Happy Christmas from Mark Bolton

Well, what an interesting year it’s been! I just wanted to wish you all a fabulous holiday break (if you have one) and a calm and peaceful New Year…thanks so much for keeping in touch, occasionally commissioning me, putting up with emails about my ‘recently published book’ and reading these emails!

By the way, the picture above is an example of my new ‘AI inspired’ working practise… I am rather keen on ‘used ashtray’ chic for interiors or gardens shoots and shall be inserting random strangers dressed as Father Christmas in all my work from now on…not.

Have a lovely Christmas ! Mark x PS I do know there is a reflected tripod in the mirror… it’s all part of the holiday japes…

(and if you ARE looking for a last minute pressie, I can send you a signed copy of said book) ;-)

Architectural Photography in deepest Devon

I have just finished a shoot with the excellent Tim Fisher Architects based down at the bottom of Devon, almost as far as you can go! He has designed and built a fabulous place that fits into the surrounding stunning countryside yet still manages to look gloriously contemporary. Easy to photograph (all beautiful buildings tend to be?) especially when we got the light!

If you are interested in any photography for your website, socials or even brochures (remember them?!) please do get in touch and thanks for reading.

A Guide to photography for Airbnb and other rental properties

Following up on my blog post ‘A Guide To Hotel Photography’ I have written another guide, this time ‘A Guide to Rental Property Photography’. If you are renting out your pad to make a little bit of extra cash, please do take a look, you may find it useful. I shoot a few of these and there are some useful tips here. And if you are interested in getting yours done, do contact me! thanks for reading.

August Interior Photography

It’s been a good month for gardens (surprisingly as it’s not usually a great month for the plants… they tend to start looking a bit straggly), but it was a good month for interiors too. One of my favourite shoots was with Summer Williams, an American designer working a lot in London. Her work is always calm, cool, beautifully finished and very detailed. Her palette is relaxed and warm, and moving through the house, it all ‘hangs together’. Easy to photograph and a delight to work with her again.

Stock Photography at Gap Photos

Well, the rain set in and the wind blew, so I thought I’d get down to some sorting of stock images. I have been keywording, captioning and editing hundred of images from the last two years, so it’s time to get them out there to earn their keep…

I have been working on my current book ‘A New Cottage Garden’ published this month by Pimpernel Press and have got a little behind on the stock work; it’s normally a job I do in winter, but as I have a spare day or two at the moment, I will knuckle down to the job. So, I now have to edit them again and ‘categorise’ them for Gap Photos before they will go live, but hopefully, in the end it is all worth it!

A New Cottage Garden extracts in Country Living Magazine

Thank you to the wonderful Country Living Magazine for taking four seasonal extracts from my new book, ‘A New Cottage Garden’; the first of these, the ‘late summer edit’ is out in this month’s magazine and looks fab (if I say so myself!). Thanks also to Karen Burgess and Annie Stanford for allowing me to use their gardens as inspiration. There are inspirational gardens throughout the book (not least Tom Coward’s work at Gravetye Manor and Beth Tarling’s at Seaview Cottage in Cornwall)… without these, the book would only be a half of what it is!

The book is available on special offer on this website, and otherwise out at all good bookshops and of course the usual online sellers. Thanks for looking, and if you want a signed copy, please let me know through the web form. Happy gardening! Mark

Hampton Court Flower Show 2024, show garden photography

I’m away shooting at RHS Hampton Court next week… you could describe it as the ‘friendly’ relative of the higher profile Chelsea Flower Show (images above); it’s actually the world’s largest flower and garden festival and for us garden photographers, it’s one not to miss. There are fewer celebrities and more gardeners, fewer silly hats and more dirty fingernails! The show gardens are often more accessible and down to earth, and I always end up carrying trays of plants on top of my camera bag as I leave!

I have a couple of the pocket gardens to photograph, but I have time and will be available to shoot on commission if required; do get in touch and I’m sure we can work something out. Call me on 07779997831, I’ll be there from monday lunchtime onwards. Have a great show if you are going.

Last Easter, Photographing Flowering Cherries for Which Gardening Magazine

What a difference a year makes! last easter I was shooting Flowering Cherries for a piece for Which Gardening Magazine… this year I am sitting with lots of layers on, doing admin and sorting stock photography; as I seem to have been all winter! anyway, the local farmer says its going to be a HOT summer (you heard it here first!)… gosh I hope so…

Now I can hardly hear myself with the sound of hailstones on the conservatory roof…. have a good easter one and all, and speak soon I hope. Mx

'A New Cottage Garden' finished! and will be published on August 8th 2024..

At last I can properly announce that this labour of love is finished and being printed! more than two years in the making, it’s the story of a small patch of grass in the most southerly village in Devon that I made in to a garden. I wrote and photographed the whole project (looking back, it really has taken up most of my energy.. physical and mental!) and learned so much about basic gardening. The book is for novice gardeners who want to transform a little bit of ground in to their own little bit of paradise. I’m not an expert gardener, but it’s my passion, and believe me, it’s all achievable. Learn what a cottage garden is, how to create your own version and get your hands dirty! Don’t you know it used to be the new rock and roll. Or baking, or whatever ;-)

Many thanks to my fab publishers Pimpernel Press…

A New Cottage Garden, Pimpernel Press august 2024

Please do let me know whether you’d like to go on my newsletter list… then I can tell you when and where you can buy said book ;-)

I don’t send out many newsletters, so don’t worry you will NOT be deluged I promise! thanks for reading this and don’t forget to keep your shears sharp …

Photography at The Roebuck Pub for Greene King

I spent a busy day in very early January shooting a newly refurbished pub in Richmond, West London for pub conglomerate Greene King. In an elevated position overlooking the river Thames, it is a lovely place, much neglected over the years, but now back to its best. Great spot, warm interiors and a cosy feel. What more do you want from a pub? oh yes, the beer is excellent too… An old boozer back to it’s best. Tricky lighting to deal with, so we utilised the available light and had to pop in some sunnier views that I took the following day… thanks to Photoshop!

I do a lot of hospitality photography, so please do get in touch if you need anything. Reasonable rates, flexible approach and very friendly… ask me for some samples, I shoot hotels, restaurants, pubs, spas, and venues of all sorts. I look forward to hearing from you.