lacock abbey

Photos exhibited in a botanic garden? It's IGPOTY at Lacock Abbey

If you're looking for something to do over the Easter break, how about combining a trip to the home of photography with a browse of some of the International Garden Photographer of the Year competition's winning images? It was at Lacock Abbey where William Henry Fox Talbot invented and completed the first photographic negative procedure. Now, Lacock Abbey is owned by the National Trust and between 5 April and 22 May 2014, it will be hosting a selection of the International Garden Photographer of the Year winning entries, outdoors, in its Botanic Garden.

Hydrangeas in my Garden by Andrzej Bochenski (2nd place, The Beauty of Plants category)

Although the competition is run in conjunction with the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew and the main exhibition is held there each year, there's a rolling programme of touring exhibitions with Lacock Abbey being first on the list.

'Our wonderful fragrant flower borders are coming into bloom, so the exhibition will be a delight for all the senses really,' says Kristine Heuser, Marketing and Communications Officer at Lacock. 'Photography is very close to our heart, so we are delighted to have the exhibition back again this year.'

The exhibition is open between 10:30 and 17:30 everyday, 5 April to 22 May 2014. Normal National Trust admission charges apply, so please consult its website for details.

Shadow Catchers at the V&A

Garry Fabian Miller

Sometimes, I think it’s easy to forget that you don’t need a camera to create a photograph. Oh sure, cameras make it easier, and in some respects safer, but it definitely isn’t all about the megapixels. If you need convincing of this, you should take a trip to the Shadow Catchers exhibition at the V&A, which opens today.

A selection of 75 different images, including photograms, luminograms, and chemigrams, produced by five different photographers—Pierre Cordier, Susan Derges, Garry Fabian Miller, Adam Fuss, and Floris Neusüss—will be available for your delectation.

'Homage to Talbot: The Latticed Window, Lacock Abbey, 2010', by Floris Neususs

Every one of the images is completely original: there’re no negatives. I’ve only had a quick peek, but I reckon this one might be worth the entry fee.

Shadow Catchers runs from from 13 October 2010 until 20 February 2011, at the Victoria and Albert Museum, Cromwell Road, London, SW7 2RL.