Hi, I'm Claire, a landscape photographer based in mid Cornwall. Many moons ago I studied photography at college, but ended up on a different path. Throughout the years my passion for photography stayed with me, and in 2016 I decided it was time to pursue my dream.
I have a deep love of nature and the beautiful countryside and coastline that surrounds us in Cornwall. I also love history, and there's plenty of that here too! Most of my pictures are taken as I walk and explore places old and new. My ever so patient companion on these explorations is Billie Jean, the Tibetan Terrier, hence Billie's Walk.
My photography now is largely self taught, with many, many hours of trial and error. I strive to constantly improve my abilities as a photographer, as I firmly believe that learning never ends. I hope you enjoy browsing through my work, and please feel free to contact me if you're after a particular place. I have many pictures not yet on the website that may just be what you're looking for.
I have been awarded the Licentiate Distinction of The Royal Photographic Society, and am slowly working towards my Associate Award.
At Billie's Walk we are passionate about the environment which is why our greeting card envelopes and the paper our walks come on are 100% recycled. All of our cards are printed in either Cornwall or Devon on FSC approved board and are fully recyclable. All of our mounts and tape fixings are completely recyclable. We live by the mantra Reduce, Reuse, Recycle so our products do not come in cello sleeves if bought direct from us. For their protection they are supplied to shops, and sold at craft fairs in sleeves, but these are fully compostable and biodegradable. We will always strive towards a greener existence.
For those of you who are interested in the technical and processing side...
I use a Pentax K1, mostly with a 24-70 mm lens. I do not use a flash gun, all the pictures are naturally lit.
I'm not a fan of over processed or composite images, so I try to make only the alterations that help the photo look like the actual scene did to my eyes. This often involves bringing light into the shadows, and turning it down for the highlights. I feel this makes the picture look more realistic, as these are the natural adjustments that our eyes make that a camera cannot. I also fine tune the colours and the overall light and haze levels, and of course remove small spots and blemishes, which can be anything from midges and distant birds to a speck of dust on the lens! What I do not do is create pictures. The sky in 100% of my photos is the original sky of that picture. The colours are true, unless I've turned it black and white or sepia!
I love to capture and preserve moments in time that appeal to me, and hopefully will appeal to you too.