Filmic Inspiration from Kew Gardens

Today's post is a collage of images taken from a recent visit to Kew Gardens. Strangely, for all the years I've lived in London, this was my first visit here, and for any other Londoners yet to go, it's definitely worth the trip on the District Line. I was particularly intrigued by the 'filmic' quality of the famous glass houses, particularly the older ones, with peeling paint, winding staircases and ornate urns. My 'fashion' eye, meanwhile, was also attuned to the multitude of textures of the plants, their colours, forms and shapes. In developing my research through film and the processes of film-making this visit to Kew was certainly a lesson in 'looking', not just with a casual glance, but with a more nuanced 'looking', thinking about framing of shots, positions and angles of the camera, and of course, lighting, the bug-bear of every film-maker or photographer, particularly noticeable on the day I visited, with pleasant, if changeable, weather. The practice of looking is certainly something I'll no doubt be developing further over the coming months.


Chinese Pagoda


Temperate House, Kew Gardens






Japanese Wood Carving




Cacti Closeup


Glasshouse Roof


Purple Petticoats



Resources:

Kew Gardens: www.kew.org