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| Category: | Professional Interviewed |
Interview with John Glover – Garden Photographer - John Glover is a professional garden photographer and James Sharp spoke to him about his lifelong passion for photography.
Posted: 12th June 2009
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| Photograph by John Glover. |
How did you first get into photography? Was it always your dream to be a photographer when you were younger?
"I have taken photos all my life and even when I was very young I tried to put more into them than just a snapshot. I went to art school and did fine art but always used my camera for visual research as well as for making photos for their own sake."
Do you have any formal qualifications in photography?
"I took photography as a subsidiary subject at art school and spent a lot of time in the darkroom. One whole section of my degree show was devoted to photos."
How long have you been photographing gardens and how did you get started?
"I launched my professional career in 1979 though I had been taking garden and flower photos seriously for a few years before that. I did not plan to become a garden photographer but was simply amazed that magazines and book publishers wanted to use my work, so I took a portfolio around potential clients in London. It took about three years before they all started calling me regularly, rather than the other way round."
What is it about photographing gardens/flowers that appeals to you?
"I grew up in the country and developed a love of landscape, nature and wild flowers, so it was natural that they be the subjects I chose to photograph. I find that many successful photographers are passionate and knowledgeable about their chosen subject."
Where do you get your ideas and inspiration?
"I was one of the first UK garden photographers to really make it professionally, so for a long time there were very few really good images of gardens or flowers to inspire me, so I would just try to respond to what I saw and gradually a style evolved. Now of course garden photographers are two a penny and I pinch ideas from everyone."
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| Photograph by John Glover. |
How much planning goes into your photo shoots?
"I need to check when a garden is looking at its best of course - so I keep in touch with the garden owner and then it's a question of waiting for the right weather conditions. Heavy cloud or wind is no good and nor is bright sun light . . . something in between with soft light is always best."
What would you consider to be the most challenging aspect of this form of photography?
"The weather definitely . . . no contest!"
How would you describe your photographic style? What sets your work apart from others?
"That is SO hard to say. I come from a fine art background and feel I have a painterly style sometimes, but I also enjoy a very graphic approach if the subject suits it. I like to think I have a range of styles depending on the subject but a lot of people say they recognize my work easily, so maybe I don’t?"
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| Photograph by John Glover. |
Tell us a bit more about your award winning work?
"I no longer feel the need to enter work for awards but the book that won the most for me is called “Gardens for the Soul” by Pamela Woods. It won awards for me on both sides of the Atlantic. It is a book devoted to the spiritual aspects of gardens and plants (a subject very close to my heart).
Do you have a photograph/set of photographs that are particularly special to you?
The photos from “Gardens for the Soul” definitely as well as those I take of my own wild flower meadow. I have developed that over the past eight years. Wild flowers are my real passion and the meadow has had an enormously positive impact on the wildlife around us.
Do you remember your first photography sale?
"Yes, it was of a stone circle in Cumbria (another passion of mine). I sold it to Thames & Hudson for a series of books Jill Purce was editing about spirituality. They paid me £25 for it in 1975 - I think it was."
What equipment do you usually use – camera, lenses etc?
"I am still shooting on film but will be making the move to digital later this year, now that Nikon have finally brought out a digital body to rival Canon. (The D3)."
Who are your greatest photographic influences and why?
"Other garden photographers and then people like Horst, Ansel Adams, Man Ray, Cartier-Bresson-anyone really who is great in their field."
Are there any projects you currently working on?
"Yes, but I’m keeping those under my hat" – smiles.
Finally, what advice do you have for anyone who says they want to pursue a career in photography? Is there a key to making a name for yourself or making a living from photography?
"Yes. Photograph what you are most passionate about and it will show in your work. There are thousands of photographers who love their subjects, so it is only worth competing within a field that you love too."
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| Photograph by John Glover. |
Words by James Sharp.
Visit John Glover's website for more information.
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