Andrea Jones On Garden Photography: ‘It Was Nature That Inspired Me Right From The Start’
Contributions From ANDREA JONES
Andrea Jones is an award-winning Photographer who has travelled around the world photographing plants, wildlife and gardens for a range of publications and solo exhibitions. She also has published her own book, The Garden Source, to help gardeners design their own spaces.
Andrea Jones is an award-winning photographer who has been inspired by nature in art since her childhood, which led to her pursuing a career in garden and landscape photography.
Having had experience working all over the world photographing plants and wildlife, Andrea now lives in Scotland and continues to exhibit her work both in the UK and abroad.
I spoke with Andrea to discover more about her passion for photographing plants and wildlife.
Please note all photographs in this feature have been provided with permission by Andrea Jones and Andrea’s portrait © Jonathan Buckley.
How Did You Discover Your Passion For Garden Photography?
“It was nature that inspired me right from the start,” says Andrea. “I remember winning an art competition at school for my pen and ink picture of a fir cone, so perhaps that gave me the initial boost I needed.
“My mum loved our garden and I had a happy childhood playing amongst her carefully trimmed box hedges and watching her grow the plants she loved – especially roses.
“Dad enjoyed photography too, so I think the combination of their passions had a bigger effect than I could have dreamt at the time.
“I spent my latter school years in the art room fascinated by naturally occurring art forms and then studied art in the late seventies at Bournemouth and photography in the early eighties at Salisbury.
“I particularly enjoyed working in the darkroom printing 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 books with images of microscopic plant details,” she explains. “At first, it was capturing the intimate botanical parts that attracted me, which is why I attended college – to focus on macro photography.
“I went to live in Kew in the nineties so I could attend part-time classes at the Royal Botanic Gardens and visit as often as possible to learn about plants and the environment.
“Over the years, I have learnt to enjoy the design of gardens as well as the plants themselves. Some landscape architects and garden designers are especially talented at composition and when I step within the boundaries of their space, each way I look seems to fit within the frame of my viewfinder.
“As with almost all good design, natural or manmade, the formula of the golden ratio seems to pull the elements together into an art form.”
How Do You Go About Capturing The ‘Perfect Image’?
“I’m not sure there is such a thing as the perfect image, as there are so many variations within the subject.
“However, for me, it always comes back to the light.
“Whether it’s a close-up or a panoramic view I am working on, it’s that perfect moment of illumination that I am always trying to capture. I often photograph against the light for the most spectacular impact.”
Do You Have Any Favourite Plants To Photograph?
“Plants and gardens are so complex, so I think it depends hugely on the season and the location,” shares Andrea.
“I love to photograph trees in autumn and winter. I enjoy the astonishing colours of the foliage and skeletal shapes against a darkened sky.
“In spring, the leaves of a whitebeam unfurling always catch my eye. In summer, I love the simple roadside clouds of umbellifers and ox-eye daisies.”
What Have Been Your Favourite Experiences During Your Career?
“Meeting Dr Jane Goodall and subsequently working for her in Africa on wildlife projects,” she says. “Firstly, documenting a sanctuary for rescued and confiscated chimpanzees in Burundi, then travelling to the Gombe research station in Tanzania and watching the wild habituated chimpanzees and other wildlife in the area.
“Later in the early nineties, I was asked to accompany Jane’s protégé, Rosalind Alp, for three months in her study of wild chimpanzees in the savannah areas of Sierra Leone, in West Africa.
“My success at quietly photographing the fast-moving wild chimpanzees in the darkness of the forest was limited with the use of relatively slow ISO film, but I hugely enjoyed studying the plants the chimps ate and we lived amongst during that very special time of my life.”
Can You Explain Some Of The Challenges With Garden Photography?
“Planning a photo shoot is the hardest, especially when you have to travel a long distance,” says Andrea.
“Working with weather forecasts can be tricky when trying 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 frame I capture as an individual artwork.
I use a tripod whenever possible, not just for practical reasons but to discipline myself to compose images, just like an artist would set up an easel.
“I also try and process my images in the most natural way too. For example, I never use filters that give skies an artificial colour. I’d rather capture the real drama in the skies even if more time and patience are required.”
What Advice Would You Give To Those With An Interest In Photographing Plants & Gardens?
“I think that anyone getting into a photographic career should consider a specialist subject they really feel passionate about,” advises Andrea. “Photography can cover such a broad area and photographing a subject you specifically enjoy will, in my opinion, reap more rewards.
“Whether it’s plants and gardens, people, trains or food. It doesn’t matter – just specialise and do the very best you can.
“Also, you do need to keep up with technology and use the best quality equipment you can afford. Many photographers still enjoy using film as I do on occasion, but whether digital or analogue, the quality of the lens you use is so important.”
What’s Next For You?
“I am very excited about my trip to the Amazon River which I’ve got planned for late July and the start of August 2023. I will be accompanying a group of scientific illustrators documenting their adventure up the Amazon River, Rio Negro and some of its tributaries.
“We will be looking at rare and unusual plant species as well as the wider landscape, following in the footsteps of the famous British Botanical Illustrator, Margaret Mee.”
