Over the weekend KDH attended a lecture at the Madoo Conservancy in Sagaponack. Surprisingly, I have never visited Madoo before, and I was enchanted to discover this magical garden world, curated by its legendary founder, Robert Dash. Madoo is a unique, living tribute to the artistic imagination of Dash, who seeks to engage, educate, and inspire visitors within this ever-changing, entirely organic environment. I quickly realized that I was in a room filled with some very serious East End green thumbs, who were eager to hear guest lecturer, legendary lensman Mick Hales [below], distill photography tips and share his personal stories about capturing images of the world’s most breathtaking gardens…

Mick Hales was born in England, and grew up in Pakistan and Nigeria. He studied photography at the London College of Printing and moved to New York in 1982. Skilled at catching the mood of an interior space, garden or product, Mick has published 35 coffee table books and over 270 magazine articles for publications including: Antiques Magazine, Vanity Fair, American Horticulturalist, Veranda, Traditional Homes, Horticulture, Casa Vogue, GQ Magazine, Elle Décor, Garden Design, House Beautiful, and Town and Country. [see some of Mick’s images below]

Hales has photographed the Madoo gardens for many years, sharing, “What makes Madoo special is that it encapsulates one of the great creative minds of our time. Robert Dash’s painting, poetry, gardening and interiors all bounce off each other. They are all a part of the layering of his creativity, they point to each other and reflect one another. When you are immersed in Madoo, you are seeing into the heart of American creativity.”

KDH asked Mick to share his three top photography tips with KDHamptons readers, here you go:

1. See where your eye leads you in a space, and then the thoughts and feelings which are created.

2. Try to express what you are feeling in your images.

3. Be sure to capture the big picture and the true essence of the place.

4. Also look for the whimsical details and what is extraordinary to the moment.

Okay, got it Mick. So I headed out the back door to try out these tips whilst photographing Madoo’s winter gardens [below]. How did I do?

KDH loved chatting with charming Alejandro Saralegui [Director of Madoo] and Kendall Cronstrom, Editor in Chief of Hamptons Cottages & Gardens [pictured above].  Kendall muses about Madoo, “The winter lecture series at Madoo has been fabulous. Not only did it get people out of the house and into this beautiful environment in Sagaponack, but each and every lecture has been extremely informative and inspiring, from Charlotte Moss to Anne Raver to Mick Hales.”

**The Madoo Conservancy is dedicated to the study, preservation, and enhancement of Madoo, the ever changing, horticulturally diverse garden with historic structures established in 1967 by artist, gardener, and writer Robert Dash in the village of Sagaponack. To learn more about the Madoo Conservancy go to: www.madoo.org

**To see more of Mick Hales photography go to: www.mickhales.com, and to purchase his books go to:  http://www.amazon.com/Gardens-Around-World-365-Days/dp/0810949806/ref=sr_1_3?ie=UTF8&qid=1364300094&sr=8-3&keywords=gardens+of+the+World