An Inspired Feature

I’ve decided that it’s about time I put pen to paper and note down a few jottings of what has been going on in my bubble of a world. I promise I did actually use a pen and paper too!

It feels appropriate to say that this post has been sparked off by a dash of pride at having my very first set of images in Country Life. This particular magazine is close to my heart, even though I don’t live in a stunning mansion or have a title! My grandpa was quietly very encouraging with my love of photography and nature, he passed on all of his cameras and kit to me which included my very first SLR Canon A1 camera.

After many years of a varied career, including being a travel/pr photographer and then a PA, photography was something that was very natural to me and something that I took quite for granted, not believing I could ever been self employed and support myself just on taking photographs. Well I’ve proved to myself that anything is possible and here I am a few years into being a freelance photographer, capturing everything that is close to my heart.

I’ve had the most extraordinary last couple of years and feel so fortunate to have been supported, encouraged and believed in by some truly inspiring people. This year alone I have accomplished so much that I would never have dreamed achievable and it’s all been made possible by some figure heads who I’ve admired from afar for many years, so I thank them wholeheartedly.

If my grandpa were alive today I can almost hear my Nanna saying to him: “well, well, well Michael, can you believe it, Britt’s in Country Life” , she would have been thrilled and actually we would have all probably celebrated by going to lunch at Hintlesham Hall (if it still exists!), back in the day this was a huge treat albeit rather formal, but that was the way they rolled.

From being rather shy and not particularly confident sharing my personal work, there have been so many kind friends, peers & clients who have been so generous with their comments and encouragement. This year I’ve secured more features for 2020 than I ever dreamed possible and it’s hugely gratifying, I will be unashamedly sharing features from House & Garden, Gardens Illustrated, Country Living and more for Country Life. Of course my private clients have been the most consistent and my best & kindest critics of all, teaching me so much along the way. It just proves that if you set your mind to do something you really can make it happen, how ever many set backs get thrown at you.

I’m now gearing up the next challenge and I’ve bravely committed myself to a studio space which feels like a huge leap, but I keep thinking back to quote I once read and believe that if you don’t give it a go you’ll never know what could have been:

“What if I fall? Oh my darling, what if you fly?”

So, when the opportunity came up my first thought was that we’re going into winter, a quiet time for a garden photographer, so immediately it didn’t make financial sense. However, as the nights draw in, I’m reminded of how hard it is to get inspired on those dark mornings, especially as I work from my little cottage and all my work surrounds me at every move. So, for my own health, I have thrown caution to the wind and am excited to push myself into the next chapter of my life, risks and all. Who knows what creativity is lying within and perhaps just a gentle push might reveal another element to my work. I certainly used to love messing about in the studio at University, mostly with scratched metals and old spoons, however this time I feel it might be a little different, perhaps pewter & flowers now!

I plan to dream of gardens to capture next year and I’m also going to try and prepare the hundreds of personal shots I have for a picture library. I can’t wait to create a still life and leave it just as it is to return and tweak the next day, rather that tiptoe around in my little cottage, knocking things over and getting strange looks from my whippet.

Of course I’m also forgetting the amount of inspiring creatives that will surround me at the studio, they include ceramicists, a lino printer, an upholsterer, a painter, a silversmith and framers to name just a few!

As much as I dread going into winter, I think I’m nearly ready to embrace it now, I just need to get the logs in and stacked!

If you would like to see the feature that sparked the rebooting of my blog, please go to my Press page or try the link here – http://brittwilloughbydyer.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/08/Country-Life-16th-October-2019.pdf

I thought I would also share a few additional shots to the set taken at The Pant.

Thank you if you read this till the end!