Although Canberra is only 3 hours drive from Sydney, until last weekend I hadn’t visited for 15 years which is a shame because I’d completely forgotten about “Floriade” – Canberra’s annual flower festival (the biggest in Australia) which offers lots of opportunities to take great photos of spring flowers
Held annually during September/October in Canberra’s Commonwealth Park, Floriade is Canberra’s biggest annual tourist drawcard, attracting photographers, gardeners and flower lovers from around Australia and overseas.
For a few years there was an entry charge but admission to Floriade has been free for a number of years as the ACT government must have realised how much money Floriade tourists bring to the tiny cash strapped Territory.
Floriade Photography Tips
Photographers are advised to wait until the 2nd or 3rd weekend before visiting Floriade because that will give more time for the flowers to bloom.
The best times of day for shooting photos are early morning and late afternoon as the flowers are lit from the side. At midday the sun is right overhead and strongest so it would be difficult to take good photos. Also partly cloudy weather will allow you to take a wider variety of photos at different light levels.
If you have a Digital SLR camera it would be advisable to take a macro and mid-range lense as this will increase your opportunities to take creative photos.
If you have a compact camera try and think outside the box, take photos from ground level, side on, closeup etc rather than just held out in front of your body while you’re standing up straight.
{ 9 comments… read them below or add one }
This event sounds like such fun. Color and beauty everywhere. I love gardens and flowers, so a festival to celebrate them both sounds like almost more beauty than they eye could take in.
I really like the closeups of the flowers.
really great this info
thank you for your shring
nice to meet this blog
Hi, i have just discovered your blog and i feel my rss reader will love it
I’m glad that found this blog.I never attend flower festival before.Thanks for the tips.
~Ashley~
Wow those vibrant colors remind me of the beautiful flowers you see here in Oklahoma during the spring time. Tulsa has about 5 months that you can really have flowers with extremely vibrant colors.
Tulsa reminds me of San Diego the only bad part is when the winter frost hits then all the seasonal flowers or plants have to be brought in doors.
Thank you for sharing great article
Visited Floriade Sunday. What a wonderful display of colour! Thought I was visiting the sub continent and not Australia.
Excellent flower’s image.