My Special Place, Your Special Place

MA Photography Exhibition

Have you ever felt a curios draw to a specific place?  A place you feel overwhelmingly nostalgic, peaceful and content?  For me, this is Stowfield Farm, it’s my ‘special place’.  For many years I have felt this strong sense of place and only when embarking on this project did I understand it to be defined as ‘topophilia’. 

Topophilia (from Greek topos "place" and -philia, "love of”) means a strong sense of place, which often becomes mixed with the sense of cultural identity and a love of certain aspects of such a place.

The significance of my special place was augmented by my Grandfather’s death and the realisation that nothing lasts forever. 

This project became a form of therapy, I spent hours wandering around the farm; reflecting on a lifetime of memories, exploring with my uncle and father, learning and contrasting their connections and special memories with those of my own. 

For my final pieces I consciously chose to shoot at golden hour on sun-kissed afternoons, to impress my love for this place, I tried to appreciate absolutely everything from the sporadic moss growing on seldom used roads to the epic vistas over the Wye Valley.   

I encourage you to sit down and take a moment to indulge in my poetic documentary and peruse my ‘special place’ photo-book.  I hope my special place takes you to your special place.