Special events

The first of these saw  DPS  members invited to a day at Hampton Court Palace to take pictures that were then placed in an exhibition at the palace itself. Each member who came along was given a personal guide and free reign to access areas not normally open to the public. A very rare and unique photographic opportunity indeed.

The event was such a success the society was invited to provide images for a new building, The Temple of the imagination, at the Royal Botanic Gardens at Kew.  The design process, construction and opening of the structure was featured in the BBC series  "A year at Kew". Each photographer provided a series of images, from which a total of six were chosen to be turned into a series of 6 foot high window panels.

Oak Chairs in the Palace

The society members taking part were given a full days design briefing as to what the project entailed and then  were given free entry to the Royal Botanic Gardens for two months, so that they could take the photographs of the various structures and plants at Kew in order to fulfil the design brief of "Plants in architecture".  Once chosen, the final images were printed, in Black and white, onto glass panels and these then formed the windows of the Temple.

Cast iron spiral staircase in the palm house, Kew

Orchid festival

The Pagoda, Kew

The Marian North Gallery at Kew

The  Temple of the Imagination was formally opened on the same day which the refurbished Kew Palace was re-opened to the public, in April 2006, and the contributing Photographers were of course invited to attend the ceremony.