Andrew and I decided to visit the Alnwick Garden again in June after enjoying our previous visits so much, but this time at night to take part in a Photography Masterclass with world renowned Canadian Photographer Linda Rutenberg. One of Linda's specialities is night time garden photography. She uses a technique known in photography as "painting with light" and it was this technique that we were both keen to learn more about, as neither of us had worked this way before. The course began at 9pm to ensure that after some background information regarding shooting in this mode had been covered by Linda , that it would be dark enough for practical shooting in the garden. The class was due to finish at midnight so we thought it a good idea to have dinner first in the amazing Treehouse Restaurant, to build up stamina for trekking around the vast expanse of the garden! We arrived at 6pm on another beautifully sunny evening and were wowed by how stunning the Treehouse looked amidst the greenery in the warm sunshine. It is truly a feat of engineering and design, raised up on wooden and steel posts for legs high up off the ground. It is a large structure housing several small bars and outdoor areas, aswell as the fabulous restaurant itself with dining tables made from huge wooden logs and with parts of the imposing old trees that the structure is built upon reaching up through the floorboards. During the day you can have fun leaping across one of the two rope bridges linking the Treehouse to wooden walkways (we both tried this and found it scarily like being contestants on "I'm a Celebrity" - but didn't want to get out of there!) As evening fell, we marvelled at how cleverly the structure was lit by small fairy lights and torches which guide you up to the main entrance. The whole effect is pretty special, as was the amazing food we had in the restaurant. Service was excellent and attentive. We both chose different dishes from an a la carte menu of local freshly prepared produce and shared a goats cheese starter which was divine! I had chicken breast stuffed with pancetta, ricotta cheese and peppers with roasted vegetables and garlic potato. Andrew had the monkfish in a tomato based sauce which he said was delicious, however his cream linen shirt suffered an unfortunate incident with the red sauce! The waiter attempted to assist with iced water and a napkin, but the fate of the garment had already been sealed! Desserts were to die for... Andrew chose a strawberry shortcake which passed off incident free and I opted for the heavenly chocolate torte with an orange creme fraiche and gingersnap dust, which we both sampled and promptly declared it one of the best desserts we had ever tasted! There is an extensive wine list on offer here, but unfortunately we were unable to sample it fully as Andrew had to drive us home after the masterclass ended!
After dinner, the class began and we retreated to a small snug opposite the restaurant to meet our fellow photographers over a drink from the bar. Linda and her husband explained the evening's agenda and we also met up with the Head Gardener who accompanied us on the practical side of the class for the shoot. He was very knowledgeable about all the plants and flowers we photographed and answered lots of questions we had about the garden itself. All in all, we had a fabulous evening which ended at midnight. We could have spent hours longer as the garden took on a whole new perspective at night, but this is when the gates are locked for the evening and all visitors must leave. We left having shot some interesting images and having gained some night photography tips from Linda, vowing to return yet again after a thoroughly enjoyable night!
