New websites and blog

Just a quick post to say that now I'm a qualified (albeit unemployed!) garden designer, I have launched my professional website. You can see it at www.myfirstnamemysurname.com (I don't want my full real name linked on my personal blog - if you don't know it then drop me a line at thegaininja@gmail.com)

I have a new blog there, for writing about all things garden design, as well as to post my pictures of landscapes, flowers and so on. There're a few pretty pictures up already, plus you can see some of the work I did for college. I'll be making a few changes to the site over the next few days, mainly to make the images on the Portfolio section much bigger, so if bits of it are broken, that's why.

Also, if you're interested in garden and landscape design then check out my new online magazine - Alfrescapades. It's a place to collate "fun, funky and fresh landscape and outdoor design". Maybe you'll enjoy some of the content too :)

Finally, the sales part: if you live in or around London and are considering having any work done on your garden, or know someone who is, please do get in touch!

First! Prize! Wow!

Life has been so busy lately, but so good. It really is true that hard work pays off. Just wish it hasn't taken me 32 years to realise quite how much that's the case! I have quite a bit of news to share, mainly about graduation, but this is a follow-up to this post, in which you all very kindly helped me to choose which photos to enter in the Southport Flower Show photography competition.

Well, the results are up today, and I'm absolutely thrilled to say that I won first prize in the Garden Views category (for people aged 17 - 54), with the picture below.

WOOOOOHOOOO! So pleased it was this shot, too, as it's definitely my favourite :) Thank you to everyone who made a suggestion! As an extra bonus, I think there's actually a cash prize - might take myself clothes shopping!

The judges said it's "a wonderfully evocative composition. It is really very difficult to obtain perfect exposure right across a picture such as this but it is achieved here to perfection".

Finale - The Knotweed Diaries / エピソード１:イタドリの日記

One of the reasons that I thought the knotweed would be a good diary subject is that I didn't think was likely to go anywhere fast. Those of your who actually know my housemate will also know that she isn't exactly motivated when it comes to matters of the domestic variety, so I assumed that the knotweed would be around for the summer, possibly even culminating with it taking over the garden sometime in early October. Well, turns out I was wrong, because I came home one evening to find she had bought a metal incinerator box, which the photo shows her putting it together. Shortly afterwards I joined her in hacking down the knotweed, puitting it in said box, tipping white spirit on it and burning it (it's so invasive that you're not even allowed to throw it out with normal household rubbish.)

This was back on the 17th April, and since then it's mostly stayed away, apart from the odd sprout. That said, it's growing rampant in the garden behind the fence, so you probably haven't seen the last of this series yet...

Episode 5 - The Knotweed Diaries / エピソード１:イタドリの日記

Oh dear. Once again, Big Time Blog Update Failage has taken place. And to top it off, this series, with its lofty creative ambitions, has come to a rather abrupt end. Above is the final photo of the knotweed in its naturally bushy state, taken on 17th April 2011.

これが最後のイタドリ写真です

Photography competition

If you've arrived here as a result of a pestering e-mail, tweet or Facebook status, then thank you very much for coming!

I'll try and be brief (haha)... I've decided to enter my first photography competition, specifically for garden photography, but I can't decide which photos to enter. I know quite a few readers are into photography, and a couple are professional, so I figured that asking publicly couldn't hurt.

The competition is run by The Southport Flower show. I plan to enter two categories, into which I can enter two photos: "Plant Portraits" and "Garden Views". (There's a third one for wildlife in the garden, but I don't think I have a single picture of a bug, let alone something more exciting).

Anyhow, I've shortlisted the pictures I'm considering entering, and would be really grateful if you could leave me a comment and tell me which ones you think are the best.

As usual, all are shot with my 50D using a 50mm prime lens. No photoshopping, let alone cropping, has occurred in the making of these images :)

Plant portraits

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2.

3.

4.

5.

6.

7.

Garden views


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9.

10.

11.

12.
(really can't decide between all these misty shots!)

13.

14.

15.

Episode 4 - The Knotweed Diaries / エピソード１:イタドリの日記

As of the 12th April (４月１２日）.

Episode 3 - The Knotweed Diaries / エピソード１:イタドリの日記

The knotweed as of the 9th of April.
４月9日の虎杖。