Glee 2025, ‘The most loved garden retail event in Europe’

I’m not normally found in large exhibition centres, wandering around with a pile of business cards and a slightly lost look on my face, but for some reason I was tempted in to Birmingham to the annual (I think it’s annual?) Glee Garden products show (apparently ‘The most loved garden retail event in Europe’!), but this year I WAS, and I loved it! I unashamedly eyed up the lawnmowers, collected Tote Bags like there was no tomorrow and drank numerous free cups of coffee. I also visited the fabulous Ivyline stand, which was MOSTLY fabulous because of the HUGE images of beautiful garden pots that they had erected. All photographed by you know who… thanks to them especially, but also to the other people I met, and will, hopefully, connect with again in the future. In fact, I would gleefully connect with them again…. oh dear, sorry…

Summer Photography update 2025

It’s been a busy few weeks, traveling around the country for both old and new clients. I’ve worked on projects for Country Life magazine, several hotels including The Nare, in Cornwall, and some interior shoots for various designers. I did a three day shoot for Ivyline in the Cotswolds, filled with sunshine, colourful pots and a brilliant team of stylists, and then took a much-needed holiday in the South of France, where I captured some useful stock photos. After the hectic weeks of shooting, editing, and organizing, a few days off have left me eager to get back to work. The weather is mixed, but with September here and a chill in the air, I’m looking forward to the beautiful autumn light.

Thanks, as ever, to my clients, it’s been a pleasure to work with you! I’m always looking for new projects and am always available for a chat (0777 999 7831) or can be reached on email. I have already done a couple of Christmas themed shoots believe it or not (now is the time to begin thinking about it if you need marketing for your hotel!), but the days are still nice and long if you want some warm ‘late-summer’ light. Have a good return to work, if you have been away, and a cosy ‘season of mist and mellow fruitfulness’. Hope to hear from you, Mark

PS I can now be found on Linked In… and of course Instagram. Do join me there.

Venice

‘Whether by theft or by artistry or by conquest, when it comes to time, Venetians are the world’s greatest experts...They bested time like no one else.’

Joseph Brodsky was a Russian writer who visited and wrote about ‘La Serenissima’, and whilst recently in the city I read his atmospheric book about the great city, ‘Watermark’. He preferred the damp and cold of a Venetian winter and is buried in San Michele, an island island near to Venice… I just came back from this magical city and over the years have been drawn back many times. A photographers dream… (all these images shot on Iphone)

Chelsea 2025

Just got back from a great trip to the always exciting Chelsea Flower Show.

Many thanks to the RHS for asking me back, and many thanks to all the brilliant designers and gardeners that made it such a good show. It's always nice to meet up with old friends, photographers especially! It's pretty much the only time of the year that we are altogether, and it's fun to swap stories. I'm always interested in the details, and there was some lovely planting this year. Hope you enjoy the pictures, and please don't ask me which was my favourite Garden! They were all (mostly!) very good.

Anyway, the summer is in full swing and I am out on the road a lot, so if you need garden photography, do get in touch; june is the prime month… if the sun stays out, the gardens can be fabulous. Keep in touch, either through the contact page, or perhaps message me. Happy gardening!

With thanks to the following for their work on the gardens illustrated above… Alitex Glasshouses, Hartley Botanic, Dave Green, Joe Perkins, Joshua Fenton and Hamzah-Adam Desai.

Hotel Photography 2025

It’s spring… time for some new hotel photography, in time for what is a (let’s hope!) a busy new season… why not refresh your web site images, social media library and brochures. Bright-eyed and bushy-tailed (ish), I’m ready for rooms shoots, food, restaurant refurbs, drone coverage or new staff portraits; I’m flexible, careful, conscientious (all that stuff!) and quick, you’d be amazed at what we can cover in a day. And I’ll do a discount for two days or more. It’s time to show the public what you look like! Get in touch and let’s discuss what we can do.

I can travel anywhere, and will fit in during your quieter moments to minimise disturbance. I use mostly natural light to give a softer, more gentle look and will supply the pictures within 48 hours if required. All post production is included. So, do contact me if you need to know more, and take a look here to see what is involved in a shoot.

Thanks to the following hotels for the images I have used above, and for allowing me to shoot their beautiful properties; Swinton Park Hotel, Tewkesbury Park Hotel, The Old Hall, Ely, Gravetye Manor Hotel, Number One York, The Grove Hotel, Watford, The Coworth Hotel, Castelo Di Vicarello Hotel, Tuscany, and Borgo Pignano, Tuscany.

Garden Photography update, spring 2025

Long and dark, that’s what it feels like it’s been, this winter we have just been through! so, being positive, I’m looking ahead to a bustling spring and vibrant summer, shooting, shooting, shooting (and writing too). I hope you are all well, and have spent the ‘dark months’ looking at seed packets, shining your spades or just dreaming about wandering aimlessly around your (or other people’s) gardens!

Recent coverage of Beth Tarling’s place in Country Life during early february 2025

I have been out shooting early bulbs, including trips to East Lambrook Manor, Hilliers in Hampshire, Higher Cherubeer and, of course, my beloved RHS Rosemoor. I have been making lists of lovely gardens to visit this year (anyone with any suggestions, please let me know… all ideas gratefully received!

My own garden has been shrouded in the local phenomenon known as the “Prawle Mist’… a seemingly winter-long shroud of damp fog that can be bone-chillingly cold, but even here, my ‘spring pots’ have begun to get their acts together… and yesterday, despite the ground being drenched and cold, these Crocus are looking decidedly purposeful at The Garden House in South Devon..

Thrusting Crocus at the Garden House

I have been on manoeuvres this winter; visiting various magazines and publishers. It’s been a treat to actually see some people (!) and put faces to names. I produced a small portfolio which I am happy to give to clients (I can send you a printed version or simply send a PDF), but if you’d like to see an online version, it’s available here. And, please do follow me on Instagram if you haven’t already!

Winter colour trip

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.

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.

A Guide To Hotel Photography

Some 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!

Hopefully you have had a busy summer so far, and now the evenings are drawing in, why not get some new photography ready for the next season? we can shoot roaring log fires, muddy boots near the door, cream teas in the lounge and so on. Or perhaps just a set of new bedroom images if you are redecorating.

This guide will help you decide on what you want doing, what you need to get ready, and how long it may take. I am happy to quote on jobs and will give you all the information you need… contact me through the contact page, or call me on 07779997831. I often work with Sarah now who is an excellent stylist and assistant, and this really ensures we get the work done quickly and efficiently. Please take a look at the guide I have prepared, and any are comments welcome! Thanks, Mark

Thanks to Swinton Park Hotel, 5-6 North Place serviced apartments, Borgo Pignano Hotel, Italy and The Grove Hotel for the images used above.

Serviced Apartment Photography, Cheltenham

Thanks 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!

More interiors on my website…

August Interior Photography

Photography for Summer Williams Design

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!

An 'outdoor studio' at Bowhay House

When 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!

Deadheading at Bowhay House…

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

These images were shot this year at Chelsea Flower Show.

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.

Glorious Mapperton

I 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…

Cottage Garden shades

The rich colours of early summer

Summer 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!

I love how the garden changes so quickly at this time of year, and I’m hoping that with the ‘successional planting’ I will have much more to shoot as the month goes on. Hollyhocks are looking like they will be big this year, The roses look like they will be fab (plenty of feed during the spring) and there are plenty of lots of perennials to come (Asters, Helenium, Rudbeckia for example).

I have seen an advanced copy of my book, ‘A New Cottage Garden’ and it looks lovely (thanks to Pimpernel Press)… advance orders are being taken by Amazon (link to the book here)and it will appear in bookshops in early august. And Country Living are doing 4 seasonal extracts over the next year so I am very grateful to them.

Chelsea Flower Show 2024

Well 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.

Photographically, I tend to stick to details and little ‘corners’… my library (GapPhotos) always like the container images or interesting use of materials, as opposed to the big shots of whole gardens, that, frankly, every other photographer has already done!

So, I’m donning my favourite linen shirt and packing the trusty Billingham camera bag…. see you on the other side!

PS if you are there and fancy a quick chat, do text or whats app me on 07779997831