The International Garden Photographer of the Year awards have just been announced, I was Commended in the Beautiful Gardens category for this shot of Jardin Majorelle in Marrakech, Morocco.
Morocco, Marrakech, Jardin Majorelle (Yves Saint Laurent Garden)
I visited the garden a number of times as I was in Marrakech 10 days early before guests turned up for a photography city break I run there. The garden is a photographers dream with its bold colours and planting. The cobalt blue walls are a great backdrop to any plants in pots. The plant in this pot was just catching some sunlight giving depth to the composition.
I also converted it to black and white, and was going to send this one instead as I liked the simplicity of the shot.
Which one do you prefer?
I was also Highly Commended in the Monochrome category for this shot of Chitting Potatoes.
Chitting Potatoes
This was taken with my 100mm Canon macro lens, shot in a north facing window in natural light. It was the two shoots that caught my eye as they looked like weird alien cartoon characters. Even from the simplest of subjects you can find something to photograph with the macro lens.
Congratulations to Magdalena Wasiczek for her overall winning shot: The Ballerinas
To see all the awards for this year follow this link
Seems like a long time since I last posted on WordPress as I have been away since last October running my photography holidays in Marrakech, Burma, Cambodia and also spending two months in Vietnam putting together a new photography holiday.
Vietnam proved to be another photographers gem, such a varied country, with fantastic people, scenery and food. The country is home to over 50 distinct ethnic groups, including the Flower Hmong of North Vietnam, who are probably some of the most brightly dressed people I have encountered for some time.
My new travel photography holiday to Vietnam will start in Ho Chi Minh and end in the North, we will also have a 3 day 2 night cruise on our own private boat around the amazing Halong Bay.
A full itinerary is now on my website and the holiday will be launched this weekend to my newsletter subscribers, who will have priority booking.
Rough Guides published a short video about my travel photography in Burma, with a few photography tips in there too. I’m really pleased with the final video they put together, enjoy the journey:
My newsletter subscribers are always the first to hear of any new destinations and receive reward codes for selected holidays and workshops throughout the year, you can subscribe here: http://www.digitalphotographyholidays.com/466457/newsletter/ (I never send more than 12 newsletters per year.)
My travel photography holidays to Cambodia and Burma have also been launched on the Responsible Travel holidays website.
After many requests for prints of my photography I have now started to roll out a new Print Gallery on my website, with three different print sizes.
The Prints gallery has travel & flower photography sections. I will be adding new collections throughout the year. To visit the gallery please follow the link to my website.: www.stephenstuddphotography.com
I have also set up a new Etsy shop with photographic prints of flowers, this will be added to over time with travel prints too.
I arrived at Tatton Park for a three day photo shoot, on the Monday, which is the last day of build up, to take a look at the gardens before my 5.30am access over the next 3 days. The weather forecast was for lots of sun, leaving a narrow window for pro garden photographers to shoot, as between about 8am and 6pm the bright sunlight is far too harsh.
There were a few gardens that caught my eye on my first walk around the showground, particularly the ‘See the Wind’ garden designed by Joan Mulvenna and Andrew Lee with it’s purple pink hues of the Hordeum Jubatum (ornamental barley) against the Salvia Nemorosa ‘Amethyst’.
‘See the Wind’ garden designed by Joan Mulvenna and Andrew Lee: Hordeum Jubatum (ornamental barley) against the Salvia Nemorosa ‘Amethyst’.
The garden sculpture fluttering and twinkling in the breeze, with the movement of the barley, salvia, bamboo and alliums had me captivated for some time, there was a very Zen like feel to the garden, with its simplistic and also complex kinetic design.
‘See the Wind’ garden designed by Joan Mulvenna and Andrew Lee
The garden deservedly won a Gold and Best in Show in the Elements garden category.
Allium spaerocephalon in the ‘See the Wind’garden.
Bathed in late evening golden light was the Gold medal winning Reaseheath College ‘A Taste of Wythenshaw’ garden with the towers of beans growing on steel reinforcing rods, which reminded me of the Gardens by the Bay in Singapore.
Towers of beans in the Reaseheath college ‘A taste of Wythenshawe’ garden
The garden made maximum use of space with beds growing fruit, veg and herbs and a living food wall and columns.
Reaseheath college ‘A taste of Wythenshawe’ garden
Another garden that utilised the space for fruit and veg growing with north to south running raised beds was Silver medal winning ‘The Forgotten Corner’ designed by Carl Gerrard in the Summer gardens category.
‘The Forgotten Corner’ designed by Carl Gerrard
It seemed touch and go whether the ‘Elemental’ garden designed by Ian Price would be finished in time for judging and it was a garden that the photographers were eager to photograph. The garden was well placed for very late evening sunset light which showed off the charred wood cladding wall perfectly.
‘Elemental’ garden designed by Ian Price.
The garden had a contemporary feel whilst also making use of reused and modern materials. It was Ian’s first show garden gaining him a Gold medal.
‘Elemental’ garden designed by Ian Price.
A favourite designer of mine is Pip Probert and her Gold medal garden ‘The Narrows’ displayed a typical long narrow suburban garden packed full of design ideas with different zones.
Pip Probert ‘The Narrows’ garden
I particularly liked the bullrushes reflected in the still water of the pond.
Pip Probert ‘The Narrows’ garden
There were red hot plants scattered amongst the vibrant planting in the garden, leading the eye to the red chairs in the outdoor living space at the end of the garden.
‘The Narrows’ garden designed by Pip Probert, outdoor living area.
In the Show Gardens category, Best in Show and Gold medal went to ‘Maggie’s Forest Garden’designed by Amanda Waring and Laura Arison first time show garden designers . The swings by Sitting Spiritually had carved on them ‘A Haven of Peace’ and ‘Warm and Inviting’ which summed up the forest garden inspired design as a space to connect with nature whilst creating a sense of wellbeing.
Maggie’s Forest Garden designed by Amanda Waring and Laura Arison
The garden certainly had a calming effect when looking at it, with the gentle flow of water through the rill falling gently in to the pond below.
Maggie’s Forest Garden designed by Amanda Waring and Laura Arison
In the Summer Garden category Best in Show went to another first time show garden designer Caroline Lord with her ‘Industrial Transitions’ garden, which used mainly reclaimed materials and was inspired by Manchester’s industrial heritage.
Caroline Lord garden Industrial Transitions
The reused diesel tank made into a water feature with Rudbeckia hirta set against it.
Caroline Lord garden Industrial Transitions
The British Association of Landscape Industries (BALI) garden ‘Vogue’ designed by Belinda Belt won a Silver Gilt medal. The design was sleek and contemporary with a huge 100mm thick laser cut stone wall feature which weighed over a ton.
‘Vogue’ garden designed by Belinda Belt
I did feel for the Dutch team Clusius College who had a disaster with a water tank breakage on the day of judging in their ‘Digital Green’ garden which only made bronze medal.
‘Digital Green’ by Clusius College students
They had a very innovative use for reused old computer keyboard parts in their garden.
‘Digital Green’ by Clusius College students at RHS Tatton Park flower show 2014
I had a déjà vu feeling when I saw The Water Garden designed by Harry Levy which won a Silver medal, because of the yellow summerhouse that featured in last years design.
RHS Tatton park flower show 2014 The Water Garden designed by Harry Levy.
This years Tatton Park show can be described as extremely hot.
‘Element’ Garden designed by Michael Vinsun
At this years Tatton Park flower show it was good to see so many new show garden designers getting their first Gold medals and Best in Show awards. Tatton Park is now the showcase for the Young Designer of the Year award, which I have covered in a separate blog entry.
Thanks to everyone who makes Tatton Park show the jewel in the North West’s horticultural calendar, I look forward to returning next year.
This years theme for the RHS young designers was ‘Avant Gardening’ where the contenders were encouraged to have a daring touch of invention showing new techniques with experimentation. The three contenders that were chosen to design their first show garden at Tatton Park were, Sam Ovens, Clare Broadbent and Alex Schofield under the mentorship of Paul Hervey-Brookes an international multi award winning garden designer.
The winning garden was ‘The Sky’s the Limit’ designed by Sam Ovens who said of his garden “I wanted to show that sometimes the simplest things are the best things,” his garden also picked up a Gold medal.
2014 RHS Young Garden Designer of the Year award winner Sam Ovens – The Sky’s the Limit garden at Tatton Park flower show
This was the first garden myself and a colleague started photographing after having a look around the show gardens on the build up on Monday. It had an air of relaxation and calmness and the backlit Stipa Gigantea were very eye catching in the evening light at 7pm. The area the young designers are given at Tatton is perfectly placed for sunrise and evening light, a photographers dream.
RHS Young Garden Designer of the Year award winner Sam Ovens – The Sky’s the Limit garden at Tatton Park RHS flower show 2014
Returning the next day at 5.30am I headed straight back to Sam’s garden as I wanted to see the garden with rusted fencing bathed in the early morning glow of warm sunrise light.
Sam Ovens – The Sky’s the Limit garden bathed in sunrise light.
His garden had small concrete stepping stones leading to the decking and the seating area.
Concrete stepping stones in Sam Ovens garden at Tatton Park.
The rest of the garden was densely planted with many varieties of grasses and ferns, with plants such as Cirsium rivulare ‘Atropurpureum’, Verbena bonariensis and Agastache ‘Blackadder’ scattered amongst them.
Dense planting in Sam Ovens garden.
Sam has a very bright future ahead of him after winning the coveted award of young designer of the year 2014.
Another Gold Medal garden and finalist was WorkOUT designed by Clare Broadbent (Horticon Design), which had an outdoor gym theme.
WorkOUT garden designed by Clare Broadbent- Gold medal winner
This wasn’t a garden that I warmed to, maybe because I joined a gym once and didn’t really like the machines, I find gardening in my organic garden and allotment, carrying around heavy photographic gear workout enough. The design had lots of strong ideas such as the rowing machine that had Archimedes’ screws which aerates the pond whilst also creating a workout and the exercise bike turned a water wheel in the pond. I liked the pommel horse bench idea.
Archimedes’ screws that offer workout opportunities and also aerates the pond
One of the gardens that lots of the photographers immersed themselves in was Prehistoric Modernism by Alex Schofield which was awarded a Silver Gilt. The garden was designed for sun worshippers and had coloured Perspex panels in burnt frames to highlight the concept of heat.
Tatton Park 2014 Cheshire RHS flower show Prehistoric Modernism garden designed by Alex Schofield one of the Young Designer of the Year Awards – Silver Gilt
The panels created their own micro climates and optical lighting effects around the garden. I liked the Echinacea ‘White Spider’ that were scattered around the garden, especially the ones placed by the coloured panels.
Tatton Park 2014 Cheshire RHS flower show Prehistoric Modernism garden designed by Alex Schofield one of the Young Designer of the Year Awards – Silver Gilt
As a garden photographer it was tough to get an overall shot of the garden without it having a show garden setting as the design was open plan with no walls as a backdrop to hide any of the tents or fencing.
Alex’s garden with two tiered lounge decking seating area and Feuerring fire.
Despite this Alex’s garden had lots of very strong visual angles to look at and photograph, I will be following his career.
Prehistoric Modernism garden designed by Alex Schofield
Tatton Park is a showcase for the young designers and I wish them all the best in their garden design careers, with a special congratulations to the overall winner Sam Ovens. I look forward to following all their careers in the future and I look forward to next years competition.
