Howard has had a lifelong passion for both photography and gardening. He grew up in Chigwell, Essex and from a very young age took a keen interest in all aspects of gardening under the watchful eye of his mother. When Howard was around the age of twelve, his father purchased a Zeiss SLR camera and by allowing Howard to use it sparked an enthusiasm for photography - Howard was fascinated with the opportunity to record the beauty of the natural environment and plants that caught his eye, many of which he had grown himself.

passion for growing species orchids

Howard holds a joint honours degree in Botany and Geography and studied Woodland Conservation at Cambridge University for his master's degree. After a short spell as a Trees Advisory Officer at Suffolk County Council, he joined a small team at the Consumers' Association where Gardening Which? magazine was soon to be launched. After a rewarding twelve years, first as a Projects Officer and then as Projects Manager, Howard escaped from his office desk in 1994 to become a full time garden photographer.

Howard lives near the centre of Cambridge with his wife, Fiona who is also a photographer and a keen gardener. They have two grown up sons and live in a carefully restored Victorian house with a tranquil walled garden. Howard and Fiona have spent ten years completely redesigning their garden which is now subdivided into compartments, including a formal lawn with herbaceous borders and topiary, a wild garden, a vegetable garden with raised beds and a period style conservatory where Howard indulges his passion for growing species orchids.