When photographer Jane Fulton Alt lost her husband, she turned her attention to the garden he’d cultivated in response to his concerns over climate change. She had no experience gardening but found solace in the daily ritual of nurturing plants. The work also inspired a photo series. Her new book, “Still Life: A Photographer’s Journey Through Grief and Gardening,” is a collection of images she captured of the budding flowers, ripe berries, and luscious greenery of the garden that lives on. 

Some photos highlight plants within the garden; some photos feature arrangements of flowers and berries picked from the garden, mirroring Dutch still-life paintings. For the latter, the setup was simple, she says: “A table, a backdrop of black velvet, and the early morning light streaming through the kitchen window.” She used a Fujifilm X-T2 on a tripod. “I took many photographs that did not work,” Alt says. “I think the key to a good photograph is to get yourself, your mind, and your ego out of the way. When you become one with the subject, the magic happens.”

Amanda Arnold is a senior editor.