SheFeatures: Molly Hollman
Name: Molly Hollman
Camera: Sony A7R III and Sony RX10 III
Favourite type(s) of photography: Garden and flower photography
Website: mollyhollman.myportfolio.com
Instagram: @MollyHollmanPhotography
Location: Canterbury, Kent, UK
How did you get into photography?
I have always been an artist, but when my children were born, I focused more on photography as I had less time. I had always had an SLR camera but switched to a DSLR camera (Pentax system) at about that time.
Do you have any photographic qualifications or accolades?
I was the winner of the RHS Photography competition 2021 (Plants category), Winner of the Garden Media Guild portfolio Photographer of the Year 2022 and 2023, Winner of Botanical and Fungi Photographer of the Year with the Society of Photographers 2022, Winner of Natural World Photographer of the Year and All-round Photographer of the Year in the Guild of Photographers 2023. I also have won awards with the International Garden Photographer of the Year across the last six years, most recently second place in the Beauty of Plants category.
What's the first photograph you remember seeing or shooting?
A photo of my dog when I was three - it was very blurry!
What do you love about photography?
I love the 'double creativity' - the thought processes that go into getting a good shot and then enhancing that later photo on the computer.
What do you wish you'd learned about photography earlier?
How to edit more skillfully (although I'm STILL learning this one and it seems that it may be a never-ending quest!)
Where is your favourite place for photography?
Any of my local gardens. I zone out from the world and listen to the birds and the insects.
Do you have a favourite photographic technique?
Probably using my homemade overlays (like textures but without the 'texture') behind my portraits of flowers. I make these from out-of-focus photos of flowers and plants and love the challenge of combining photos and overlays that complement each other - you can see examples on my website.
Can you briefly outline your approach to image processing?
I import my photos into Lightroom Classic (often 800 or more if I have been doing a garden photography shoot) and rate them, deleting as many as 75% as I'm rather a perfectionist! Then I do a basic edit (a little contrast, shadow lift, vibrancy etc) and crop for the best composition. Sometimes, I'll then take the image straight into Photoshop (Control E or Command E) and remove or clone out distracting elements or add a digital overlay.
What's your favourite lens?
My Sigma 105mm DG DN Macro Art.
Do you have a favourite accessory?
My light box - a square white box measuring about 40 x 40cm with LED lights built-in. I use it in my conservatory to photograph on rainy days.
Have you found the perfect camera bag yet?
Yes! I bought a shopper trolley on wheels, removed the bag and instead added an old rectangular camera bag. I often walk for miles around the gardens I photograph and this new contraption saves my back.
Which photographers have influenced or inspired you, and how or why?
In my genre, Polina Plotnikova has always inspired me with her creative approaches to flower photography, and Ross Hoddinott is basically the macro king!
Please recommend 2 or 3 female photographers to follow on Instagram.
Polina Plotnikova (@photoartitude), Claudia Gaupp (@lostinblooms) and Sue Bishop (@suebishopphotos).
Is there a camera, lens or accessory that you don't have yet but you'd like to buy at some point?
I'd love a camera that would allow me to create multiple exposures in-camera, but I have quite a long wish list!
Is there a photography genre you love but haven't tried yet?
I've always loved close-up underwater photography but have never had the equipment to try it.
What's your proudest photographic moment?
When my book on flower photography was published in 2022 (Creative Flower and Plant Photography).
If you could have one superpower that could help you with photography, what would it be?
To be able to persuade the world of the importance of our wild plant life and insects before they all disappear (insect populations have declined by at least 45% over the last 40 years) and then to be able to travel to capture it instantly - so many of our wildflower landscapes sadly no longer exist. Sorry, is that two things?
Your favourite baked goods are?
The proper big hot cross buns you get from a bakery, although I'm very partial to a cream tea at all the gardens I visit!
Please tell us a little about yourself.
I'm passionate about photographing flowers, plants and gardens at all times of the year and believe that encouraging others to visit gardens with my photography can only be a good thing, and in particular can make a positive difference to mental health.
I'm a keen gardener, growing the plants I want to photograph, but I also have an allotment. I'm often booked to give talks to horticulture societies and camera clubs, which I love.
I trained as a musician (I play percussion, piano and Baroque recorder) and still play with orchestras from time-to-time. I'm Head of Music at a school in Ramsgate, Kent.
