Boston Flora

Tag: photography

  • Now Through October 18 – Minificence: Libby Ellis Photography Exhibit

    If you find yourself on Martha’s Vineyard this fall, you are warmly welcome to experience award-winning photographer Libby Ellis’s new collection of black-and-white photographic portraits of garden-grown flowers. Interweaving “little particles of dream,” Ellis has reenvisioned the Kunstkammers, or Collector’s Cabinets, in the reading room at The Carnegie, part of the Vineyard Preservation Trust, in the seaside village of Edgartown.

    Libby Ellis is a photographer creating contemplative photographic portraits of garden-grown flora. Her work has been exhibited in museums and galleries in the US and Europe, including the Saatchi Gallery in London. Ellis’s flora portraits have been awarded distinguish by the Royal Horticultural Society and can be found on exhibit in the permanent collections of Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, and the Harvard Divinity School.

    The free exhibition is mounted at 58 N. Water Street in Edgartown. For more information visit https://vineyardtrust.org/event/minificence-by-photographer-libby-ellis/

  • Thursday, August 14, 4:00 pm – 5:30 pm Eastern – Garden Club Flower Photography Class, Online

    Please sign up for the New England Garden Clubs’ 2025 photography Zoom webinar workshop on Thursday, August 14 at 4 pm. The topic is Flower Photography: Mastering Composition, Exposure, and Depth with Your Camera and Smart Phone. The class is taught by Lisa Cuchara, internationally renowned photographer-writer. The cost is $10, and the Zoom will be recorded. The link to the workshop is https://www.lisatom.photos/photo-events/cuchara-gardenclub-august14. After registering, you will receive an email with a link for joining the webinar. You’ll receive a reminder one week, one day, and one hour before the webinar starts.

  • Tuesday, June 17, 12:00 noon Eastern – Ungardening for Biodiversity: A Photographic Exploration of the Hidden Life in Gardens, Online

    Join Mark Millan online on June 17 at noon Eastern to learn about the fascinating world of insects and their role in promoting biodiversity. Climate change, habitat loss, intensive agriculture, industrialization, invasive species, novel pathogens, and pollution are exerting increase pressure on native flora and fauna across the planet. Paradoxically, while rampant concrete and sprawling cities are inherently bad news for wildlife, urban green spaces like parks and gardens offer a potential refuge for a variety of plants and animals, including bees, butterflies and beetles.

    This is important since, like birds, bats and other animals, insects have suffered serious global and local declines in numbers and species richness over recent years. Moreover, while they don’t have quite the same aura as giant pandas or cuddly koalas, there’s more to bugs than annoying wasps and wretched greenflies.

    Join Mark Millan to hear about the important services that insects provide, such as:

    pollinating flowers, bushes and trees
providing food for birds, frogs, bats, hedgehogs
recycling leaves and other debris to fertilize the earth
consuming pests of flowers and vegetables (aphids, plant-chewing bugs, slugs and mildew).

    In view of the above, it would seem like a good idea to nab insects with a camera rather than a rolled-up newspaper, and this talk is based on the photographic documentation (2020 to 2024) of insects in Mark Millan’s own garden situated in the green belt West of Paris. £10 Livestream (watch live or on demand). Register at www.gardenmuseum.org

  • Tuesday, April 1, 6:30 pm – 8:00 pm – An-My Lê, Maps and Legends: Photography Between Histories and Beyond Borders

    Internationally renowned photographer An-My Lê seeks “to photograph the landscape in such a way that it suggests a universal history, a personal history, a history of culture.” In this lecture, Lê presents two new series of recent photographs, Dark Star and Grey Wolf, continuing her exploration of the contradictory nature of the manifest and the sublime within the contemporary American landscape, and the latter as a present-day locus of technology, power and ambition. In Lê’s work, scale is both temporal and historical, encompassing themes of displacement, war, memory, and resilience. These are present in her earliest black and white pictures of Vietnam (1994-1998) in which she returned to a scarred homeland as a political refugee, to her pictures of war re-enactors in the southern U.S. (Small Wars, 1999-2002),  to staged military training exercises in the American desert (29 Palms, 2003-04), to her more recent lens on polarization in the United States through a series of historical fragments (Silent General, 2015 to today). With extraordinary consideration of history and culture, Lê’s view of her subjects often incorporates an elevated perspective to achieve its signature precision and ethical neutrality. In zooming out to look closer, her stepped-back “proscenium framing” brings into crystal clear vision her observations and stories, not unlike layers of a history painting.

    The Harvard Graduate School of Design presents a lecture on April 1, both live and online, on April 1 at 6:30 Eastern. Registration is not required, but additional information on the speaker, and instructions on logging in, can be found at https://www.gsd.harvard.edu/event/an-my-le-maps-legends-photography-between-histories-and-beyond-borders/?mc_cid=9e6283110d&mc_eid=314db6bd32

  • Sunday, September 8, 10:00 am – 12:00 pm – Plankton Painting

    In this Arnold Arboretum experimental photography workshop on September 8 from 10 – 12 led by local artist and scientist Jess Holz, participants create ‘paintings’ using microscopic plankton collected from the Arboretum’s ponds. Participants use a microscope in combination with software which creates video akin to timelapse photography- acting at the decisive moment, participants snap photos of the trails created by these microscopic creatures. Participants will learn basic identification of microscopic pond life while getting a fascinating glimpse into their dynamic behavior, such as the helical paths of flagellates and the water currents generated by rotifers as they feed. Register at https://arboretum.harvard.edu/events/

  • Thursday, August 15 – Tuesday, October 15 – Seasons of Change: Photography Above the Garden

    Photographer John Rich spent the last year visiting New England Botanic Garden at Tower Hill and capturing the Climate Garden and the Garden of Inspiration from a truly unique vantage point: from above. The result is a collection of photographs that offers a rare aerial view of the Garden, highlighting seasonal transformations and shifting daylight. Each photograph displayed in this exhibition preserves an instant in time, enabling the viewer to glimpse the Garden’s cyclical changes, from moments of bloom and growth to decay and rest.

    Experience the natural beauty of the Garden from a whole new perspective. Seasons of Change will be on display in the Milton Gallery from August 15 to October 15. This exhibit promises to be a visual treat for anyone who appreciates nature’s beauty and the art of photography.

    This exhibit is included with General Admission. We recommend purchasing your tickets online in advance to secure your preferred date. You can also buy tickets in person at the Garden.

  • Tuesday, January 9, 7:00 pm – 8:30 pm Eastern – Photographing Birds: The Basics, Online

    Just getting into birding and trying to figure out how to capture the feathered creatures with your camera? Learn the basics of bird photography for species identification as well as artistic expression from naturalist Matt Felperin. This Smithsonian Associates program will be held on Zoom on January 9 at 7 pm Eastern.

    Topics of discussion include equipment, basic settings, composition, light, and positioning. View beautiful photos of various species of birds and learn the stories and strategies behind each image. $25 Smithsonian Associates members, $30 nonmembers. Register at www.smithsonianassociates.org Photo below copyright Matt Felperin.

  • Friday, November 17 – Photo Submission Deadline for Charles River Watershed

    Calling all photographers––do you love to photograph the scenes, plants, and wildlife of Charles River? The Charles River Watershed Association is so pleased to announce the first annual 2023 Charles River Photo Contest.

    Submit your photos today––share your top three images with us by Friday, November 17th for a chance to win exciting river-themed prizes and features on our digital channels. Submit today at http://www.crwa.org/photocontest

  • Saturday, July 15, 1:00 pm – 4:00 pm – New England Council of Camera Clubs Event, Online

    To thank everyone for being part of the NECCC family, join the Photo Group members for an online event on July 15, featuring two world-renowned past Conference Keynote Speakers, Bryan F. Peterson and Art Wolfe. Registration ($40) may be accessed at www.neccc.org.

    Bryan Peterson enjoyed a successful commercial photography career for more than 30 years whose clients included American Express, Kodak, UPS, Phillips and Citibank. In addition, he has received awards from the Communication Arts Photography Annual eight times, Print Magazine four times, and has also won the prestigious New York Art Directors Gold Award. He was also a contributing editor at Popular Photography and Outdoor Photography magazines for almost nine years and has been teaching photography for over 30 years.

    His largest audience knows him as the photographer and the writer of numerous best-selling photographing books including Understanding Color. If you would like to view more of his work, you can check out his Instagram account @bryanfpeterson or his website at BryanFPeterson.com.

    Canon Legend Art Wolfe has worked on every continent over the course of his decades-long career. Wolfe’s photographs are recognized throughout the world for their mastery of color, composition and perspective. Wolfe’s photographic mission is multi-faceted: art, wildlife advocacy, education, and journalism inform his work. Wolfe was the host of the award-winning and internationally telecast series “Art Wolfe’s Travels to the Edge,” an intimate and upbeat series that offers insights on nature, culture, and the realm of digital photography. It continues to air worldwide.

    Wolfe has released over 100 inspiring books and continues to be a leader in providing photographic education and fine art prints. Wolfe maintains his stock agency and production company in Seattle, Washington. View more at ArtWolfe.com

  • Tuesday, October 11 – Deadline for Submission: Home Gardeners Exhibit

    Old Sturbridge Village wants to see what you’ve been growing in your garden this year! Whether you are near or far, help us celebrate the fall harvest by entering this year’s Home Gardeners’ Exhibit. Entries will be posted in an online exhibit and photos will also be on display during the exhibition of the Village Harvest held on October 22nd and 23rd.  A couple of our expert horticulturalists will also pick the best of each category, sharing feedback and comments about the winning entries.

    Rules

    • The exhibit is open to the general public and museum staff.
    • Entries can be anything grown in the 2022 season – vegetables, flowers, herbs, etc. are acceptable. They do not have to be heirloom varieties, but you are more than welcome to submit heirloom produce!
    • The entry must be grown by the exhibitor.
    • There is no entry fee.
    • Each person may enter up to 4 items.
    • Vegetables eligible for entry in the heirloom category are listed below.
    • Entries must be submitted by Tuesday, October 11, 2022.

    Photo Tips For Virtual Exhibit

    • Use a clean visual background (try placing a sheet or tarp behind your plants if possible)
    • Remove any clutter or background objects that may distract from the subject you are photographing
    • Take photos at a well-lit area and time of day.
    • If it is too dark inside, consider shooting outside in the sunlight
    • Make sure your camera is focused on the plant you are submitting
    • Photos must be at least 300 PPI (pixels per inch); Largest file size option for smart phones

    Judging and Categories

    Museum horticultural staff will review each entry and determine a winner and runner up in each of the following categories:

    • Best in young gardeners (ages 5-12)
    • Best in adult gardeners (ages 13 and up)
    • Best heirloom – eligible varieties below
    • Best overall

    For a list of prizes and eligible heirloom varieties, and entry form, visit https://www.osv.org/event/home-gardeners-exhibit/

    Cactus and Benary’s Giant Zinnias grown by Rita Borovicka, 2021 Overall Winner