No man is an island, entire of itself,
Every man is a piece of the continent,
A part of the main.
If a clod be washed away by the sea,
Europe is the less.
As well as if a promontory were.
As well as if a manor of thy friend's
Or of thine own were:
Any man's death diminishes me,
Because I am involved in mankind,
And therefore never send to know for whom the bell tolls;
It tolls for thee.
John Donne
For me landscape photography is a solitary pursuit. Over the years I have realised that I am at my very best when photographing on my own. I find the silence and solitude to be most inspiring. The whole world shrinks into the precious moments of calm, away from madding crowds, busy office, everyday duties and social media madness. Those moments feel familiar, comfortable and comforting at the same time. They are my great escape when life becomes extremely chaotic. When I feel like I am on an express train, heading into the unknown far too fast, and can't get off. The sense of being alone in nature is a most welcome antidote to the busy life that we live. Only then I can de-clutter my mind, forget about all my worries, stresses and to-do lists, and listen to my inner thoughts. Only then I can really experience the scene before me and try to capture the emotions that it evokes in me.
However there comes a point when I want to share all the experiences and results of my pursuits. Although I appreciate that social media allow you to reach many people around the globe without even leaving your desk - and I have met some wonderful people out there - there is nothing better than meeting real people and having a personal conversation about the shared interests. So I was delighted to be invited to the Landscape Collective UK, a group of inspiring photographers, who not only meet, but also share their printed work and discuss all things photography.
It gave me an opportunity to connect with like-minded people, who give each other support and encouragement. It opened new doors for me to improve and move forward. I finally started printing the images I have so far only shared electronically. The experience of seeing my work printed is priceless and very rewarding. It also changed the way I think about taking photographs. I started thinking about the final result, which will eventually hang on the wall. Even if it is only my wall.
To celebrate the existence of the group we are having an inaugural exhibition at the Art at the Heart centre. The Art at the Heart Charity supports the Royal United Hospitals Bath with an innovative arts programme that stimulates healing and well-being and creates an uplifting environment for all who visit the hospital or work in it. They believe in a world where art and design is used to improve lives and healthcare. By enhancing the look and feel of the hospital with art they support the healing of patients and give patients, staff and visitors opportunities to be creative.
The exhibition starts on 24th April 2015 and closes on the 10th July 2015. Any sales benefit the Art at the Heart Charity by way of commission.
Here are the images that I have on display. All printed on Epson Stylus Pro 3880 printer on A2 Natural Soft Textured Bright White 315gsm Signature Fotospeed paper. The mounts are supplied and custom cut by Cotswold Mounts.
Share this story
I’d love to be able to come along to this, but I live in the East Midlands and it’s not really practical.
I wonder how many of us don’t print? I’ve hardly ever printed out anything I’ve done, but on the odd occasion when I have, I wonder why I don’t do it more often. The digital age is great, but there’s nothing like seeing your work in your hand – somehow it becomes more real, more of an achievement. And once you put a frame round it, even something quite ordinary suddenly looks fantastic.
There’s nothing ordinary about your work, of course, and I love the soft gentle tones of these images.
Hi Gill,
Thank you so much for your kind words.
You are right about the printed work. It is so much more rewarding to hold something tangible in your hand, to see the colours and textures. The physical print brings photography to life. There is a lot of joy in the whole journey from the experience of taking photographs through post-processing and creating the final image that can possibly hang on the wall.
We should all print more. I only started a few months ago, and never looked back. I wonder why I never thought about it before…
V.