My photography is an insight into a little of myself, my inner being.
I believe all art is like a diary, and for me to show my work so publicly is to expose my inner most secrets, I feel naked, exposed to ridicule, criticism, or even compliments.
Essentially my work has been about myself, although many themes emanate from this, I as most artists use my work to communicate how I feel.
I based a great deal of my work on ëwomení being one I can relate to the feeling's women have about their self image, internally and externally.
So much pressure is placed on women to be, act, appear, and ëlookí a certain way. We have forgotten who we really are under it all.
My work expresses my belief that every woman no matter what the walk of life or the label stuck to them, or the impression they attempt to give off to others, that we are all beautiful, and strong. Often this strength and beauty, is hidden beneath shyness, low self esteem, due to years of torment, for not looking a certain way.
Many see a beautiful woman as an object, to be photographed, to be plucked, preened, and cooed over. Or to be taken as if property by another, by whatever method they feel.
In western society we are fortunate as women, we have the freedom to be and do whatever we desire, in many other cultures this choice is something very alien.
My portraits and landscapes cross over in theme - although maybe not necessarily obvious. My work is an expression of my feelings, about myself, the women portray my feelings of how women are treated in society aesthetically and emotionally and how I feel about my own body, and others perception of me in how they respond to me as a photographer.
The landscapes, in a more simple aspect, are a portrayal of the place I studied, and love, Cornwall. The vastness, bleakness, and beauty, the wonderful colours and textures, surrounded by a living breathing mass of water, that can save a life or kill it, yet appears overwhelmingly beautiful.
The pictures are also an expression of myself, my feelings are depicted through the colours and drama created by nature.
The models I used, I generally worked with over a period of time, so that we could become comfortable with one another in the studio, enough that I could get from them a piece of themselves, to expose to the viewer, although essentially to me, so this gives you a bit of both of us.
Many were students, some friends others were people I felt I would work well with. There are a few exceptions to this, in the portraits from India. I was greatly privileged, to be allowed by the women, to take their photograph.
My personal favourite, is the image entitled Devikundsager, girl.
A very beautiful girl; with so much energy and enthusiasm and yet in the midst of a drought. Devikundsager is a little village (at the time lacking greatly in water) in the Thar Desert, India.
I feel my strongest portrait is the image entitled Suzi.
Suzi was a close friend of mine. She is herself a fine artist, and paints her own portrait, to discover her own feelings about herself. She is also a life model, so it seemed only appropriate to photographer her nude.
I am currently working on my personal work about myself. Having graduated, I have had to make decisions on my motives for being a photographer, and learn a lot about myself, that is not possible in a university environment.
A year on from graduating and my passion for photography has only grown more.
I love what I do, and continue unpaid with my work, I have a passion for photography, I am able to freeze a moment in time the way I perceived it, and show others, through this I can manipulate the world into communicating my own beliefs, and using a method beyond words to portray this. I only hope my passion is evident in my images, and the viewer enjoys them as much as I did taking them.

email Laura