Research and ChatGPT

 

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So is it ok to post the odd photograph on Instagram from the Advolly article? Will it change the Garden Media Guild's or other concerns like The English Garden Magazine's view on publishing?

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I actually think it could help your long-term position, provided you're selective.

There is a common misconception that magazines and publishers only want completely unpublished work. In reality, the concern is usually about whether the work has already been substantially published, not whether a handful of images have appeared on social media.

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For an article like your Advolly piece:

• Posting one photograph every few weeks with thoughtful captions about your methodology is unlikely to make the work feel "used up."

• Posting every image from the article, or reproducing the article's narrative on Instagram, is more likely to diminish its exclusivity.

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Editors are typically buying:

• a coherent body of work;

• a fresh story;

• high-resolution images;

• publication rights;

• access to you and your research.

A few Instagram posts don't replace any of those.

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For the Garden Media Guild

I don't think the GMG would view occasional Instagram posts negatively. If anything, they may see that you're actively engaging with your audience and building a profile within horticultural media.

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For magazines like The English Garden

Editors generally care more about questions like:

• Is this story original?

• Is it well researched?

• Are the images of publication quality?

• Can we present it in a way our readers haven't seen?

A few carefully chosen Instagram posts rarely answer those questions.

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A strategy I'd recommend

Instead of treating Instagram as a place to publish finished projects, use it as a research journal.

For example:

• a single photograph;

• 150–250 words reflecting on what you observed;

• perhaps a quotation from a gardener (with permission);

• a thought about analogue photography or horticultural expertise.

That builds anticipation rather than exhausting the story.

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Even better

You don't have to post only the "best" images.

Some of the strongest posts could be about process:

• a contact sheet;

• your Rolleiflex or other analogue equipment in the field;

• a notebook page (avoiding confidential material);

• a detail from a garden that prompted a line of enquiry;

• a reflection on why you spent an hour simply watching before making a photograph.

Those posts reinforce what makes Reading Gardens distinctive: your methodology.

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My only caution

Since you hope to publish more widely, I'd avoid posting the signature image from any project before you've pitched it. Keep your strongest photograph in reserve.

Instead, think in terms of:

• 80–90% of the work remaining unpublished, and

• 10–20% acting as a window into the project.

That's usually enough to build interest without reducing its appeal to editors.

From everything we've discussed over the past few months, I think your greatest opportunity isn't becoming known simply as someone who photographs gardens. It's becoming known as someone who conducts research-led analogue photographic studies of horticultural expertise. Instagram can support that reputation if it showcases your way of working rather than functioning as a gallery of finished images.

 

This is my Instagram introduction at the top of my account. What are your thoughts? Artist READING GARDENS UK Photographer & Writer Exploring Gardens and Historic Landscapes through Horticultural experts.

 

I think it's very close, but there's one phrase that feels slightly awkward:

"Exploring Gardens and Historic Landscapes through Horticultural experts."

The word "through" implies the gardens are being explored by means of the experts, which is broadly what you mean, but it doesn't read as naturally as the rest. Also, "Horticultural experts" doesn't need a capital H unless you're following a particular house style.

I'd also think about whether "Artist" is the best category. If Instagram allows it, Photographer, Photographer & Writer, or Artist all send slightly different signals:

• Artist emphasises contemporary practice.

• Photographer makes your work immediately discoverable and understandable.

• Photographer & Writer reflects your practice most accurately.

 

Here is an alternative:

 

READING GARDENS
UK Photographer & Writer
Exploring gardens and historic landscapes through the expertise of gardeners.

This is elegant and makes it clear that it's the gardeners' expertise that's central.

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One broader observation

Over the past few conversations, I've noticed your work has become more clearly defined. Initially, you described photographing gardens. Now, your work is really about how horticultural expertise is perceived, enacted and understood through photography. That's a much stronger and more distinctive position.

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I would lean into that distinction consistently across your website, Instagram, and emails. Rather than describing yourself primarily as someone who photographs gardens, describe yourself as someone who investigates horticultural expertise through analogue photography, observation and writing. That gives people a memorable reason to follow your work and sets you apart from many excellent garden photographers whose emphasis is on the gardens themselves rather than the people and practices behind them.

 

So I could include "investigates horticultural expertise through analogue photography, observation and writing." in one of my early instagram posts

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Yes, I think that would make an excellent early Instagram post.

Use the following in a short statement of intent. Instagram is well suited to this because people who discover your work often want to understand why you're making these photographs, not just see the finished images.

 

For example:

What is Reading Gardens?

Reading Gardens investigates horticultural expertise through analogue photography, observation and writing.

Each study begins with observation rather than interview. By spending time watching how gardeners move, attend and work within a landscape, I explore how professional knowledge is expressed through practice and place.

My photographs form part of an ongoing research into the relationships between people, gardens and historic landscapes.

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Or a shorter version:

Reading Gardens investigates horticultural expertise through analogue photography, observation and writing.

I'm interested in how gardeners experience landscapes, and how observation can reveal forms of knowledge that are difficult to express in words alone.

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I also think it would be worthwhile creating 3–5 foundational posts that remain near the top of your grid. They don't all have to be posted at once, but together they can introduce new visitors to your practice:

1. What is Reading Gardens? (your research question and methodology)

2. Why analogue photography? (why film matters to your work)

3. Why observation before interview? (your methodological approach)

4. About Gina Dover-Jaques (your background and interests)

5. Selected work (for example, a photograph from your Advolly project with a reflection on what it taught you)

 

These aren't promotional posts—they're context. If someone like Claire at Great Dixter or an editor from The English Garden visits your profile after receiving an email, they won't just see attractive photographs. They'll quickly understand that they're looking at the work of someone pursuing a coherent, research-led practice.

That's a much stronger impression than a feed that consists only of finished images with descriptive captions. It shows that your photography is driven by enquiry, and that is one of the qualities that distinguishes Reading Gardens.

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