The Adventurer
The story behind an image
Hello,
This post was going to be something different but I changed my mind at the last minute (literally as it’s a new month tomorrow) because I felt that the story behind this picture comes first.
The Adventurer - April 2025
Sometimes your best and favourite pictures come when you least expect. I took this one whilst lying on a picnic blanket, surrounded by cake and in the middle of gossiping with two of the best women I know. It was my birthday, the Easter holidays, and we had my niblings and my friend’s children with us so we headed to Padley Gorge for the kind of lazy afternoon by the river my sister and I grew up having. No plan, just a bag of snacks and some open space followed by chips and giant mugs of tea at the station cafe. I’m not kidding, if you’re ever at the station cafe in Grindleford they sell tea and coffee by the pint!
Anyway, it was the kind of day that felt timeless. There was a river, there were sticks, rocks, steep banks to scramble up, big skies, adventures and friendship which leads rather nicely into the why of the picture…
Back at the beginning of the year two conversations sparked the beginning of a brand new personal photography project the seeds of which had actually been rattling around in my head for quite a few years but I’d never quite worked out how to start.
The first conversation was in some ways quite negative. I was with a group of people and conversation drifted in the direction of the countryside, why we lived here, mental health, work and time. It became quickly apparent that despite all of us choosing to live in a rural area because it was rural, between us very little time was spent outdoors. No one really found themselves enjoying the very things that had led us to fall in love with where we lived.
The second conversation was with a lovely friend of mine, Martyna who I hope to introduce you to properly soon. It was a continuation of a conversation we began not long after we first met about access, representation and feeling like you could belong in the outdoor world.
From these two separate conversations a new personal project began to take shape. It’s in its first stages, I’m not sure where it will lead but you’ll get to find out with me…Let me introduce…Country Folk.
I did most of my growing up in the countryside and I’ve found myself gravitating to small towns and cities with easy access to the countryside all my adult life. I never really thought it was important to me, like a lot of teenagers growing up in the countryside I couldn’t wait to get out and was never going to return. Life happens though, and after bouncing around the country a bit, I found myself back home and this time I stayed and began to reconnect. The countryside I now live in is at once the same as it has been for centuries and also completely different. Much of this change is for the better, I think anyway. In the past few years more people have moved into the area and the community has become more open, more willing to accept new people, more diverse, all things that are good. Yes, it’s been clumsy at times and like everywhere there are people that refuse to accept change, that are bigoted, close-minded, or thoughtless and in a small community these people are more noticeable than in a city where it’s easier to surround yourself with your tribe, but overall it’s been good to see the countryside opening up and forging new communities.
However, there was one area where I found myself slightly uncharacteristically not at ease. I live just on the edge of the Peak District and am surrounded by spectacular views and spaces to hike, climb, cycle, swim and generally enjoy the outdoors. I’ve always loved that myself, I enjoy spending time outside, I’ve swum in the rivers, scrambled around and love a ramble with my camera and/or friends. I also love seeing others enjoying the same things and you meet some really interesting people and a lot of lovely dogs just going for a walk but there was a tiny part of me that began to feel like I didn’t fit into this outdoor community. I didn’t look right. At this point it is worth mentioning that over the past few years I’ve dealt with some serious issues around body image, and that this is an entirely personal account and project. I began to feel that I didn’t look right, I didn’t have the correct gear, I didn’t travel the correct routes, I wasn’t serious enough. All ridiculous assumptions when viewed rationally and objectively, after all I know this countryside, I’m sure footed, fine with cows and sheep, I’ve lived alone as an adult for long enough to trust my intuition, and most importantly I love it out there. But this nagging feeling of not quite fitting into the place I knew and loved was still there.
I’m aware a lot of these feelings were down to my own issues but they seemed to be confirmed by a lot of the images I saw on social media (and being a photographer who loves landscape and adventure imagery I get a lot of this kind of content on my feeds). I couldn’t see myself there, I didn’t look right, I didn’t dress right, I didn’t have enough money or time to travel to the right locations to be part of this community.
So, ‘Country Folk’ began, as a way to reclaim my enjoyment of being outdoors and to share as many stories as I can. I want to celebrate the many, many people who find joy, peace, family and community here in the countryside. To show that it really doesn’t matter who you are, how you dress, what you do, the outdoors is ours to share, ours to respect, ours to care for, ours to love and enjoy.
I want this project to develop as I meet and spend time with people. It’s deeply personal and very open ended so I can’t wait to see it grow, to learn, and see the world from new perspectives.
As usual, thank you so much for being here and for reading this far. If you’d like to share your story and be part of the project let me know. I’ll be sharing the progress and stories through a series of photo essays here to begin with.
Love, Annie xx
P.S. I’m chuffed to say that ‘The Adventurer’ was part of the ‘Rural Life’ photography exhibition at Shambellie House in Dumfries last month.
