I had a great week in Hampshire, Somerset and Dorset, tracking down some winter colour, after long weeks of drowning in mist, rain and darkness… signs of spring! so thanks to Hilliers Gardens and especially to the ever brilliant East Lambrook Manor… Mike Werkmeister who has been there for years is selling up and there will be new owners, so let’s hope that whoever they are, look after this important garden…a lovely few days, back on the road, searching for gardens and plants to inspire.
Read MoreSome of you may have seen (and read?!) this guide on my website before, but I have just updated it with new images and information. The tips seem fairly obvious to me; the need to be organised and tidy, making sure the bedrooms are beautifully prepared and the sheets are pressed. Or, if we are shooting food make sure you tell the chef if we need freshly prepared starters, mains and desserts and so on. You’d be amazed at how often the marketing people haven’t told the poor old staff what we are doing!
Read MoreThanks to Sally (owner) and Emily Hunt Interiors for a fab shoot last week, before I went on my hols… great serviced apartments, perfect location, lovely design; clean, crisp and contemporary!
Read MoreWhen we first moved to this house in Devon, the garden was, for me, of huge importance. The bedrooms, living rooms, kitchen and bathrooms were obviously critical in choosing this particular house, but deep down, the garden was what really got me excited. It’s only tiny, but it’s sheltered, hidden from view behind the house, and it had a potting shed! It didn’t take long to realise that if I planted it carefully, I could have something to photograph outside the back door, at any time of the year, without having to drive anywhere! Without getting too grandiose, I would have an ‘outdoor studio’. Over time, the garden plans got exaggerated and I ended up writing and photographing a book about the process of building the garden (‘A New Cottage Garden’ now published by Pimpernel Press), but on a day like today, when my diary is empty, it’s so amazing just being able to stumble out of the door in to a garden that I know so well, to take some snaps before breakfast!
Read MoreI had a wonderful time last week photographing at Mapperton estate in Dorset, a morning and an evening of the most sumptuous light, fabulous fresh early-summer growth and romantic statuary set amongst topiary, tranquil pools and a magnificent orangery. I first went to Mapperton twenty plus years ago for one of the newspapers (possibly the Telelgraph gardening section) and it has always been one of those gardens that has lingered in the mind…. a photographers delight, it’s situated in a sheltered valley and has a pleasing contrast between the formality of the topiary and statues, and the wilder edges with much more informal planting. Bliss…
Read MoreSummer is in full effect here at Bowhay House and even by the time I have made first coffee, the light is a bit strong for subtle plant photography. So, it’s up with the lark (and house martins in the case of our place) and out with the camera at VERY early light. It’s always worth it though… Here are some of this morning’s show-offs; My favourite Allium (at the moment) atropurpureum, Astrantia ‘Roma’ (a gift from the excellent Old Court Nurseries in Malvern), Lupins that appeared from nowehere in the garden, and a rather amazing Geranium, (Geranium × magnificum I think?)… It gets very big and flops a bit, but flowers like mad!
Read MoreWell it’s that time of year again and I’m off to mix with the great and good at Chelsea Flower Show… I think this is my 24th show, and even though it’s often cloudy on press day and the gardens can sometimes be ‘a bit similar to last year’, it’s always fun and interesting. I get to see old faces (other garden photographers that I may not see from one year to the next), editors that I normally just email, and (maybe not so important, but always a laugh) seeing celebrities trying to out do each other in the fashion stakes.
Read MoreI am pleased to see my little cottage garden in Devon published this month by The English Garden magazine. I was less pleased to notice that the current issue (May 2024) is number 332… which, if, as I assume is correct, they have had one a month, it means that its now virtually 28 years old. I clearly remember by friend and collaborator, Vanessa Berridge, asking me to go and shoot three or four gardens for the first issues! blimey that’s scary and has set me back a bit ;-)
Read MoreI’m often asked to photograph clients rental properties, whether serviced apartments, bed and breakfast properties or holiday stays. Unlike a private residence, or even a luxury hotel, properties used for short term stays are often rather simple and probably a bit stark. There won’t be much in the way of personality, the decoration can be a bit ‘utilitarian’ and it can be difficult to find a hint of warmth. I recently shot this place in Cheltenham though, which had been decorated beautifully, and importantly, with the ‘eco conscious’ traveller at heart.
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