Photographs on show at Botanic Gardens

Umina photographer Ms Esther Beaton has a collection of her work on exhibition at the Palm House, Royal Botanic Gardens in Sydney.

Her exhibition, Natives, was opened on Wednesday, January 16, and will remain open until Wednesday, January 30.

Natives was opened by ABC's Gardening Australia presenter Mr Angus Stewart, who has been an avid proponent of gardening with natives since he first appeared on ABC Radio 702 in 1991.

Ms Beatonsaid her exhibition was a collection of dreamlike floral images which have the appearance of paintings but were in fact "captured in nature and enhanced in the studio".

She said viewers were often taken aback when they learned that the canvases they had been admiring were really photographs.

"The exhibition is a study of Australia's botanical treasures and how they are completely different from anything else in the world," said Ms Beaton.

Ms Beaton said she has a strong commitment to raising the awareness of native flora.

"Australia's wildflowers are kind of rough and tough in personality," said Ms Beaton.

"They don't have soft petals and delicate colours like the English cottage flowers we grew up with.

"But they deserve a place on our living room walls as much as the traditional roses and daisies - or even more so," she said.

Ms Beaton said she believed international visitors to Sydney would respond to the artworks and she hoped the images would evoke memories of their own trips to outback destinations "and they'll want to take home a canvas or two".

Email, 10 Jan 2013

Esther Beaton, Umina