 metres above sea level and throughout Europe, except in the Mediterranean region. It is also somewhat more widespread in southern Germany than in northern Germany.
A very important concern for me is to point out to you that when photographing wild garlic you should take care not to trample it. Wild garlic often grows in nature reserves. Leaving the path should therefore be a no-go for you either way. In northern Germany, wild garlic is even on the red list in many regions, so you should be careful. Also when collecting the leaves for your own consumption. Unfortunately, I keep finding carefully selected photo spots where the wild garlic has been trampled down by people.
In any case, you can live your life to the full when taking photos. The wild garlic blossoms are already great photo motifs in themselves. In the mass as a blooming, white sea of blossoms in the fresh green spring forest, they are simply enchanting. So feel free to use whatever focal lengths you have available. Get close to the blossoms with the wide-angle lens. Use focus stacking if necessary. Use the telephoto for detail shots, etc. Be as creative as you can! And be sure to use a circular polarising filter to bring the green of the leaves to life, especially when it is still damp in the forest.
This and all other shots of this post you can request under “Prints” as an art print for your wall at home directly from me.
In addition to the focus point and the desired sharpness in the picture, also keep an eye on your histogram. And be sure to check the result after taking the photo. In an otherwise very dark forest, the white wild garlic flowers can quickly be overexposed, depending on the light situation or the amount of white in bloom. Remember that your camera always aims for a medium exposure. Sometimes it can therefore be useful to use the exposure compensation in order to have optimal image data later on the computer.
Also remember to use your camera’s exposure bracketing when backlit or, depending on the composition, focal length and aperture, focus stacking. In the vlog (see below) to this blog post you can see how I use these techniques in the field. Please note that for these techniques it should be as windless as possible in the forest. Otherwise, this can lead to artefacts that you only notice when editing the image and that are very difficult to remove.
In my Youtube video “In search of perfect conditions for wild garlic photos” I show you how I took the photographs of flowering wild garlic in this post and you see how I put these tips into practice. Check it out and get inspired! Feel free to comment with any other helpful tips you think of and leave a subscribe! I’m looking forward to it!
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