Sharing know-how about UK gardening

Two stunning male Nishigoi:

a Kohaku (white and red) and a Sanke (white, red, orange, black)

Good Koi photography doesn't happen overnight. The saying 'never work with animals or children' is as true for photographers as actors; both needing predictability for success. Having photographed ponds, plants and gardens for the past 20 years, I've learnt how to take the best shots possible. When I began photographing Nishigoi a few years ago for water gardening magazines such as Koi, Ponds & Gardens, I applied the same principles, and I always shoot plenty of photos as insurance.

Another male Koi carp - this is an Asagi

Koi keepers have the advantage over professional photographers of being on the spot, so they can study their pond from all angles at different times of day and wait for he best conditions. Ideally (although not always possible), wait for a bright day when a thin veil of cloud covers the sun to produce a diffused and shadowless light. Bright sunshine casts dark shadows, and this type of light is a problem because the film can't record details from the darkest and lightest areas of a scene.

On a sunny day you will also find shadows of nearby objects across the pond, spoiling the photo completely. Sometimes you can move the items casting the shadow, but can't do much about a pergola, tree or telegraph pole. It's better to wait for a cloudy sky, or for a large section of the pond to be thrown into shadow and then photograph in this area.

I've always photographed fish in their ponds rather than bowled up. This has been either because of time considerations or the owners' reluctance to net their precious pets any more than strictly necessary. Some fish have rarely been bowled up, so to avoid stressing them and the owners, I keep to pond photography.