Fairytales to Photography: My First Four Years Behind the Lens

Many of us grew up on a steady diet of fairytales and fantasy, filled with dramatic, ethereal landscapes and mysterious creatures—worlds that invited us to escape into our imaginations. The dark woods of the Brothers Grimm, the castles of Disney, the epic landscapes of Middle Earth, Narnia, and Westeros have all transported us to heightened versions of reality.

For me, this imaginary world was amplified by an unusual childhood family home: the Tower of London. Surrounded by ghost stories, knightly armour, the Crown Jewels, and the familiar walls of one of the most famous castles in the world, my normal was other people’s fairytale.

Fantastical images bled into my subconscious. So when I found myself battling real-life demons brought on by illness, I discovered a portal—a way to step away from reality and into creativity—through the eye of a lens. Four years ago, when I picked up my first camera, I began my own modern-day fairytale.

I set out in search of enchanted forests, frozen kingdoms, misty isles, mysterious monuments, tempestuous skies, flower-filled fields, mirror-like waterways, and framed gateways to otherworldly realms. Chasing luminous light, epic scenes and stunning creatures has led me to paradise.

I’ve delighted in the details: delicate ice crystals, clouds spilling across the sky like lava or stretching like colourful tendrils, and lashings of moss hanging from lush trees. I’ve enjoyed slurping through damp snow, watching the rhythm of long grasses ebbing and flowing like waves in the ocean, feeling the mist settling on my skin and tracing my fingers along fallen feathers. Time and again, I’ve been drawn to sudden splashes of colour and flashes of motion as I watched the animal kingdom come alive.

There have been moments of discomfort—mud, falls, cuts, cold, and getting lost in the woods—just like a character in a storybook. Yet none of it ever overshadowed the joy of being immersed in nature.

I’ve found myself talking to wildlife, and I’ll admit, even singing to them. I've formed surprising bonds with swans who sometimes swam beside me as I searched for my next image. Perhaps those tales of Cinderella and Snow White influenced me more than I realised.

Every image I capture has become a chapter in my ongoing quest—a scene in a novel I’ve yet to write. After years of studying art, I’ve discovered what it is I want to say: You can discover fairytale moments in your real life and escape from villains.