Originally published on 2 November 2016. Revisited for the Journal archive.
In 2016 I entered a photography competition for the first time. Two of my woodland photographs were shortlisted in Landscape Photographer of the Year, and Guardians of the Forest went on to be commended by the judges.
The photograph earned a place in the awards book and appeared in the exhibition at Waterloo Station in London, which ran from 21 November 2016 until 5 February 2017. It was also selected for the competition’s tenth-anniversary book, published the following spring.
A first competition entry
Simply reaching the shortlist felt significant. Like many photographers, I have periods of uncertainty about my work, and at that point I was still rebuilding my confidence after several difficult years of living with chronic pain and trying, gradually, to become more active.
Photography had become a therapeutic reason to go outside and pay attention. It revealed a world of detail I had previously overlooked, often in woodland close to home: subtle changes in light, remarkable trees, wildlife and the kind of mind-settling solitude that I badly needed. Recognition was never the reason for making the work, but having it seen and appreciated gave me an enormous lift.
The story behind Guardians of the Forest
Guardians of the Forest remains a good example of what draws me to woodland photography. Old moss-covered oaks stand among morning mist as shafts of light pass through the trees. There is beauty in the scene, but also a little uncertainty: the sense that something might be waiting beyond the visible path.
I had the moment entirely to myself. There was no rush and no grand plan; I was simply relaxed and attentive while the light shifted into place. Those elements briefly came together in a way that expressed how it feels to explore a woodland, rather than merely showing what the woodland looked like.
Looking back, the commendation mattered because it arrived at a formative point. It encouraged me to trust the quieter, more personal work I was making among trees and to keep following the connection I had begun to find there.
