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Photographing Allotments by Suzie Gibbons
Improve your Plant Portraits
Garden Views
Photographing Allotments by Suzie Gibbons
Features photographer and igpoty finalist Suzie Gibbons had never set foot on an allotment before a commission led her to discover the plots’ unexpected appeal.
Abandoned spade - I love the feeling here that the gardener has just popped off for a cuppa and will be back soon
Travelling to sites all over the country, the specialist in plant and garden photography became so interested in what she found she continued to visit and photograph allotments in her spare time, eventually acquiring one of her own.
She plans to use the resulting large portfolio of photographs to put together a book.
She explained: “Going to any allotment is always an adventure, even my own which I know so well, as there will always be something new to see and photograph.
“In the space of a few days a tiny courgette can turn into a marrow, from minute tendrils French beans will appear in their hundreds, and suddenly there is a glut of gorgeous, ripe tomatoes.”
Speaking about being winning runner-up prize in the My Garden category of the 2008 International Garden Photographer of the Year competition, Suzie said: “My experience of the igpoty competition was very positive. It’s always nice to have your work recognised and winning second prize was definitely good for my profile, not to mention all the fabulous prizes!”
Eric's allotment 'El Bonanza'
Runner up 'My Garden' 2008
“I thought the display at Kew was very well conceived and I was pleased to be involved in that and have my pictures in the competition book.
“As Igpoty is a truly international competition it opens up the rather small world of garden photographers here in the UK so that can only be a benefit to all.”
Suzie says her approach as a features photographer usually involves looking for the underlying story and trying to capture the essence of a place, be it a garden, allotment or other subject.
The ingredients she considers essential include a mixture of overview and detail, plants and of course people.
Larger-than-life allotmenteer Eric provided the subject matter for Suzie’s winning igpoty entry.
A former diver from the oil platforms, Eric tends a magnificent allotment bursting with idiosyncrasies such as the many hand-painted signs.
Suzie said: “It was a completely informal and off-the-cuff portrait and these are always the most successful.
“Although Eric was no shy, retiring violet, I handheld the camera, which is less intimidating, and used the auto focus to catch that magic moment. I do this with most portraits.
“It’s also important, if you can, to spend some time getting to know your subject and relaxing them before pointing a camera.
“We chatted and were swapping jokes as I snapped away. Eric’s huge personality shines through and you can see the pride he takes in his inspirational allotment and produce.”
Allotments have yielded many other human subjects for Suzie’s portrait portfolio. A group of women and one man, calling themselves ‘The Dirty Hoes’ visit their allotment to share a bottle of Pimms: for them the business of gardening is a lesser priority.
“A lovely lady down the road from me, Margaret, grows the biggest pumpkins you have ever seen,” said Suzie. "Margaret has won a bronze medal in a beginners’ allotment competition, and is amused by how addictive she has found the competitive element of vegetable growing.
“Margaret said it was always the men who won: they sometimes have their noses put out of joint by female success,” says Suzie.
When photographing, Suzie says she usually works a long day from dawn to dusk, waiting for the light to strike just right.
Ryecroft Ruby - I liked the hand-written label on this dahlia and although I had started to photograph just the flower I realised it would be more interesting to include the label.
“For me it’s not just early and late light that is the best,” she said. “In my opinion, midday light with light cloud and the sun trying to break through can be fantastic.
Allotments often look their best in sunshine in fact, perhaps in part because of those strongly-coloured allotment stalwarts: yellow sunflowers, orange pumpkins and marigolds, multi-hued dahlias and tomatoes, russet-coloured vines, lime-green Golden Hop, deep-purple cabbages and cauliflowers and rainbow-coloured lettuce.”
“I am inspired by the simplest of subjects, a neat line of lettuce or leeks, the perfect folds of a cabbage, the beauty of backlit Ruby Chard, the humour of an unusual object used as a bird-scarer, brightly-painted sheds and inventive put-together greenhouses, a rusty wheelbarrow full of manure, the simplicity of an abandoned spade or a scarecrow made out of found objects … the list goes on.
“I always spend some time walking around looking at different angles. Something you may dismiss or simply not notice from one view may be a great picture from a different angle. Even lowering or raising your viewpoint, or shooting through or over a fence or foliage can give a much more interesting effect.”
A late convert to digital photography, Suzie made the change just three years ago, and uses a Canon 5D mk II with 180mm macro and 24-105 mm lenses.
She only works a minimal amount on the uploaded image, preferring to wait for the right light in the first place. The liberating factor has been the possibility of taking hundreds more photographs than she was able to when considering the price of film.
Photographing Gardens - what's the problem?
Spring at King Johns Lodge
Claire Takacs
Third Place: Garden Views category – International Garden Photographer of the Year 2009
Millions of people throughout the world love gardens and gardening. At International Garden Photographer of the Year we get over 20,000 entries from people who want to celebrate their – or someone else’s - garden.
It’s easy isn’t it? Gardens are, by definition, places full of visual interest, lovely colours, wonderful textures, easy to get to (walk out of the back door), great! – so what’s the problem?
At International Garden Photographer of the Year we offer feedback to anyone who has entered a photograph and has not won. This way we can begin to understand some of the common issues that come up to prevent photographers from being really happy with their images.
Our category ‘Garden Views’ is one that throws up a lot of questioning and doubt.
“This garden was absolutely fantastic to walk around – I don’t think I’ve captured that atmosphere.”
“This was a great vista but my photo makes it look cluttered up with other things.”
“This border was full of colour and texture. How can I bring this out in a photograph when I can’t fit it all in?”
Getting your Eye In
Many professional garden photographers have one thing in common.
When they go to a garden for the first time, they take no photographs. Often, they will do a ‘recce’ first – to see what kind of garden it is, to see what’s there, and to understand how the sun travels across it during the day. The camera stays in the car. They will look in detail at the planting, assessing various viewpoints. They will talk to the gardener to understand what he or she thinks is important about the garden. And the most important question the photographer will ask is:
What is it about this garden that makes it special?
And the answer to that question will provide the starting point for the shoot. Everything else will flow from here.
Water Garden
Jason Liske
Commended: International Garden Photographer of the Year 2009
In this photograph, it is clear that Jason Liske is very familiar with this garden. This garden is not big on colour or texture – it is a wildflower ‘meadow’ garden with a pool. So there is no focus on these elements. What this garden is about is the open air and the relationship of water and sky – in short – Jason has photographed the atmosphere of this garden. He has done this by choosing his viewpoint very carefully and by picking the time of day.
Right time, right place
A garden looks so different at different times of day. The various parts of the garden are lit up by the sun, the shade offered by trees changes shape and size all the time. Flowers open and close and spin around to face the sun!
That is why professional photographers will often revisit a particular garden time and time again at different times - it is hardly ever the same twice. And of course it changes throughout the seasons.
In summer in the Northern Hemisphere it is often easier to create atmosphere in a garden photograph with morning or evening light. In the morning you have the added bonus of dew to create sparkle and mood. But evening light can be warmer in tone – and the flowers do not look so sleepy! For me, the ultimate light is in the evening after an afternoon rain shower.
But gardens offer a lot for the photographer at any season.
The Circle
Nicholas Hastings Winch
Commended: International Garden Photographer of the Year 2009-07-08
Here, Nicholas has used the subdued colours of a winter evening to great effect.
Viewpoints
Photographing a garden is a bit like photographing a small landscape. The same considerations are in place when attempting to capture a vista or wide view. Choose the viewpoint very carefully and compose the view in the viewfinder. Create interest in the foreground of a wide shot. Use natural shapes like trees and shrubs to balance the composition. Create a sense of depth by leading the eye ‘into’ the frame.
Cruden Farm
Simon Griffiths
Commended International Garden Photographer of the Year 2009-07-08
Simon’s composition is beautifully balanced, with a strong sense of perspective and direction into the frame.
Make sure you keep the viewer’s eye inside the frame. At International Garden Photographer of the Year we see a lot of shots where an area of white sky leads the eye out of the frame. It’s usually possible to change your viewpoint to eliminate a white sky. You can use a graduated filter to darken the sky, or do this in post-production with Photoshop.
Choosing your viewpoint is not just about moving a metre or two either way. What about getting up high? Is there a balcony or even roof you can shoot from?
Andrea Jones
Thomas Jefferson’s Monticello Garden
Finalist: International Garden Photographer of the Year 2009
Andrea has chosen a specific viewpoint in order to create a balanced composition, with all the elements in visual harmony.
But unlike landscapes, gardens are man made. Often gardeners or garden designers have created visual focal points in the garden already. The photographer needs to be aware of this and use the opportunity if it is appropriate.
Dennis Frates
Portland Japanese Garden. Finalist International Garden Photographer of the Year 2009-07-08
Look at the way that Dennis has used the carefully-positioned Japanese sculpture to anchor the composition. Try putting a finger over the sculpture and see how less satisfying the composition becomes without it.
Getting it all In
Often there is so much going on in a garden a photographer will rush about trying to squeeze everything in. This is especially true on summer when the borders are bursting with colour and texture – it can make your head spin!
You want to capture the detail of the shapes and colours but you also want to give an impression of the whole sweep and drama of the herbaceous border in full pomp.
Many photographers will use a panoramic format to help with this job. But even then, the composition has to be spot-on to balance the various elements and to give that sense of intimacy and ‘broad sweep’ at the same time.
A summer garden
Rob Whitworth
Commended: International Garden Photographer of the Year 2009
Here, Rob Whitworth has focussed on one element of the summer border – the tall spiky echiums, as the ‘keynote’ of his composition, balanced by the passive façade of the country cottage. This provides the drama. At the same time, he has balanced the composition with the two dense shrubs at either end of the panorama. In between these elements, the colours and shapes of the other flowers and shrubs flow, giving that sense of fullness and bounty.
By building the composition around a ‘theme’ – the creamy spikes – Rob has given us a real sense of what the garden is like. He has not attempted to include everything.
Getting into Gardens
Rob Whitworth is a professional photographer and his clients – publishers and editors – will get him access into all kinds of lovely private gardens.
Where will you find your inspirational subjects? If you have a garden yourself, perhaps you think it is not up to the standard required. Well, that goes for most of us but you can use your own garden as your own private studio – to try out techniques, the use of different lenses and what kinds of effects are created in different seasons and times of day.
Many of us have neighbours or friends whose gardens put ours into the shade! Will they let you come into their gardens at odd times of the day? Most people are very helpful especially if you can provide them with a print of their garden.
At International Garden Photographer of the Year we have a special arrangement with the National Trust to allow photographers to enter pictures taken in National Trust gardens to be entered into the competition. You have to follow special rules but this does give you access to some of the finest gardens in England and Wales. For more details of this scheme go to
http://www.igpoty.com/Rules.asp?parent=competition
In the UK many gardens now open for to raise funds for charity. This can be a good source of inspiration. Make friends with the owner and be open about what you are doing – this can pay dividends. Always respect people’s right to privacy. Make sure you give something back – either a big donation to the charity of the owner’s choice or a set of prints – or both!!
Enjoy
Wandering around a garden, absorbing and admiring the skill of the gardener is one of the most pleasant human activities – so don’t forget to enjoy your garden photography!
Improve your Plant Portraits
Philip Smith, managing director of International Garden Photographer of the Year and professional photographer, introduces some key concepts in Plant Portraits.
Lone Lily pad
Deborah Casso
Winner: Plant portrait category – International Garden Photographer of the Year
Plant portraits is the most popular category of International Garden Photographer of the Year With 19,000 entries overall that’s a lot of keen and talented photographers who have not won an award this year. So – is that all there is? Well – no.
We are very keen that people can use the competition as a means to improve and expand their experience of garden photography. Becoming more expert in something you feel passionate about is a wonderful thing – whether it’s for your own pleasure, or for fame and fortune.
Anyone who enters the competition has the opportunity to get feedback on their entries (after the competition closes) – they can even meet the judges.
We have been giving email feedback for a couple of months now – and we have ourselves learned a lot from this process. There are a number of themes that emerge and we will try to explore these themes in the coming months.</ | 
