PHOTOGRAPHERS IN GARDENS: PART II

THE PHOTOGRAPHER IN THE GARDEN

Photographers have been taking photos of gardens since cameras were first invented. With colorful, dramatic landscapes and infinite views of flowers, it’s a naturel!

“The Photographer in the Garden” a new book  by Jamie M. Allen and Sarah Anne McNear chronicles over a century of the relationship between photographers and gardens.

From wide shots, showing idyllic landscapes, to close-ups of single blossoms, to still life floral arrangements, the book examines the relationship between the image and the cultivated landscape.

From famous locations to the simplest home vegetable garden, from worlds imagined by artists to vintage family snapshots, "The Photographer in the Garden" traces the garden’s rich history in photography and delights readers with spectacular images.

Picture commentaries by McNear and an informative essay by Allen help give us context and a deeper understanding of process and philosophy of these garden photos.

The book features photographers throughout history, including Anna Atkins, Karl Blossfeldt, Eugène Atget, Edward Steichen, Imogen Cunningham, Stephen Shore, Robert Mapplethorpe, Nobuyoshi Araki, and Collier Schorr.

The book explores gardens from many angles: the symbolism of plants and flowers, how humans cultivate the landscapes that surround them, the change of the seasons, and the gardener at work.

Sharon Core takes an art-historical approach to photography, recreating 18th-century still-life paintings of flowers.

Eugene Atget was a French documentary photographer, working on the streets of Paris in the early 1900s. He often shot images of flowers there, like Lys (Lilies), above.

Photographer Sheron Rupp focuses on people often in their own backyards and gardens. “Trudy in Annie’s Sunflower Maze,” features an elderly woman walking among flowers that are taller than she is. Her white hairdo looks a bit like a flower head.

Flowers have always been a favorite subject for Sam Abell, a photographer who worked for National Geographic for 30 years. His photo, “Prize Winning Flowers, Alaska State Fair,” features an old-fashioned State Fair display of flower specimens, although his image looks very modern.

Jamie M. Allen is associate curator in the department of photography at George Eastman Museum, Rochester, New York. Allen’s work at the Eastman Museum focuses on exhibition development and care of the collection. She is the author of Picturing America’s National Parks(Aperture, 2015).

Sarah Anne McNear has over thirty years of experience in museums and cultural nonprofits, with a specialization in photography and community-based art education. She is the author of several books on photography, has served on various advisory committees, and is currently a board member of the Haystack Mountain School of Crafts, Deer Isle, Maine, and Aperture Foundation.

Read more about In the Garden in Photographers in Gardens: Part 1.

And check out more beautiful things happening now in BN Mind/Body, Soul/Impact, Nature/Science, Food/Drink, Arts/Design, and Place/Time, Daily Fix posts.

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IMAGE LIST:

1. Image: by Peter Fischli and David Weiss, “Untitled” (1997–98), from the series “Flowers and Mushrooms.” Featured in “The Photographer in the Garden.” Courtesy of Aperture Foundation & George Eastman Museum.
2. Image: by Lori Nix, “Wasps.” Featured in “The Photographer in the Garden.” Courtesy of Aperture Foundation & George Eastman Museum.
3. Image: by Collier Schorr. “Lily Pads 3.” From the series “Blumen.” Featured in “The Photographer in the Garden.” Courtesy of Aperture Foundation & George Eastman Museum.
4. Image: by Sharon Core. “1782.” Featured in “The Photographer in the Garden.” Courtesy of Aperture Foundation & George Eastman Museum.
5. Image: by Eugene Atget. “Lys (Lilies).” Featured in “The Photographer in the Garden” Courtesy of Aperture Foundation & George Eastman Museum.
6. Image: by Sheron Rupp. “Trudy in Annie’s Sunflower Maze, Amherst, MA.” Featured in “The Photographer in the Garden.” Courtesy of Aperture Foundation & George Eastman Museum.
7. Image: by Sam Abell. “Prize Winning Flowers, Alaska State Fair.” Featured in “The Photographer in the Garden.” Courtesy of Aperture Foundation & George Eastman Museum.
8. Image: by Tina Barney. “The Goff Family Gardening, Westerly, RI.” Featured in “The Photographer in the Garden.” Courtesy of Aperture Foundation & George Eastman Museum.
9. Image: by Robert Mapplethorpe. “Tulip.” Featured in “The Photographer in the Garden.” Courtesy of Aperture Foundation & George Eastman Museum.
10. Image: by Joel Meyerowitz. “Vivian, Bronx Botanical Gardens, New York City.”  Featured in “The Photographer in the Garden.” Courtesy of Aperture Foundation & George Eastman Museum.
11. Image: by Imogen Cunningham. “Magnolia Blossom.” Featured in “The Photographer in the Garden.” Courtesy of Aperture Foundation & George Eastman Museum.
12. Image: by Sanna Kannisto. “Bignoniaceae: Lundia Puberula.” Featured in “The Photographer in the Garden.” Courtesy of Aperture Foundation & George Eastman Museum.