با همکاری انجمن علمی منظر ایران
نوع مقاله : مقالات پژوهشی
نویسندگان
1 دانشجو دکتری فیزیولوژی تولید و پس از برداشت گیاهان باغبانی، گروه مهندسی علوم باغبانی و فضای سبز، دانشکده تولیدات گیاهی، دانشگاه
2 دانشیار، گروه مهندسی علوم باغبانی و فضای سبز، دانشکده تولید گیاهی ، دانشگاه علوم کشاورزی و منابع طبیعی گرگان، گرگان، ایران
3 استاد، گروه مهندسی علوم باغبانی و فضای سبز، دانشکده تولید گیاهی ، دانشگاه علوم کشاورزی و منابع طبیعی گرگان، گرگان، ایران
4 استادیار، گروه ترویج و آموزش کشاورزی، دانشکده علوم زراعی، دانشگاه علوم کشاورزی و منابع طبیعی ساری، ساری، ایران
کلیدواژهها
عنوان مقاله English
نویسندگان English
Introduction
Photography gardens have recently emerged as innovative recreational landscapes designed to support aesthetic experiences, visual attractiveness, and photography-related activities. Unlike traditional urban parks, these gardens are intentionally organized using ornamental planting patterns, thematic spatial arrangements, decorative elements, and visually attractive compositions that encourage visitors to interact with the environment and create memorable experiences. The rapid expansion of social media and image-sharing platforms has significantly increased the popularity of photography gardens because visitors increasingly seek aesthetically attractive spaces for personal photography, wedding ceremonies, family gatherings, and creative content production. Previous studies have demonstrated that environmental aesthetics, vegetation diversity, water features, natural lighting, and spatial organization significantly influence visitors’ landscape preferences and psychological satisfaction. Researchers have also emphasized that well-designed green spaces can improve emotional attachment, recreational quality, and environmental perception. However, most previous studies investigated these variables separately and rarely integrated horticultural landscape characteristics, perceptual processes, and visitor satisfaction into a comprehensive structural framework. Therefore, the present study aimed to develop and test a process-oriented structural model explaining visitor experience and satisfaction in photography gardens of Mazandaran Province, Iran.
Materials and Metods
This research was conducted using an applied descriptive-analytical approach. The statistical population consisted of visitors to photography gardens located in different cities of Mazandaran Province during the second half of 2025. Twenty photography gardens from cities including Sari, Babol, Amol, Neka, Joybar, Chalus, Fereydonkenar, and Ghaemshahr were selected through field investigations and online searches because no official database for photography gardens existed. Selection criteria included active photography-related activities, public accessibility, diversity in planting design, and geographical distribution.Because the exact number of visitors was not identifiable, simple random sampling was employed. Based on Cochran’s formula for unlimited populations, the required sample size was estimated at 384 respondents. To increase reliability, 425 questionnaires were distributed among visitors, of which 384 valid questionnaires were analyzed. Data collection was performed using a researcher-developed questionnaire based on theories of environmental aesthetics, spatial cognition, tourism behavior, and landscape perception. The questionnaire included six main constructs: garden design style, visual preferences, aesthetic perception, subjective-spatial perception, conceptual attitude toward photography gardens, and overall visitor satisfaction. Questionnaire items were measured using a five-point Likert scale ranging from strongly disagree to strongly agree. Content validity was confirmed by specialists in horticultural sciences, landscape architecture, and agricultural extension. Reliability analysis demonstrated that Cronbach’s alpha and composite reliability values for all constructs exceeded 0.70. Due to non-normal data distribution according to the Kolmogorov-Smirnov test, Partial Least Squares Structural Equation Modeling (PLS-SEM) was applied using SmartPLS version 4, while descriptive analyses were conducted using SPSS version 22.
Results and Discussion
The demographic findings showed that most respondents were female and between 25 and 35 years old. Wedding and engagement photography represented the primary purpose of visiting photography gardens, followed by family photography and recreational visits. These findings indicate the growing social and cultural importance of photography gardens as modern recreational landscapes associated with visual culture and social media practices. Among visual preference indicators, water features received the highest mean score, demonstrating the important role of water elements in increasing visual attractiveness and improving photographic composition. Natural lighting also obtained the highest score within aesthetic perception indicators, emphasizing the importance of light quality in enhancing both spatial beauty and photography experiences. Visitors additionally valued calm environments, visual diversity, and ease of movement within the gardens. The structural equation modeling results demonstrated that all direct and indirect relationships in the proposed conceptual model were statistically significant. Garden design style positively affected visual preferences and subjective-spatial perception. Visual preferences significantly influenced aesthetic perception, while spatial perception positively affected both aesthetic perception and conceptual attitudes toward photography gardens. Among all variables, conceptual attitude showed the strongest influence on overall visitor satisfaction. This finding suggests that visitor satisfaction is not solely dependent on physical beauty but also on emotional engagement, symbolic meaning, and creative interpretation of the environment.
Conclusion
The present study developed and validated a process-oriented structural model explaining visitor experience in photography gardens of Mazandaran Province. The findings revealed that visitor satisfaction is shaped through the interaction of landscape design characteristics, visual preferences, aesthetic perception, spatial cognition, and conceptual attitudes. The results further demonstrated that successful photography gardens require integrated landscape planning involving vegetation diversity, water features, natural lighting, spatial coherence, and emotionally engaging environments. Therefore, horticultural landscape designers should pay greater attention to experiential quality and aesthetic perception in the planning and management of photography gardens.
کلیدواژهها English
