FLOWER, GARDEN & NATURE PHOTOGRAPHER
BY GINA DOVER-JAQUES
Photography for Magazines, Journalists, Bloggers, Gardeners, Gardens, & Heritage Estates
AVAILABLE FOR COMMISSIONS
My Story ...
My appreciation for flowers and gardens blossomed recently after photographing the seasonal changes in a friend's 'garden for nature'.
I was inspired as I witnessed the garden transition from shades of burnt sienna in the Wintertime to a spectacular profusion of colour in the Summertime, and in awe as Brigitte transformed her garden into a biodiverse, nature sensitive ecosystem, in which Wildflowers, long grasses, and all manner of nature loving creatures coexisted with big blowsy blooms to delicates such as Japanese anemones. I would often just sit to enjoy the humdrum of buzzy Bees, birdsong, and the rustling of the leaves on the trees.
Is it any wonder that I have fallen for flowers, wildflower meadows, and gardens, and wanting to immerse myself in creating visual & written stories of them.
From the heart
Creating an image comes, ultimately from my heart, but it is light that usually catches my eye first. Then, when I am moved by something, will I capture it.
There has to be a connection, and when there is, it is usually instantaneous, and generally profoundly moving, The evaluation period is fleeting. It starts before I lift the camera to my eye, and comes from trusting my instinct, based on years of experience. The same is true when I look through the viewfinder of the camera. I will invest time to discover more. I will commit and be devoted to what I see before me with my naked eye and when I look through the viewfinder of my camera. The more inquisitive and moved I am, the greater the story I am able to tell, and over time, the more intuitive and instilled in me the process becomes.
Thoroughly knowing my kit is fundamental to me, and keeping things simple by working with only one or two lenses, means I envisage the final image during the evaluation period.
Being in the present
Influences surrounding a subject affect my interpretation of its story, my mood, and my approach. The notes of light, and the ambiance it creates, the sounds and aromas, the breeze on my face, and how it animates a subject. Shape & form, how I am affected by something all combine to direct my heart on how to create. Being in the present, totally immersed and moved by something is very personal.