A bit of research.

A lot of my recent work has been shaped by reading, but not in a way that feels separate from being outdoors. The books and texts i have been spending time with have enhanced and shaped my practice. They have helped me understand why walking, landscape, and photography already feel so closely connected in the way I work.

Liz Wells, Land Matters, Book.

Land matters by Liz wells has been especially useful in this respect. Rather than presenting landscape as something static, the book treats land as layered, lived in and shaped by social, political and personal histories. What stood out to me was the idea that landscape photography isn't neuatral.Even quiet images carry decisions, viewpoints, and ways of seeing. Reading this made me more aware of how my own photographs (even observational ones) are shaped by where I stand, how long I pause, and how I move through the land.

She sees photography walks as becoming central to that awareness, not walking with the aim of arriving somewhere specific or capturing a single image, but The walk itself becoming structure for the work. this way of working connects closely with walking artists such as Richard Long, whose practice treats walking as both action and artwork. Long's work isn't about documenting the landscape in a traditional sense; it is about marking presence, measuring distance, and acknowledging time spent moving through a place.

What I found interesting about artists like Long is how minimal their interventions are. A line walked repeatedly through grass, a circle of stones, a recorded distance. The gestures are simple, but they carry weight. This is because they are grounded in experience. Rather than trying to capture dramatic scenes or decisive moments, i am more interested in the accumulation of small observations e.g. changes in light, texture of terrain, paths curving through the landscape etc...

I have also been looking at Danielle Mezzo's writing and research around Kindred Systems. her work explores relationships between bodies, land, and movement, and how these systems are interconnected rather than separate. What resonates with me is the idea that walking is not just a way of moving trough space, but a way of thinking. The body becomes a tool for understanding place, and movement becomes a form of inquiry.

This has shifted how I use my camera. Instead of seeing it as something I stop to use, it becomes part of the walk. The act of photographing fits into the rhythm of movement. It feels more honest as it comes from attention rather than intention.

Reading these texts has also made me more aware of restraint. In a culture that encourages constant production and visibility, there's something important about slowing down and allowing work to develop quietly. The images aren't meant to shout, they are meant to hold something of the experience that produced them. Hold onto the memories of that adventure.

What land matters reinforced for me is that these experiences aren't isolated or purely personal. Land is shaped by use, history, and access. Walking through a place is never neutral, even when it feels quiet or empty. Being aware of that doesn't mean every photograph needs to make a statement, but it does mean acknowledging that looking is an active process.

The influences show up in how I work. Walking slowly, taking my time, paying attention, Accidental moments, pauses and even mistakes become part of the process rather than something to correct. Ultimately, this research has helped me trust my instincts more. The land offers moments gradually, and the camera becomes a way of staying attentive rather than forcing images. Through walking, I am learning that making work doesn't always mean producing more images, it means paying closer attention to what is already there.