TO inspire you to embark on a garden photography outdoor adventure this autumn, Marianne Majerus, world-renowned garden photographer and a Royal Horticultural Photographic Competition judge, provides top tips for creating great-quality images.

l Spot spider webs: Before you decide to sweep spider webs away this season, consider incorporating them into your photographs, as they can add a sense of mystery.

This is especially so at dawn on sunny autumn days, when flowers and foliage will be decorated by dew and cobwebs.

l Get creative with seasonal fruit: Keep your eyes peeled for seasonal fruit and berries, which might make for great close-up shots and could even be consumed afterwards.

l Play with autumn light: Make the most of the beautiful misty morning light which gives this season its character.

To avoid camera shake when the light is low, try propping the camera against a tree trunk or alter your ISO rating to achieve sharper images.

l Look out for backlit leaves: Backlit leaves, the colours and cell structure of which are enhanced by the sun, can offer great subject matter and can create strong graphic images. When photographing close-up flowers or leaves, do not fixate on the subject to the extent that you forget the background.

l Don’t spoil the lawn: When outdoors, it is important to make sure you don’t spoil the delicate dew on the lawn by walking over it before a photograph is taken. Try to plan your shots before leaving footprints.

l Discover garden wildlife: Mild autumn weather can offer an ideal opportunity to seek out garden wildlife, including hedgehogs, birds and insects, to create winning images. While attracting these creatures to your garden can sometimes be challenging, there are some things you could do.

Try sprinkling food such as seeds, nuts and fruit on designated patches of grass or use feeders, which work particularly well for birds.

Attract hedgehogs by leaving a small gap in your garden fence to allow them to get in and out of the garden with ease.

lEntries to the RHS Photographic Competition can be submitted for free online until February 28, 2017.