Garden Photography

Photography is in my blood. I’m one of those people whose childhood was documented on thousands of white-framed Polaroids that developed before my eyes. Family slide shows were regular entertainment in my parents’ household, and for many years, before I made the transition to digital, my workhorse camera was a Pentax SLR I inherited from my father.

Portrait of the artist as a Polaroid subject

I didn’t have formal instruction in photography until I was an adult and working as a freelance writer. My main impulse for finally taking a class was the realization that if I could take a decent photograph consistently, in addition to getting paid for a magazine article I could also get paid for the images that appeared along with it!

That class served me well. Some years later when I became an editor at Fine Gardening magazine, traveling across the U.S. and Canada to photograph the gardens of contributing authors was a major part of my job. When I left that position to write a major travel guide, I was able to furnish all but a handful of the images for the book—all with that little SLR.

Through the years I continued to learn about every aspect of photography available to me, from platinum printing to image transfers and “art” films. Then I started a garden design business, and today most of my time behind a camera is focused and purposeful: I take images to document my work as a garden designer and to support my writing and speaking about gardens. Because time and portability are both issues in the environments where I work, for many years my principal camera was a simple, limited capability Canon digital point-and-shoot job. These days I admit to using my iPhone for taking photos more often than not!

Over time I’ve accrued an enormous library of plant and garden images. You’ll see them on this website, in my lectures and illustrating everything I write. And although most of the time I’m not shooting with the intention of creating “art,” I do occasionally indulge in that, too. If you’d like to know more about my garden photography, you can get in touch with me using the form or phone number on my Contact page.