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The Secret Language of My Gardens
My connection to flowers began when I was very young, observing bees and humming birds while following my grandmother around in her gardens. I've been intrigued by the intimate communication pollinators have with flowers ever since.
In order to survive, flowers speak a secret language developed to lure the appetites of species-specific nectar seekers. This is what their colors, fragrances and other attributes are all about.
Curiosity about the science behind all of this led to my degrees in botany and horticulture from the University of Wisconsin-Madison.
In fact, my earliest photography experience stems from documenting native plants, including endangered flora in remnant prairies, such as the White Fringed Prairie Orchid, whose survival is affected by a delicate balance of pollinator and environmental factors.
Along the way, I began to use a medium format film camera in order to document my own gardens.
To create my compositions, I start by taking a quiet, meditative stroll around my garden, collecting flowers, seeds and natural objects. I surrender all my senses to the plants; allowing them to call out for attention: "Take me; I am blooming over here" or, "Find me; I am hiding below the bluebells."
A garden landscape sings like an orchestra in constant performance. Each of my photographs signify one day in the life of my garden, and the flowers within each will reveal the season: Daffodils and peonies signify the rustle of spring; Foxgloves and lilies call out the height of summer, and Autumnal berries and asters finish the evolving season with gusto.
I tend to allow nature and intuition to rule as I observe chaos playing with order and predictability-flirting with alluring surprises.
In the studio, I begin to arrange my treasures as if I am preparing to paint a still-life (I really had hoped to become a painter early on). My goal in all of this is to capture the essence of a moment in time where I am trying my best to bring a multi-dimensional world into the two-dimensions of a photograph. I've been working at this now for over 40 years.
In order to meet my precise standards for color and quality, each print undergoes a very time-consuming path and follows archival museum methods.
In addition to photography I continue to work today as a consultant with land trusts to help protect ecologically significant lands; another true passion of mine. A percentage of my sales go to support these organizations.
Thank you for visiting today.
Art Collections
University of Michigan, Art Archives
Hallmark Corporation
Pleasant Company/Mattel
Miller Brewing Company
West Bend Mutual Insurance
New Orleans Museum of Art
Racine Art Museum
Saint Louis Public Art Collection
Waukesha Public Library Art Collection
Springfield, Illinois Civic Art Collection
First Place & Best of Show Awards
Coconut Grove Art Festival, Miami, FL
Saint Louis Art Fair
Kansas City Plaza Art Fair
Festival of the Masters, Disney, FL
Lakefront Festival of the Arts, Milwaukee, WI
Ann Arbor Street Fair, Michigan
Belleville Art on the Square, Belleville, IL
Contact Information:
Jill Bedford, Photography
P.O. Box 180022
Delafield, Wisconsin 53018
Email: jillbedfordportfolio@gmail.com
Website: https://www.jillbedfordphotography.com
Studio: 262-478-7335
© 2026 Jill Bedford, Photography