Photography in the Ryde Area
Although I've always been a regular visitor to the Island since leaving for university, it's been a good 10 years or so since I called it home. At the end of last year however, me and my husband said goodbye to living in shared flats in london, and settled full time in Ryde, my home town.
Starting a new chapter in the depths of winter is not necessarily to be recommended, but at least there is the promise of warmer weather, and longer evenings on the horizon. It feels like that time is almost here now, and I can make the most of our beautiful surroundings.
I'm a freelance photographer, and I run my business from home. Whilst living in London I specialised in interiors, and still life photography, working regularly for many of the homes magazines, also publishing, and PR companies.
I've been lucky enough to shoot a number of beautiful Island homes over the years for magazines such as Coast and the Guardian Weekend Magazine, so I'm always on the look out for possible features, as I know there are more gems out there waiting to be discovered! Whilst I'm still driving back and forth a couple of times a month for work on the mainland, I've welcomed the opportunity to broaden my horizons and begin making business contacts here on the Island too. I'm taking on a wider variety of work now which is in itself a good challenge, and have enjoyed the networking opportunities afforded by becoming part of a much smaller business community. The beauty of working for yourself is having the flexibility to take advantage of a sunny day sometimes and head out of the office, now I have the beach on my doorstep I hope to do this as often as time allows.
A couple of years ago I got involved with a photography charity in London which ran courses to fund outreach projects in the local community. They had around 60 volunteers from all walks of life who were all interested in photography, and gave their time whenever possible to help run photography workshops with different groups including refugees, elderly people and kids that were out of the school system. This was something I really enjoyed being part of, and knew I'd miss when I moved back to the Island.
However, it was only a few weeks into the new year when I was asked to help run a young peoples photography project as part of the Cultural Olympiad, and was able to carry on being involved in photography outside of the commercial environment. It was nice to be reminded that opportunities exist everywhere if you are open to them, and that the Island is rich with creative and inspiring people.
Ryde has always had a vibrant live music scene, which is still going strong, and a much better choice of places to eat now than in recent years.
I love the elegant architecture in the old part of town, the golden light at Appley beach in the Autumn when it's still warm but the tourists have all gone home, playing petanque at Puckpool Park after work in the summer, and having a good trawl around the charity shops in the High Street for treasures.
I'm glad to be back, and looking forward to (hopefully) a long hot summer!
www.hollyjolliffe.co.uk
