Andrea Jones is an honour - gain ground photographer who has been inspired by nature in artistic production since her childhood , which led to her quest for a career in garden and landscape photography .
Having had experience work all over the world photograph plants and wildlife , Andrea now lives in Scotland and continues to march her employment both in the UK and abroad .
I talk with Andrea to let on more about her passion for photograph plants and wildlife .
How Did You Discover Your Passion For Garden Photography?
“ It was nature that inspire me right from the start , ” says Andrea . “ I recall winning an art competition at shoal for my pen and ink pic of a true fir cone cell , so perhaps that give me the initial boost I needed .
“ My mom bonk our garden and I had a well-chosen childhood playing amongst her cautiously trimmedbox hedgesand watching her farm the plants she loved – especially roses .
“ Dad enjoyed picture taking too , so I retrieve the combination of their passions had a bigger essence than I could have dreamt at the time .
Red Borders in the Walled Garden including Ricinus communis (Castor oil plant), Solidago sp, Dahlia ‘Bishop of Llandaff’, Dahlia ‘Bishop of Oxford’, Dahlia ‘Surething’ and Crocosmia ‘Severn Sunrise’
“ I spent my latter schooling years in the art room entrance by by nature happen artistic creation course and then studied art in the late 1970s at Bournemouth and photography in the early LXXX at Salisbury .
“ I particularly enjoy working in the darkroom printing process in black and white and making photographs from leaves , feathers and anything suitable I could find . ”
What Is It About Plants & Gardens That Make You Want To Photograph Them?
“ I used to pore over photography book with epitome of microscopic plant life details , ” she explain . “ At first , it was capturing the intimate botanic part that attract me , which is why I attended college – to focus on macro photography .
“ I went to live in Kew in the mid-nineties so I could attend part - time classes at the Royal Botanic Gardens and visit as often as potential to teach about plants and the environment .
“ Over the years , I have learnt to enjoy the design of gardens as well as the works themselves . Some landscape painting designer and garden designers are specially talented at penning and when I step within the limit of their outer space , each means I look seems to fit within the anatomy of my view finder .
Winner of the Garden Section of the RHS photography Awards 2022 by Andrea Jones, capturing Tom Stuart-Smith’s design for Madresfield Court, Worcestershire, at dawn
“ As with almost all good design , natural or manmade , the formula of the gilded ratio seems to pull the chemical element together into an artwork figure . ”
How Do You Go About Capturing The ‘Perfect Image’?
“ I ’m not certain there is such a thing as the stark image , as there are so many variation within the issue .
“ However , for me , it always comes back to the light .
“ Whether it ’s a conclusion - up or a bird’s-eye view I am working on , it ’s that perfect second of light that I am always trying to capture . I often snap against the light for the most spectacular impact . ”
Close-up frostedHeracleum sphondylium, hogweed seed heads in winter
Do You Have Any Favourite Plants To Photograph?
“ Plants and gardens are so complex , so I think it count enormously on the time of year and the location , ” shares Andrea .
“ I lie with to photograph trees in autumn and winter . I enjoy the staggering colours of the foliation and skeletal shapes against a darkened sky .
“ In spring , the leave-taking of a whitebeam unfurling always catch up with my eye . In summertime , I fuck the wide-eyed wayside cloud of umbellifers and ox - eye daisy . ”
Photograph of Les Jardin Marqueyssac in the Dordongne France. Photographed in the evening light during the extreme heat of August 2022.
What Have Been Your Favourite Experiences During Your Career?
“ MeetingDr Jane Goodalland subsequently work for her in Africa on wildlife labor , ” she says . “ Firstly , document a sanctuary for deliver and sequester chimpanzees in Burundi , then travelling to the Gombe research station in Tanzania and watching the wild use chimp and other wildlife in the area .
“ Later in the early nineties , I was ask to accompany Jane ’s protégé , Rosalind Alp , for three month in her field of study of tempestuous chimpanzees in the savannah areas of Sierra Leone , in West Africa .
“ My success at quiet photographing the fast - run wild chimpanzees in the darkness of the forest was limited with the use of comparatively slow ISO motion picture , but I hugely enjoyed studying the plants the chimps ate and we dwell amongst during that very exceptional clock time of my aliveness . ”
Can You Explain Some Of The Challenges With Garden Photography?
“ Planning a photograph shoot is the hardest , especially when you have to jaunt a long distance , ” tell Andrea .
“ Working with weather forecasts can be tricky when try out to get the best light and when booking a flight several weeks before . ”
How Do You Go About Photographing Gardens? What Is Unique About Your Process?
“ I try and look at each material body I capture as an single artwork .
I apply a tripod whenever possible , not just for hard-nosed reason but to discipline myself to write images , just like an artist would jell up an easel .
“ I also try and treat my images in the most natural way too . For example , I never use filters that give sky an hokey colour . I ’d rather capture the real drama in the skies even if more meter and patience are required . ”
What Advice Would You Give To Those With An Interest In Photographing Plants & Gardens?
“ I think that anyone arrest into a photographic calling should look at a specialist subject they really feel passionate about , ” advises Andrea . “ Photography can brood such a unsubtle field and photograph a topic you specifically enjoy will , in my opinion , reap more rewards .
“ Whether it ’s plant and gardens , mass , geartrain or solid food . It does n’t matter – just specialise and do the very best you could .
“ Also , you do demand to keep up with technology and use the good quality equipment you could afford . Many photographers still enjoy using film as I do on social occasion , but whether digital or analog , the quality of the lens you habituate is so crucial . ”
What’s Next For You?
“ I am very delirious about my trip to the Amazon River which I ’ve got planned for recent July and the start of August 2023 . I will be accompanying a group of scientific illustrator documenting their adventure up the Amazon River , Rio Negro and some of its tributaries .
“ We will be looking at rare and unusual flora species as well as the wider landscape , following in the footsteps of the famous British Botanical Illustrator , Margaret Mee . ”
