Garden Photography april 2024

Bowhay House, Devon.

I am pleased to see my little cottage garden in Devon published this month by The English Garden magazine. I was less pleased to notice that the current issue (May 2024) is number 332… which, if, as I assume is correct, they have had one a month, it means that its now virtually 28 years old. I clearly remember by friend and collaborator, Vanessa Berridge, asking me to go and shoot three or four gardens for the first issues! blimey that’s scary and has set me back a bit ;-). Bowhay House is the subject of a book, ‘A New Cottage Garden’ due to be published in august by the wonderful Pimpernel Press… I wrote and photographed it and it was a real labour of love. Please do take a look when it comes out, or it’s available for pre order here…

Anyway, thanks to them for including my garden, and another I shoot at a garden called Daglingworth House (see below), which is a wonderful Cotswold confection, with pergolas, formal pond, boxing hares and a grotto… truly worth a visit!

I have been out and about this month (at last I managed to find a sunny day or two!), and had a nice morning recently at East Lambrook Manor, and then yesterday I revisited a garden I haven’t been to for MANY years… Marwood Hill in Devon. What a lovely place. So quiet, a valley that was reverberating to the sound of chaffinches, willow warblers and chiffchaffs. The mist was rising from the lakes when I was there and a statue of Dr Jimmy Smart, which is placed perfectly at the head of the valley, was a perfect focal point for this early morning image…

Last Easter, Photographing Flowering Cherries for Which Gardening Magazine

What a difference a year makes! last easter I was shooting Flowering Cherries for a piece for Which Gardening Magazine… this year I am sitting with lots of layers on, doing admin and sorting stock photography; as I seem to have been all winter! anyway, the local farmer says its going to be a HOT summer (you heard it here first!)… gosh I hope so…

Now I can hardly hear myself with the sound of hailstones on the conservatory roof…. have a good easter one and all, and speak soon I hope. Mx

'A New Cottage Garden' finished! and will be published on August 8th 2024..

At last I can properly announce that this labour of love is finished and being printed! more than two years in the making, it’s the story of a small patch of grass in the most southerly village in Devon that I made in to a garden. I wrote and photographed the whole project (looking back, it really has taken up most of my energy.. physical and mental!) and learned so much about basic gardening. The book is for novice gardeners who want to transform a little bit of ground in to their own little bit of paradise. I’m not an expert gardener, but it’s my passion, and believe me, it’s all achievable. Learn what a cottage garden is, how to create your own version and get your hands dirty! Don’t you know it used to be the new rock and roll. Or baking, or whatever ;-)

Many thanks to my fab publishers Pimpernel Press…

A New Cottage Garden, Pimpernel Press august 2024

Please do let me know whether you’d like to go on my newsletter list… then I can tell you when and where you can buy said book ;-)

I don’t send out many newsletters, so don’t worry you will NOT be deluged I promise! thanks for reading this and don’t forget to keep your shears sharp …

Rental Property Photography

I’m often asked to photograph clients rental properties, whether serviced apartments, bed and breakfast properties or holiday stays. Unlike a private residence, or even a luxury hotel, properties used for short term stays are often rather simple and probably a bit stark. There won’t be much in the way of personality, the decoration can be a bit ‘utilitarian’ and it can be difficult to find a hint of warmth. I recently shot this place in Cheltenham though, which had been decorated beautifully, and importantly, with the ‘eco conscious’ traveller at heart.

It was a dark and rainy couple of days in early february (not ideal for the photography of a rather imposing period property when ideally we would have had dramatic light pouring in through huge Georgian sash windows!) so we had to choose angles carefully and add in a little artificial light to create atmosphere. The end results look great I think, and a sprinkling of ‘lifestyle’ shots adds personality to the set of images. The clients were pleased! At the time of the photography, some of the building was without electricity, so I had to use some photoshop magic to add window lights for the exterior shot. Post production is now as much a part of any photographic job as the actual shoot!

The property comprises of 6 serviced apartments in Cheltenham and is family run. Check out their website here

Spring Garden Photography

Whisper it, but spring is around the corner and I am all togged up, camera in hand, waiting for the rain here in Devon to stop. Last year was the same, but I got out there eventually and managed a few nice shoots, two of which are out this month in The English Garden and Country Living magazines… Glorious Mothecombe gardens near me, and Lamorran house, just down the road in Cornwall. Many thanks to them for letting me in…PLEASE let me in again. SOON!

Photography at The Roebuck Pub for Greene King

I spent a busy day in very early January shooting a newly refurbished pub in Richmond, West London for pub conglomerate Greene King. In an elevated position overlooking the river Thames, it is a lovely place, much neglected over the years, but now back to its best. Great spot, warm interiors and a cosy feel. What more do you want from a pub? oh yes, the beer is excellent too… An old boozer back to it’s best. Tricky lighting to deal with, so we utilised the available light and had to pop in some sunnier views that I took the following day… thanks to Photoshop!

I do a lot of hospitality photography, so please do get in touch if you need anything. Reasonable rates, flexible approach and very friendly… ask me for some samples, I shoot hotels, restaurants, pubs, spas, and venues of all sorts. I look forward to hearing from you.

Frost in the garden. A mixed blessing.

Winter can be a tricky time for wildlife and garden photographers; if it’s not the rain, then it’s the wind. Or it’s cold. There aren’t so many flowers, and as for the light, well, there just isn’t any sometimes. But, on the odd occasion, there is frost! Last week I managed to get over to a brilliant garden near to me (The Walled Garden at Staverton)…. I got frostbite but it was worth it. The light falling on frosted seed heads (the owners are keen to leave the stems and heads, so there is very little cutting back here)… a winter wonderland, and the birds love the extra seeds they can munch on. Heart warming. Not finger warming though..

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Gardener's Delight

Welcome to my first newsletter and blog of 2024. Many thanks for opening and hopefully reading this, and a happy new year to you all…

Above and Below, sample pages from the soon-to-be-published ‘A New Cottage Garden’ by Mark Bolton

A New Cottage Garden will be published in august this year, and I am delighted with how it looks. Many thanks to the fabulous Pimpernel Press, and the excellent Sarah Pyke who designed the book. I photographed and wrote the book, but Sarah stitched it together, and Jo Christian led me on through the whole process. It was a massive job for me, but as a mad keen gardener it was one I loved doing. I know every single clod of earth in that little patch and have learnt so much along the way; how to prune, mulch, sow and pick. I also met some amazing people along the way; as it’s a cottage garden book, I was keen to see Gravetye Manor (the home of William Robinson, one of the most important figures in cottage garden history) and luckily I was commissioned by Which Gardening Magazine to shoot there every month for a year (a project about fruit tree maintenance through the year). Tom Coward and his team were so helpful, and whilst learning a lot about fruit, I also found the time to study the garden and the planting style that Robinson developed during his years living at the Manor house. Please do keep an eye out for the book, but don’t worry I will remind you!

I have been a garden photographer (and interiors) for more years than I care to remember now, and have been principle photographer on many books. I also work regularly for all the gardening magazines, and have worked commercially for many garden product suppliers. I am always interested in discussing possible shoots, features, interesting new plants and lovely gardens. Do get in touch with your ideas and thanks for looking at this. I will send another newsletter next month (thats the plan at the moment!) and in the meantime, happy (chilly!) gardening. I’m looking forward to some snowdrops (thanks to Avon Bulbs for letting me shoot these four below last year); and would always be interested to know of any nice winter/spring gardens you may have heard about… Mark

New Year, New Look; Hotel Photography for 2024

The start of a new year always feels like the perfect opportunity to take stock, work out what needs improving and set to it with gusto! That's the idea anyway.

For many hotels, the post Christmas/New Year quieter winter months are the ideal opportunity to catch up with all those jobs that have built up over the busy season. It might be that the rooms need a bit of an update or perhaps there are exciting plans afoot to have a completely new scheme. Whatever is on the cards, a fresh set of photographs is an easy way to update your website. I know from personal experience that adding new images on my own site always helps increase the visitor numbers and, as long as I keep up with my SEO, leads to an influx of work enquiries.  

It seems that alongside the reviews, guests really base their decision on whether to book a hotel on the images - they like to peruse the bedrooms, zoom in on the views and even have a good snoop around the ensuite! A successful social media influencer can be a brilliant asset, but a beautifully produced set of hotel photography is always essential for attracting guests. 

Please do email me or use the contact page on the website, if you would like to know my rates. I can do a complete set of hotel images including bedrooms, public rooms, outside spaces, spa or pool area, staff members and food or a smaller shoot if you're just wanting to refresh your existing library. I’m very flexible and friendly and will fit in with your schedule; I know how busy it can be in an hotel!

You can follow me on Instagram @markboltonphoto.

Please let me know if you would like to see a more tailored set of images; I’m happy to help so please contact me if you have any queries. Special thanks to Swinton House, The Grove in Watford, Bowood House, and Gravetye Manor Hotel for the images.

And if you’d like a breakdown about how we work, please take a look at my ‘Guide to Hotel Photography’

Autumn Garden Photography at Dartington Hall

Dartington Hall, near to where I live in Devon, is a 14th century great hall with elaborate gardens. It’s well-known for its dedication to the arts, education, and sustainability, and hosts festivals, concerts, and exhibitions. In the autumn mists, with all the muted colours and magnificent specimen trees, it’s a beautiful garden to photograph, packed with seasonal interest and atmospheric vignettes. I took my trusty Billingham bag, packed with a Fuji X-T4 with various lenses and had a lovely morning wandering along the paths and terraces.

There’s even a Henry Moore sculpture amongst the trees…

Hotel Photography for Martin Hulbert Design

This was a lovely shoot for Martin Hulbert Design at Coworth Park Hotel. Stunning interiors in a wonderful setting; clean, crisp and luxurious with a wonderful colour palette, typical of the designer. Every viewpoint just looked spot-on and made it exciting to photograph. And what a hotel! Top notch all round…

Photography at Coworth Park Hotel for Martin Hulbert Design

Updated website news

Between decorating the kitchen, weeding the garden, finishing a book and travelling here there and everywhere for work, I trawled the archives and found some new images to update the website. Thanks to Rosie Nevins I have a new logo and the whole thing looks rather better I think! If you are not already ‘subscribed’ to my email list, please do so here (in the sidebar to the left). I’d love to hear what you think, and thanks, as ever, for looking at my pictures. I have completed and delivered ‘A New Cottage Garden’, to be published in 2024 by Pimpernel Press; quite a job, as I built the garden from scratch, photographed it and wrote the text…

By the way, the decorating is far from finished ;-)

Thanks for reading this, and if you would like any more information, do get in touch. If you’d prefer not to hear from me, please unsubscribe! PS thanks to Iride and Sandra Design, Sarah Price Garden Design (Chelsea 2023) and Kelling Design for the images above.

Recent Magazine Photography

As ever, I have been shooting for various magazines, and this summer saw a few nice features coming out, including one from a shoot for Grand Designs Magazine that was used on the cover. Thanks as ever to the owners who allow you to wander around their rather lovely properties!

Autumn 2023 Interiors Photography

Well it’s been a very busy few months, mostly photographing my garden for a book due to be published next september, but the deadline has been met and it’s been nice to shoot some interior work over the last couple of weeks. I have been working in London for a lovely couple of designers, Iride and Sandra, who have a fresh and contemporary approach to their work; clean, crisp and architectural. I also worked with Henriette Von Stockhausen (VSP interiors) at her own place in Dorset. A beautiful mix of traditional and modern, mixing textiles, art and antique furniture (to appear shortly in Country Life magazine). Then there was a shoot in the Peak District for Matt Gerrish of his family home. A gorgeous transformation of a country cottage, again mixing art, antiques and modern touches. It’s been an exciting few weeks!

Recent work for C.P Hart Bathrooms in Wales, and Kelling Design in Northamptonshire

Lovely day’s shoot for the fabulously luxurious C.P Hart in west Wales. A really nice house in Pembrokeshire, with a classic bathroom beneath the eaves.

Bathroom in Wales, shot for clients C.P Hart

Day shoot for Kelling Design in Norhamptonshire. Colourful and classic, on a very HOT day!

Photographing the Cottage Garden

It’s june, and the garden is showing off a treat… foxgloves everywhere and a riot of colour. The Cottage Garden idea is a traditional one and started life 500 years or more ago, when the peasants who lived off the land and were given patches of ground behind and in front of their cottages. They combined vegetables for the table, herbs for culinary or medecianl use and some flowers for cutting. There would occasionally even be a pig to hoover up the scraps from the house! As the centuries progressed, the ideas changed and became more stylised, so that today we talk about the ‘cottage garden’ look. I am making a cottage garden behind our house in south Devon, and the resultant book will be published by Pimpernel Press next year. You can follow my progress on this instagram account, or just BUY THE BOOK in 2024!! thanks for looking, and happy gardening.

Recent work for The South Sands Hotel in Salcombe

I used to work at this place when I was a boy. I was car park attendant and had an absolute blast of a summer, living in the ‘staff accommodation’ at the back of the hotel (these are now rather plush suites that overlook the beach, but back then they were hovels with no electricity… still, you don’t care when you are 18 and away from home for the first time do you?!). The hotel is now a rather fabulous beachside place with beautiful rooms and a view to die for. Thanks for the work, South Sands Hotel!

Recent work for Maak Contemporary Ceramics

Recent work for Maak Contemporary Ceramics at Ascott House, home of the late Victoria, Lady de Rothschild, and owned these days by the National Trust. She had a fabulous collection of modern ceramics which Maak are auctioning in september 2023. I shot the catalogue for the sale. An amazing collection in an amazing house!

A week in The Caribbean with P&O Cruises 'Arvia'

They said they wanted me to spend a week on board their new ship; in January. In the Caribbean. Ummmmm… difficult decision, but ‘Oh go on then’…

It may sound like the best of jobs; eat all you can, wearing just a tee shirt and shorts, and occasionally get an afternoon off to explore a quiet desert island. But, honestly, we did a lot of work and it’s actually quite tricky manoeuvring a tripod up 14 flights of stairs (actually there was a lift), but you get my drift. I shot restaurants (there are at least a dozen of them), cabins, theatres, and spa areas, and the weather was perfect. It’s so much easier to get a nice image of a pool if the sky is blue! Many thanks to the wonderful crew and management of P&O Cruises, who were brilliant.

And many thanks to the ever fabulous ‘Sunday’, a content marketing agency based in London who organised and drove the whole show… brilliantly done!

Back to normality now, I’m off to shoot a house for Grand Designs Magazine, and desperately hoping for some blue skies in Cornwall tomorrow!

A Winter's Tale

Well, it’s mid-march and in previous years I would now be on the road, photographing various houses, gardens and hotels, all bathed in a wash of warm spring sunshine. Actually that’s probably a bit of a false memory (!) but we can dream! It’s cold and damp here (fortunately for my garden we have missed the snow in South Devon), so I am in the office doing admin.

It was a quiet but productive winter and I was lucky enough to shoot for a week in the Caribbean for long time clients P&O. It was definitely sunny there! I also photographed a couple of fabulous kitchens for Guild Anderson in Wiltshire, and also had a lovely day at Ascott House, now run by the National Trust, for Maak Contemporary ceramics… and there was a day near Dartmouth, photographing an amazing tree planting project.

Mostly though, I have been writing and photographing for my book, ‘A New Cottage Garden’ to be published next year by Pimpernel Press. I think it should be an interesting and (I hope!) beautiful book about making a garden. From both a personal and educational standpoint. Before I actually embarked on this, I hadn’t really thought through what was involved in writing and photographing a book, let alone actually building the garden! so many things to think about and plan. For inspiration, I visited East Lambrook Manor, one of the spiritual homes of cottage gardening for this project, and also popped down to see old friend Bath at Gunwalloe in Cornwall… always a joy!

Anyway, here’s to the swift arrival of spring, and thanks to all my clients and work friends. Keep in touch, I hope to see some of you again this year. The website has been revitalised; there are lots of new images, and plenty more to come!