Sea Level Rise Geophotography
to explore the inherent noir dishevelment of sea level rise and climate change by creating abstract geophotographs that evoke an ephemeral, intimate, painterly aesthetic.
“Here, indeed, is beauty. Sara has the rare skill of drawing out the intimate, the special, the unique spirit of a place.”
Dame Fiona Reynolds
former Director General of the National Trust
former Master of Emmanuel College Cambridge
PART 1 of 3:
Examples of Work in
Abstract Geophotography
Recent Geophotographs
A few “sea level rise” photographs along the Amalfi coast, Italy (Dec 2022) and Iceland (Aug 2022) that combine intentional camera movement with geophotography.
Three of these photos were selected for the curated group exhibition at the London Lighthouse Gallery in May 2022.
“Fabulous – it’s like photography finally meets fine art!”
“Each of your exhibitions is so unique, I can’t wait to see what you do next!”
– visitors at Sara’s exhibition at the Heong Gallery, Cambridge
PART 2 of 3:
Exhibitions
Illuminating Cambridge Libraries Exhibition
The Illuminating Cambridge Libraries exhibition at the Heong Gallery Cambridge in Feb 2019 welcomed 570 visitors to see 207 photographs of 26 libraries in just 7 days. The opening evening was attended by approximately 150 visitors – it was considered by all as a roaring success.
The lecterns and stools were on special loan thanks to Librarian Nicolas Bell at the Wren Library, Trinity College. Read more about the lecterns and their tour to this exhibition on the Wren Library blog – it was their first time leaving the Wren library since Christopher Wren built them 325 years ago!
Open Studio at the
13th century Cellarer’s Chequer
Once a great priory of medieval England, these present-day remains of the 13th century Barnwell Priory sit unused and forgotten in a little corner of my neighbourhood in Cambridge. I showcased these buildings as part of the history of the Augustinian Barnwell Priory and the origins of the 800+ yr old Cambridge’s Midsummer Fair. All photos are available as fine art prints and as a published book The Barnwell Priory.
The Open Studio exhibition was held in 2018. It was the first time that the heritage building has been open to the public for over a decade. The exhibition drew over 800 people in just 8 days, many of whom were delighted to see life breathed into the historic building.
“Yours has been my favourite exhibition at the Heong Gallery, and [whispering] I’ve been to all the others.”
– a visitor at Sara’s exhibition at the Heong Gallery, Cambridge
PART 3 of 3:
Awards
Awarded Abstract Photos
Three awards in 2021-2022
for 15 photos
18th Julia Margaret Cameron Award Professional Series: Nature (2022) Honourable Mention (six ephemeral photos of trees); 18th Julia Margaret Cameron Award Professional Single images: Nature (2022) Honourable Mention (three macro photos of courgette flowers); 17th Julia Margaret Cameron Award Professional Series: Digital Manipulation (2021) Honourable Mention (six ICM photos).
Earlier studies from 2021 using Intentional Camera Movement (ICM) and multiple exposures. These all received Honourable Mention in the Julia Margaret Cameron Awards (2022). I was doubly thrilled at the award because the photos were tests of a new concept – thus reinforcing that I’m on the right path.
“I love [Sara’s book, Focused on King’s College Chapel … It] must be the most handsome tribute ever paid to a single building. With its blend of words and diverse visual voices it is an Alleluia Chorus.”
Martin Kemp
Professor of Art History, Oxford
Awarded Work in
Heritage Photography
Nine Awards over Four Years
for 24 photos and 2 photobooks
Architecture Photography MasterPrize Winner in Cultural Interior Photography (2022); Architecture Photography MasterPrize Winner in Historic Interior Photography (2022); 17th Julia Margaret Cameron Award Professional Series: Digital Manipulation (2021) Honourable Mention; Rubery Book Award Non-Fiction (2021) shortlisted; International Photography Awards Architecture (2020) honourable mention; International Photography Awards Historic Architecture (2020) honourable mention; International Photography Awards Self-Published Books (2020) honourable mention; Historic Photographer of the Year (2019) shortlisted; Historic Photographer of the Year (2018) shortlisted.
Awarded photos and books for the series:
Illuminating Cambridge Libraries
Illuminating Cambridge Libraries heritage architecture series includes over 1800 photos of 31 libraries – one library from each of the 31 Cambridge Colleges. It was a solo series and took 3.5 years to photograph, mostly due to rights/permissions/access logistics. The following 12 photos received awards.
Awarded photos and book for the series:
Focused on King’s College Chapel
Focused on King’s College Chapel heritage architecture series includes over 100 photos and a photo book with 12 poems. The series was accomplished by kind invitation from the Reverend Dean Cherry of King’s Chapel. The following 12 photos received awards.
“Sara’s book is feast for the eye and imagination. No detail escapes the artist’s lens. The idea of the library is deconstructed into unfamiliar shapes and angles, a shaft of light in a stair well, a solitary chair tucked by a bookcase, a long view up to a decorative ceiling. And yet the whole is put back to together, more than its parts, as we gaze at the photographs and fill the spaces withmemory and reverence, for what Sara calls her ‘houses of the holy’.”
Dr Jessica Gardner
The University Librarian, University of Cambridge