Wandering with my camera is an opportunity for me to be curious,

have fun, be playful, in all weathers- even though I used to hate the rain!

How I saw the world was affected by my father.

The stories I told myself were ones of low self esteem, low self confidence, unsure of myself, being overwhelmed, allowing others to boss me around.

Even though this is not something that should have happened, to me or to anyone, it meant that when Coronavirus happened, I had the time and focus to study trauma and its consequences on the body.

I also had time to practice photography , not so much on long walks, but in my own garden, in my home, practice being contemplative and grateful, expressing those emotions with my camera phone.

I was very humbled to have one of my coastal rock images published in the OPOTY (Outdoor Photographer of the Year) book under the category - Waters Edge.

It’s a favourite image of mine, which was taken on a cold but sunny Autumn morning when the tide was out, revealing rock patterns I had not seen before.

Shortly after this I booked a weekend creative workshop with the talented and inspirational photographers and artists,

Doug Chinnery & Paul Kenny.

We had the opportunity to have our work critiqued at the end of weekend, I was surprised that it was popular, and both Doug and Paul suggested that my 2 year project on the Cornish coast could become a book.

After I nervously asked him, Paul very kindly penned the introduction

to my book , Elemental.

His unique work inspired me to look further when I came across his highly recommended book, Seaworks.

You can find his artwork here :

http://www.paul-kenny.co.uk

Once Elemental was published,

I entered some of my close up images into a new competition.

If you have ever entered a photo competition you go through all the worries, fears, anxieties, comparisons… wondering what the judges will say.

So you can imagine my surprise when I heard that 8 of my images were shortlisted in the first

Close Up Photographer of the Year (CUPOTY) competition.

The shortlist was announced

with two of my images selected for the final top 100:

Goldfish - Manmade category

Bude Rocks- Intimate Landcape category.

Bude Rocks was selected to be featured in the CUPOTY article in Autumns edition of Outdoor Photographer 2019.

Having entered CUPOTY for a second year, “Cornish Storm” and “Horizon” were finalists in the Intimate Landscape category

“Towards the Mountain” was awarded second place in the Manmade category.

A simple image taken in the woods of some old rusted metal hidden under

bracken and weeds.

The inspiring list of all the winners and finalists can be seen here:

www.cupoty.com

Time spent with my camera

allows me to disconnect from a noisy fast paced world

& reconnect to the inner self.

At a time when we are all acutely aware of

the future of the planet,

we can use art in any form to translate our fears,

loves, ideas and thoughts.

We all have it in us to be creative and embrace a fear of failure instead of allowing it stop us from being curious.

To express ourselves takes courage

and a beginners mind.

To get back to understanding, being kind to ourselves,

listening to our body

Mel x