Crossing The Causeway On A Journey Of Light
STEWART BONNEY finds out how a chance visit to Holy Island heralded a significant change in the life of photographer Emma Rothera.
WHEN Yorkshire-based professional photographer Emma Rothera took a relaxing weekend break from her busy working schedule of commissioned photo shoots involving fashion, ballet and tourism, it proved to be a life-transforming experience.
Her destination was Holy Island, which she admits “was a place I knew nothing about, apart from a friend telling me it was a great place to walk with my dog. But as soon as I arrived I just fell in love with the island.”
Recalling that first-time visit eight years ago, she said: “As I drove over the causeway I felt a release from the pressure and stress of my everyday life in a big city. I spent four days walking round discovering the whole island and taking pictures and I was hooked. It’s such a special place I knew immediately that I wanted to live there.”
At first Emma returned to the island once a year but stepped up her visits to three a year as she became fascinated by the ever-changing effect of light on the island’s landscapes and seascapes. In January 2007, as she began work on an ambitious photographic project she has named ‘A Journey of Light’, she started renting a holiday cottage for a week every month, and two years later relocated from her home in Huddersfield and settled permanently on Holy Island.
Summing up her new life, she said: “Being able to experience the island’s dramatic landscape 365 days a year throughout each changing season is such a privilege. I spend a lot of time watching sunrises and sunsets, and at first I was out every day with my camera – whatever the weather – from dawn until dusk as I discovered the island and learned more about its unique light.
Now I can look out of my window to read the weather signs and can tell by the way the day progresses if there is going to be good light. Day by day I know where the sun is going to set and rise, and as I always shoot with my back to the sun I know that at certain times of the year there are parts of the island where I just can’t shoot.”
The number of photographs she has now taken runs into thousands, but the self-critical photographer said: “There are about 230 images combining natural light and composition which I am really pleased with. I started off shooting the island’s main iconic vistas such as the castle and priory, the churches and the harbour, then gradually progressed to the seascapes, fields and the beaches, particularly those on the north shore where few day trippers ever go.”
Islanders are now used to seeing Emma rushing to a vantage point with her tripod and camera to capture a particular scene illuminated by a particular weather event. One such dash to the harbour after a heavy rainstorm enabled her to capture a dramatic rainbow as it appeared over Lindisfarne Castle.
Admitting that she can’t envisage an end date for her project, Emma said: “The island is the perfect place for me to live and it gives me immense artistic and creative pleasure to be able to work here. The fact that it is cut off by the tides twice a day never bothers me. Being surrounded by the sea gives me a wonderful feeling.”
Admitting that she can’t envisage an end date for her project, Emma said: “The island is the perfect place for me to live and it gives me immense artistic and creative pleasure to be able to work here. The fact that it is cut off by the tides twice a day never bothers me. Being surrounded by the sea gives me a wonderful feeling.”
* Visit www.yourbeautifulphotography.com to find out about the photographic landscape workshops Emma runs for individuals and groups wanting to learn more about the mechanics of digital photography, making the best use of composition and light, and to see more of Emma’s work and the range of prints and cards she produces.