In September 2018 Neil Hickson, Burscough Community Farm’s inspirational manager, took a brief break from harvesting the farm’s produce and delivered a series of Photography workshops. Neil had previously worked for many years as a professional photographer and he began the first workshop by sharing inspiring examples of his work with us. We also looked at work of the photographers who had in turn inspired him.

The participants in the sessions had widely varied experience of photography. Some were keen photographers, others curious beginners. Over the three sessions we learned about basic – and not so basic – technical issues and we discussed equipment. Neil stressed the power of mobile phone cameras to take photographs every bit as good as the expensive professional equipment of the recent past. One of the main lessons Neil was keen to teach us was that to take a good photograph, which told the viewer a story, required a slowing down, a mindful approach that took in careful consideration of composition and light. It was this mindfulness that was more important than any amount of expensive lenses. As one participant reflected in relation to this necessary slowing down:

Giving yourself time to explore. You start with the obvious maybe, then you go to places that you haven’t really considered before.

Each of the three workshops had a slightly different theme. The first workshop included participants who had not visited the farm before. They were paired with those people who were regular (or irregular) attendees and together we explored the farm, taking photographs that would tell a story of the place. A selection of these photographs can be seen here. The second workshop focused on portraiture. Like the Creative Writing and Mindful Movement workshops, there was a reflective element to this as we thought about how we wanted to be portrayed and how we would portray others. The results were powerful and a small selection can be seen here.

The final workshop offered the opportunity to focus on still life, and to make the most of the diffused light in the barn, or to wander the farm and pay attention to the landscape (remembering Neil’s words that ‘landscapes are 75% sky’). We met back at the barn and shared our photographs with each other. One participant noted that ‘It’s been really interesting seeing the photos that other people are producing. Like looking at the farm through other people’s lenses’.

We certainly did all have different viewpoints. The worlds we sought out and portrayed in out images were so different from one another. One participant had got caught up in the teeming life he had found on a piece of polythene that covered one of the vegetable beds.

Well the thing about that area is it’s not an obvious area cos it’s just covered in polythene and it’s wet. But when you actually go on to the area it’s it own ecosystem. The puddles have attracted dirt; the dirt has attracted animals, little critters, and the whole thing is absolutely vibrant in there now. And I could have happily stayed there another hour.