I have been involved in the greenhouse industry in some shape or form for a large part of my working life so whenever I visit new gardens I am always drawn to them. These images were taken of the greenhouses within the gardens Chatsworth House in Derbyshire on a recent visit.

Chatsworth House Vinery built around 1834 by Joseph Paxton

Back when I dreamed of being a rock star and working as a designer for an engineering company a friend came to me and suggested we design an aluminium bench for greenhouses. Not knowing a thing about greenhouses at the time I looked into the market and what was available and subsequently we designed a bench. This was to be the start of my journey in the horticultural industry. Through various paths I have since been involved with greenhouses and their associated accessories ever since. Even now as a professional photographer and film maker a large proportion of my work revolves around the horticultural industry with a particular emphasis on greenhouses.

The entrance to the Joseph Paxton Vinery

Little did I realise at the time but in developing a new product for the horticultural industry this would also lead to my interest into photography. We needed marketing material for our new greenhouse bench so I started to photograph the products myself and purchased my first DSLR camera. From that point on I was hooked on photography horticulture, plants and design.

1st Dukes Greenhouse built in the 17th century now housing a collection of camellias.

I went on to study photography and being an engineer I wanted to understand the functions of the camera to get the desired results. I thought it was just a case of learning the right aperture, ISO speed, shutter speed etc... The engineer in me believed 1+1 =2 and that everything was either black or white. However in photography there were lots of shades of grey! I had an inspirational lecturer who made me realise there was no right or wrong answer, photography is subjective and a good image is subjective. Of course he taught me the basic functions of the camera and how these create desired effects, but he also opened my mind to art and photographic art in particular.

Honing my skills and creative style continue to this day and because it is a subject I love, I am constantly experimenting with techniques, being inspired by other photographers and everyday life.

I do still dream about being a rock star.....