Martineau Gardens 1st June 2014

I always start a photo visit to the gardens with some trepidation, today was no exception. I visited last week and had a great afternoon. I met an old friend who was there for a party but didn’t manage to get the focus I needed to get the best out of the experience, although a few are OK. Today I felt I needed to produce some good images to make up for lost time, but worried I could not go deep enough after the last visit. I had purchased a new lens recently and last week was also about getting to know it and learn how to get the best out of it.

During a break my worries were lessened. The beauty of the gardens draws me in. I start taking photographs and am constantly thinking about composition, exposure etc. After a while I am just responding, camera and technique forgotten. For me Martineau is a place of reverie and wonder, a mixture of natural and the work of people who use it and also work here. Beautiful pieces of pottery made at the workshop mingle with natural forms. Chairs and watering cans (there’s a lot of them here) give spaces in the gardens a feeling of occupation.

I find that an hour or more has gone by and I’ve been photographing in just a small space of the gardens. I need to venture wider, maybe starting in a different place in future visits.