November 21, 2022: Rodger Elliot will speak to us via Zoom on Landscapes, Plants, Flowers & Patterns of Australia. This presentation will cover many aspects of what one can come across as you explore the vast Australian continent with the main concentration on its amazing plant life. Australia is regarded as a biological hot spot of the world. The images Rodger has selected for this presentation were taken in a wide range of habitats as well as in cultivation. There will be images of scenes (from alpine to desert and coast), tree trunks, foliage, flowers (including carnivorous plants), fruits, fungi, lichens, moss and a series on natural patterns.
Rodger had had a passion for observing & cultivating Australian plants since his late teens and began photographing them in the early 1960s. He will discuss selection of subjects, exposure/shutter speed, f/stops and ISO as well as providing some hints that he puts into practice while photographing. He is very interested in the practice of gaining ‘bokeh’ in images and this has led him into further ‘artistic’ fields which will also be covered near the conclusion of the presentation.
Rodger has traveled throughout most of southern and central Australia and has had a number of excursions into northern Australia. He always travels very light with minimal equipment as he would often be hiking. His gear usually includes one or two camera bodies and a couple of lenses with UV and daylight filters plus magnification rings. Tripod, flash or a reflective sheet are rarely utilized. Post production editing may involve Photoshop Elements but is not seen as a must for most images.
With his long involvement in the horticultural industry, it has meant that his photography is often used as an aid for plant identification and images are often utilized for publishing projects.
Rodger lives with his wife Gwen in Berwick, a leafy area some 40 km east of Melbourne, Victoria in south-eastern Australia. They have operated retail and wholesale nurseries specializing in Australian plants for about 35 years, including selecting and breeding Australian plants for worldwide markets. Having been a horticulturalist, pseudo-botanist, writer, lecturer and tour guide, Rodger is now retired. He began writing for Australian and overseas garden journals and magazines in the 1970s and has completed over 25 books on Australian plants. He is co-author with David Jones of the highly renowned 9-volume The Encyclopaedia of Australian Plants Suitable for Cultivation that is illustrated by Trevor Blake. He has lectured on Australian plants in many parts of Australia, the UK, Europe and Japan as well as widely in the US, including Longwood Gardens, Brooklyn Botanic Garden & the University of California Santa Cruz Arboretum and Botanic Garden.
Rodger served on the Royal Botanic Gardens Victoria Board for 16 years and is currently Chairman of the Maud Gibson Trust Advisory Committee, its sole support. In 1999, Rodger received the Gold Veitch Memorial Medal from the Royal Horticultural Society, London. In 2001, Rodger and Gwen were appointed Members of the Order of Australia for their contribution to the horticulture of Australian plants. They are Honorary Life Members of the Arboretum Associates of the University of California, Santa Cruz. In 2004, Rodger and Gwen received the F. Owen Pearce Award of Horticulture from the Strybing Arboretum Society in recognition of their role in expanding the horticultural potential of Australian flora for Californian gardens. In 2014 they were inducted into the Horticultural Media Association Australia’s Hall of Fame. Rodger’s other awards include the Australian Institute of Horticulture’s Award for Excellence 1992, Honorary Life Membership of Australian Plants Society, Australian Plants Award 1995 and the Australian Natural History Medallion 1995.
This will be a paid event for non-members with a $10 donation.
For non-members interested in attending, please register by making your $10 donation at https://store.