Capturing The Subtle Beauty Of Gardens With Decorated Photographer Jason Ingram

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Jason Ingram is a celebrated Photographer with an ability for capturing the subtle beauty of gardens, plants and culinary delights.

A graduate of Salisbury College of Art and a GMG multi-award winner, Jason has carved a niche in intertwining his photographic passion with the enchanting world of nature.

From magazines and books to working with international garden designers, his lens reveals a unique perspective that has garnered acclaim and captivated audiences globally.

In this interview, Jason discusses his entry into garden photography, his most rewarding projects and his upcoming book.

Please note that the imagery in this article is provided courtesy of Jason Ingram.

Can you share a little about your journey into garden photography and what inspired you to follow this path?

“I studied photography at Salisbury College of Art and I finished in 1992,” shares Jason.

“I took the usual route into photography by assisting other photographers who were mainly working in the world of advertising. Photography was quite different then because we were all shooting in film, which was an incredibly different and longer process than it is now!

“Whilst I was working as an assistant, my real passion was always towards what I initially thought to be landscape photography. On all of my projects, I’d constantly take myself out of the studio and push myself to be in the landscape.

“On one of my first jobs as an independent photographer, I was commissioned to do the photography for some postcards. Whilst doing these, I realised that being in nature was the thing that I really wanted to do as far as my photography was concerned.

“I started out working as an Agency Photographer for the National Trust. I then began to share my work with all the big publications. From there, I’ve been very lucky and most of my work is now done by commission and around 80% of it is in gardens, which I love.”

What does a day in the life in the day as a garden photographer look like for you?

“If I’m working for a magazine, the shoot will usually be based in a beautiful garden, which I will then travel to,” he explains.

“Depending on the time of year, I can be in the garden from about 4am for around 2-3 hours before the light gets worse. I like to arrive the day before where possible, so I can examine the garden and maybe do some shots in the evening.

“The reality is, by the time it hits 9am in the summer, there is nothing I can do due to the light. For other shoots, I might be in a studio shooting all day, or working on-site with gardeners or nurseries where I have to deal with whatever weather it is on the day!

“When the season gets particularly crazy, I have been known to shoot a garden in the morning, then a studio shoot from 9am to 5pm, followed by a final evening shoot.”

What has been one of the most rewarding projects you have worked on so far?

“I would say that the projects that I really like to work on tend to be books,” Jason muses.

“Like any photographer, it’s always lovely to see your work in print. The other thing with a book is that it is a body of work that you will have worked really hard on.

“One project that has been pretty memorable was a book that I did with Hauser & Wirth, based in Somerset, and Piet Oudolf, which was a great project, as he was commissioned to set out a garden at their gallery and I was given access to the garden from when it was first planted.

“This meant that I had a full year where I was shooting every plant in the garden every month.

“Another one I’m particularly proud of is a book I did with Swedish Designer Ulf Nordfjell, who I met after the Chelsea Flower Show in 2013 when I was commissioned to shoot his garden in North Sweden. We worked on a book together for 5 years that came out this year, which we shot mainly in Scandinavia.”

What’s Your Favourite Thing About The Work That You Do?

“My favourite thing about the work that I do is the variety of it. Although I’m a garden photographer, there’s a huge amount within that which I do.

“I travel, meet wonderful people and get to see a range of exciting things going on in the industry. I’m really lucky that I’ve got such great connections within the gardening world, as I get to be involved in some brilliant things.

“I always feel like I’m exploring and learning new things, which is another plus. Quite often, I will be the first person to see something new, which is really exciting.”

Are There Any Upcoming Projects You Are Particularly Excited About?

“There are so many!” he laughs.

“I’ve just launched an online photography course with Create Academy, an online learning platform, which we filmed in 2022. They do such a beautiful job of creating these masterclasses.

When we were discussing what we should do, I really wanted them to follow me in a garden at 4am, which they did! It’s beautifully shot and covers a range of gardens and also features some indoor shoots from my studio in Bristol.

“I’m also writing a book on garden photography, which I am currently in the process of. It’s set to come out in September 2024. It is completely new for me, as even though I’ve photographed over 50 books, I’ve never written one – it’s very exciting.”

Do You Have Any Advice For Aspiring Garden Photographers?

“Photography itself is a hugely changing industry, so my advice for anyone going into it is to really read the market,” says Jason.

“Before you start as a garden photographer, It’s so important to look at everyone else’s work to see what’s out there and the quality of work that others are achieving.

“Garden photography is all about light, like any form of photography. Never do anything without the best light. Everything you do has to fit into a certain format, so you have to get good at working with composition too.”