In these films, the Botanics’ photography team recreated some of the historical views of the Garden taken on glass plates from the early 1900s onwards. They were taken by RBGE’s own celebrated official photographer Robert Moyes Adam and others.

The Botanics’ iconic buildings and views were used as a starting point, and Adobe software was used to first place the old and new images on top of each other and then to animate them into short videos fading between two photographs.

The project highlighted the continuing evolution of the Garden, with many landscapes today completely different from the past. It also showed the incredible evolution in photography during this time period – from the heavy plate view cameras of the past, with long exposures and elaborate black and white printing techniques, to the high resolution full colour instant digital images of today.

We are sure that Moyes Adam would be amazed by how photography and the Garden have changed.  What will the next 100 or 350 years bring?

Lynsey Wilson and Brenda White (RBGE Photography Officer and Volunteer)