Inside the Palm House
A visit to the Palm House in the botanical garden of Copenhagen
I love botanical gardens. Before visiting a new city I always check beforehand, if there is a botanical garden, and if there is, then I try make time for a visit. So far I have seen the gardens in Copenhagen, Madrid, Lyon, Paris, Florence, Rome, Pisa, Lucca, and Bologna.
There is no doubt, that botanical gardens inspire me very much in my photography, and I keep coming back to visit them.
It’s not that I am particularly interested in plants or flowers or the world of botanics in general. I just like botanical gardens. I like their quietness, the beauty, the freshness, the scents, and even the sounds. Running water from little fountains, the sounds of birds and sometimes even frogs. I also love the greenhouses with their transparency, green plants, and the almost intoxicating fresh scent of soil, humidity, plants, and flowers.
Almost every time I am in Copenhagen, I visit the Palm House inside the botanical garden. It’s one of my absolute favorite places in the city, and I love to take photos in here. I love the shapes and the colors, and I love the simplicity and elegance of the building, the minimalistic feel to it.
This time I had a roll of black and white film in the camera, which I wanted to finish as soon as possible, since it contained photos from Paris, which I was very eager to see. I admit, that it probably wasn’t the best film stock for capturing this place, since the contrast and the blacks are very heavy, but I think the photos deserve a post anyway.
Kodak T-max 400 and Canon AE-1 Program.
Hi Brigitte, I agree with you: greenhouses are inspiring places (I really liked the sentence about the scent) and palms and other plants bring lots of photographic opportunities. I don't see why the T-max wouldn't be the right choice of filmstock, though. These photos are contrasty and alive and look awesome. I wonder what you would choose if that film wouldn't have been in your camera.
I’m right there with you, I’m not really a plant person, but I really enjoy a botanical garden! And I absolutely love a green house with palms. The textures and different shades of green is always so interesting to me. You can go there 100 times and find different ways to capture it!