Seems like every time we come across an especially gorgeous picture of a garden on a favorite blog or in a magazine, the photographer Marion Brenner is behind it. Her work never looks overly fussy or styled, and even her interior shots are always bathed in a lovely, soft natural light. For those of us interested in learning how to photograph our homes and gardens, her portfolio is a great place to look for inspiration...

Much of Marion Brenner's work is in the garden, but the "Architecture" portion of her portfolio includes some interior shots as well. Paging through them, you'll notice that her compositions always take into account the direction of the light, using the slanting beams to her advantage rather than letting them interfere with the subject. She even manages to successfully shoot backlit scenes, capitalizing on the soft foreground shadows.

Our own amateur photo skills leave so much to be desired that we're always in awe of professional work, but Marion Brenner's pictures are truly artful. Visit her web site for many more examples, including scans of her published work in magazines like House and Garden and Elle Decor.

(Images: Marion Brenner)