Reflective Journal
Artist Statement
I have worked for 45 years in health and social care, spending weekends gigging as a Mountain Leader. Now retired I have returned to an earlier interest in photography- in particular, of wild places and the birds and animals which live there. In September 2025 I have started full time study at Cumbria University undertaking a MA in Creative Media.
I have created this blog to record and share my learning and my enjoyment of the natural world.
My artistic style is based on the use of strong composition, natural light and an intimacy with the natural environment. My visual aesthetic is influenced by the work of Sebastião Salgado and Vincent Munier which is complemented by the sound artistry of George Vlad and Chris Watson (see below).
My work in film and sound explores a storytelling narrative which is non-curated ie no use of dialogue, annotation or music- letting nature tell its own story. a minute to write an introduction that is short, sweet, and to the point.
A contretemps between a male and female sparrowhawk over food
Woodpecker family, Haweswater, Cumbria
Influences:
Vincent Munier: https://www.vincentmunier.com/vincent-munier/
A French photographer and videographer, three-time winner of the BBC Wildlife Photographer of the Year Award and was given the César Award for his documentary on snow leopards: The Velvet Queen. Munier has complemented his photographic artistry with a deep understanding of the natural world and its wildlife and has, as a result, captured images which are both intimate and beautiful. He has been criticised by some for not explicitly using his skills to raise the environmental and climate issues faced by his subjects and instead is simply creating “spectacles”. Munier responses that he is promoting a deeper connection with nature which is based on respect and wonder.
Sebastião Salgado: https://www.theguardian.com/global-development/2024/feb/08/photographer-sebastiao-salgado-at-80-they-say-i-was-an-aesthete-of-misery
An uncompromising and multi award winning Brazilian photojournalist who died in May 2025. Like Munier he has been criticised for the beauty of his photographs while depicting awful human tragedies of famine, war and migration. Salgado saw no contradiction in portraying his subjects, even in the most desperate of times, as having dignity, depth and character.
Chris Watson: https://chriswatson.net/
A BAFTA awarded sound recordist who is closely associated with the BBC films narrated by David Attenborough. I was particularly struck by his use of soundscape commissioned by the National Gallery- Painting in Sound: https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b01bllx9 Listening to this broadcast was the direct inspiration for this module.
George Vlad: https://mindful-audio.com/
A nature sound recordist who specialises in remote recording of natural sound- both in terms of place and leaving the sound equipment unaccompanied. Vlad argues that the human presence alters how the natural world interacts and it is only when we withdraw are we are able to capture the full, uninhibited, soundscape. I find his work instructive and particularly relevant to developing my own fieldcraft and sound sensitivity.
Module Proposal
A Sound Art Production: 4’33” Revisited- the space created by John Cage to be filled with natural sound
Purpose: to develop my awareness of the importance of sound in video storytelling and develop the expertise to execute. Specifically: my focus will be on immersive natural sounds—weather, wildlife, macro landscape (eg rivers) and micro (eg ice melting, birdsong etc), and to layer and mix. In line with my broader developmental thinking about narrative I want the output to be non-curated ie no dialogue, annotation or music- like a piece of classical music it will be for the listener to engage and imagine.
Subject: an immersive soundscape of a mountain environment: Cross Fell.