Ann Treneman for The Times
It was a pleasure to photograph Ann Treneman for The Times in a commission that resulted in my first cover for The Times Weekend supplement, and my first image on the cover of The Times newspaper.
Ann Treneman is a journalist who spent many years at The Times, first as a parliamentary sketch writer and later as theatre critic. Her writing was known for its sharp observational tone, often distilling political life into character-led narrative sketches. After leaving Westminster reporting behind, she turned towards horticulture, retraining in gardening and landscape practice through the RHS and the University of Sheffield.
This first image places her within her garden in Bakewell, Derbyshire, where the shift in her working life is now physically embedded in the landscape around her.
A journalist turned gardener
Until September 2015, Ann was The Times’ parliamentary sketch writer before moving into theatre criticism, a role that continued her focus on observation, rhythm, and human detail. That same attention has clearly carried into her work in the garden.
In this second frame, the focus is less on biography and more on process. Ann’s garden is not presented as a finished space, but as something active and evolving. It reflects her preparation for a garden designed for the Chelsea Flower Show, where ideas about structure, planting, and narrative composition come together in physical form.
The transition from newsroom to garden is not abrupt here — it feels continuous, just expressed through a different medium.
Working in the garden and preparing for Chelsea
A significant part of Ann’s recent work has involved studying horticulture and landscape architecture, alongside developing her own garden practice. Her interest in planting design led her towards RHS training and later involvement in Chelsea Flower Show projects.
This image sits within that context of preparation and making. Rather than a staged portrait, it is rooted in the activity of gardening itself — the quiet decision-making, the attention to detail, and the slow construction of space.
The garden in Bakewell becomes both workspace and subject, reflecting the same observational discipline that once defined her writing.
The Times commission and editorial portrait
The shoot took place entirely in Ann Treneman’s garden in Derbyshire and formed part of a feature for The Times about her shift towards horticulture and her preparations for Chelsea Flower Show.
The resulting work led to my first cover for The Times Weekend supplement and a further image used on the front page of The Times newspaper — a significant editorial moment within my portrait photography practice.
As an assignment, it sits at the intersection of portrait and documentary photography, where the subject is defined as much by environment as by expression. Working in natural light and within a real working space allowed the images to remain observational rather than constructed, which suited both the subject and the publication’s editorial tone.