Photography · Film & Digital
Pictures that grow
quietly, like an ink garden.
Ink Garden is a small studio photographing people among plants — sittings made slowly, in soft daylight, with room for the subject to settle before the shutter does.
Sittings take place in glasshouses, walled gardens and one north-facing room with very good light.
- PortraitsSittings for people, alone or together
- BotanicalStill life for growers and makers
- EditorialCommissions for print and story work
Selected work
A year of sittings, hedgerows and slow afternoons
A short edit rather than a full archive. Every frame below came from a commission; the longer set travels as a printed portfolio.
01 — Portfolio
Field Notes, Ilse
Green Room
Sitting No. 41
Border, Late August
Hollow, First Light
Sessions
Three ways to work together
Each begins the same way — a conversation about light, season and what the pictures are actually for. Scope is quoted per commission after that.
02 — Services
Portrait Sitting
An unhurried session for one person or a small group, made outdoors in a garden or indoors by a north window. No posing drills — mostly walking, sitting and talking.
- Length
- Around two hours
- You receive
- Thirty edited frames, web and print sizes
- Best for
- Personal portraits, family, new work headshots
Botanical & Still Life
Studio and on-site photography for growers, florists and makers. Single stems, arrangements and the tools of the trade, shot on a consistent set so a catalogue holds together.
- Length
- Half or full day
- You receive
- A styled set with matched colour and cut-outs on request
- Best for
- Nurseries, florists, product and packaging
Editorial Commission
Longer-form picture stories for magazines, books and independent publishers — a place, a season or a person followed across more than one visit.
- Length
- Agreed per story, often several days
- You receive
- A sequenced edit with captions and licence terms
- Best for
- Features, books, brand journals
How a sitting runs
Four steps, no surprises
03 — Process
Step one
Enquiry
Send a note with a rough month in mind. A reply usually follows within two working days, with availability and a quote.
Step two
Planning
We choose a location and a time of day for the light, then agree what should be in frame and what should stay out.
Step three
The sitting
Film and digital run side by side. Nothing is rushed, and there is always a pause halfway through.
Step four
Delivery
A private edit arrives for selection, then finished files follow. Prints and hand-bound sets can be added.
The studio
I photograph the way a garden is kept — patiently
Ink Garden began in a borrowed greenhouse with one camera and a broken tripod. It is still deliberately small: one photographer, a handful of commissions a month, and enough time on each of them to wait for the weather to turn.
Most sittings happen within a morning's travel, though editorial work goes further. Film is developed by hand, which is why an edit takes a fortnight rather than a night.
“The best frame is usually the one after everyone forgets the camera.”Founder & photographer
Questions
Asked before most sittings
04 — Details
How far ahead should I book?
Garden work follows the season, so late spring and early autumn fill first. A month or two of notice is comfortable; short-notice dates do occasionally open when the weather moves a shoot.
What happens if it rains?
Overcast light is welcome and flat drizzle is often better than sun. If conditions make the location unworkable we move to the indoor set or reschedule at no extra cost.
Can you travel to my location?
Yes. Sittings within a morning's travel carry no surcharge; anything further is quoted with travel included so there is one figure to approve.
How are the pictures licensed?
Personal sittings come with unlimited private use. Commercial and editorial commissions are licensed by use and term, written plainly in the quote before we begin.
Enquire
Tell me about the pictures you need
A few lines are plenty. If you know the month, the place or simply the feeling you are after, that is enough to start with.
- Replies usually within two working days
- No obligation — a quote first, decisions later
- Dates are held for seven days once agreed