• Subscribe
• Contact
• Submissions
• Help

Introduction from book

Charlotte Bellamy, a creative landscape photographer based in The Netherlands, (originally from the UK) started working with the idea of projects in her photography after completing her Master Craftsman qualification with the Guild of Photographers in 2018. Before that, life was a process of capturing individual images, but now, working in sets is second nature to her.

The completion of her most recent project; the publishing of her book ‘If The Woods Whispered Would You Hear Them’ is by far her biggest and most challenging project yet. Here she tells us about the project from the inception of the idea to making the photos, writing text, collaborating with editors, designers and printers and what it means to have the book in her hands finally after three years.

A good place to start is probably the back text of the book that will give you an idea of the journey and vision for the book.

‘In 2012, Charlotte Bellamy uprooted her life, moving from the UK to the Netherlands – a change that deepened her connection with trees and the natural world. Unable to speak Dutch, she set aside her portrait photography and found solace in the landscapes surrounding her new home. This transition ignited a passion for creative landscape photography, with trees and woodlands becoming her muse.

Through a blend of photographic techniques, poetry and journaling, Charlotte captured the beauty, individuality and seasonal rhythms of trees, while also drawing attention to the growing threats they face due to human intervention.

Her goal is to take you on a journey of revelation, recognition and re-evaluation – inviting you to discover the magic of the woodlands and the jewels they hold within.

She wonders, If the woods whispered, would you hear them?’

Getting started

The idea for the book came about as I was working with my mentor Tony Bridge (featured in End Frame - Issue 310). As part of the mentoring process, he set me some challenges, one of which was to sit and take the scene in for 30 minutes and not make a photo. During that time, I was to journal and note absolutely anything that came to mind. It was whilst doing this exercise in my local woodland, as it was being cut down around me, that my project was born; to document the woodlands and trees around me.

The idea was to use the same practice each time where possible, and I envisaged documenting all the negative elements of what was happening in the Woodlands. This was the case in the first few visits. However, the more time I spent in the woods, the more I noticed and the project became as much about imagination and perceived vision, as to what I was actually seeing. It was interesting how I developed the initial idea and made it fit me and what I wanted to say with my photography.

The Creation and curation of images

The majority of the images in the project have been made in the Veluwezoom National Park, The Netherlands, just 20 minutes drive from my house. However, during the time I worked on the project, I also travelled a little, and I felt compelled to continue to photograph the trees wherever I went. So, there are a few images from Scotland, England, France, Greece and Costa Rica in the mix as well.

Since moving to The Netherlands, trees have been the primary subject of my photography. Initially, I created more traditional landscape images and worked with Dutch photographer Lars van De Goor, whose work inspired me. He taught me so much about helping a viewer to feel part of your image, and his post production techniques were a revelation to me. Unfortunately, Lars is no longer with us, but you can view his wonderful work on his website.

I just love exploring the local woodlands regardless of season, and this you see throughout the book. In the winter, I went out with my camera in the driving snow, and loved the feeling of solitude and the muffled experience among the trees. In the spring I was out looking for the first hints of colour after the long grey winter. Summer I actually find tricky as woodlands are a mass of green and softness – not so easy to find contrasts and compositions. Autumn is magical with the colours and light offering a palette of options to play with, I’m like a kid in a sweet shop with my camera at this time of year.

Although I am a great believer that cohesivity in a project is paramount (often technique is a key element), for this project, I decided to embrace many techniques, bringing them together under a larger concept of woodland photography. I have Tony and my learning experiences with Paul Sanders with respect to a more mindful approach, to thank for the way this project played out.

Both these individuals encouraged me to recognise how to react to my subject and match my techniques accordingly. In the book, you will find a mix of Intentional Camera Movement (ICM), multiple exposures, artwork, and more traditional photos. You will also see black and white, and colour, and various dimensional crops.

During the first year that I was working on this project, I made thousands of images, often mini sets from a location or for a certain concept. Initially I shortlisted around 300. To start with I think I chose my favourites. I also included images that I wrote about and made a specific image during the journaling process out in the woods. Some of my paintings also went in.

Then I looked for gaps, in what I wanted to say with my book, and I started filling in spaces. It was never my intention to include images from all over the world, but I found that my photography blossomed over the project, and I absolutely loved some of the images I was creating. To be honest, this book could have been 300 pages long…. But I realised that sometimes less is more!

“I wanted the book to be more than just a pure photo book. I wanted to include words that would strengthen the reader experience further.”

They say a picture paints 1000 words, but combine words with images, and the end result is even stronger. Given that the first image of my project was born out of a journaling exercise, I realized how powerful this process could be. I felt it would be a shame not to capture some of what I wrote to complement the images.

The text kind of morphed and developed, and I became braver writing little poems to try and complement the images. Some text was written as I made the images whilst in the woods. Other times, I used the images to inspire the writing. Overall, I felt that combining text and images gave the reader of the book far more to digest and contemplate.

When I first started writing I doubted my ability to put anything remotely interesting to others down on paper, but as the project developed, my writing skills became stronger and my understanding of the power of descriptive writing to convey emotion and feeling and place grew.

The book was a team effort; working with an editors and designer

Whilst I am confident about my photography, I was fairly unsure if my writing was even book worthy. Finding someone to give feedback on if I should take the personal idea out into the world was an important step in this project. I found my editor via an online Facebook group and worked with her to finesse my text and concept. Having another pair of eyes on my work gave me the confidence I was not working alone, and she made suggestions I could have never imagined.

In the final stages of getting the book ready for print, I also worked with another editor, who looked over the book for any last niggles and also helped me to write a succinct and personal back page to the book.

Previously a hurdle to sending books to print has been also been designing print ready files. So, I looked for a designer to help me lay the book out and work with me to create the front cover and bring the ideas I had to life. I never realised how much difference font type, size or layout could make.

The final cog in the machine was choosing a printer. I chose Ex Why Zed in the UK to print my books, on personal recommendation from another photographer. From start to finish, the communication and final print quality was excellent.

I never really set a time scale for this project!

I’m a fairly relaxed individual, and when I started this project I didn’t give myself any deadlines…. Maybe I should have! The first year of the project was full of image making. The second year some more image making and working on the text. The last year has been about bringing my dream to be a reality – from project to actual publication.

I think when working on a personal project (at least for me) it’s very easy not so think about timescales and deadlines, as I find these often place to much pressure and expectation on me, which in turn can curtail my creativity. However, looking back, having these in place I may have got the project finished a whole lot earlier. Making the images was the easy bit – working on the editing of the book and polishing it for sharing has been the most daunting bit, just because there were so many skills and knowledge I was lacking.

The learning curve was steep but fulfilling

To think, at the start of the project, I had only ever published a Blurb book for myself and had never written meaningful text! My biggest challenges during the project were building the skills and knowledge I lacked regarding editing, designing and self-publishing. The challenge of curating which images to include and which ones to leave out whilst ensuring variation without repetition was also a great skill I learnt.

Self-belief and self-confidence were another massive challenge for me. I talk about this so much with the groups I teach, and I'm just the world's worst person to put into practice what I preach. If you believe in your work and you love it, you should put it on your own wall or print it. I think that's a really important part when you start a project, to identify where you want the project to go, because that will influence the images you put in it, or the writing or the style that you use.

During the course of the project I learnt that by breaking a large project down into manageable chunks can help massively. Give yourself a few timescales or little milestones so that you can sort of tick off and know that you've got there.

Self-publishing a book is not something done to make money. At every stage I have weighed up the costs. Of course, I could have done it all myself…. But the book would probably still be sitting in my imagination to be honest. Sometimes doing something for love and in pursuit of realising a dream, a little investment is necessary.

Holding the first book in my hands

I have absolutely loved this photography project. Working with a subject I feel passionate about and inspired by, the making of the images seemed to happen so naturally. The journey of image making and text creation has been a very personal one, but one I feel so proud to be sharing with a wider audience. Opening the box and holding my book for the first time was slightly surreal. I am insanely proud that I had the determination and self-belief to go after a dream I had and achieve it. Now to sell the books.

The book launches on the 15th October 2024

The book is officially launched on October the 15th, with a webinar to include a guided walk around the exhibition that I am curating to show off some of the images in the book and a few extras to tell the story further. The online exhibition will be live from October 15th – January 15th. https://artspaces.kunstmatrix.com/en/exhibition/13402554/if-woods-whispered

The book is available on my website at www.charlottebellamy.com/whispers-book.Shipping worldwide is possible. When the first edition of 100 books is sold, it will also appear on Amazon.

The book is just slightly smaller than A4 and contains 180 pages with more than 90 images. Softback, full colour, and printed on uncoated paper for a more tactile experience.

Launch Event Online

Topic: If The Woods Whispered Would You Hear Them - Book launch and exhibition opening event
Time: Oct 15, 2024 08:00 PM Amsterdam

Join Zoom Meeting
https://us02web.zoom.us/j/86867398651?pwd=KLEwGGQSckJ9dtXaMT5OqlEgY2aRLN.1

Meeting ID: 868 6739 8651
Passcode: 099040

In 2025, I'm running an online woodland photography course. It will be a yearlong sign-up with a recording accessible at the start of each month explaining the concepts behind two woodland challenges that you can work on during the month. In the last week of the month, there will be a live Zoom meet-up where we will look at work submitted from the challenges, and I will offer feedback and answer any questions. Sign up for the course is available here:  Woodland Photography exploration and immersion course.