Join the conversation
Subcribe to comment rss feedFeatured Photographer
Jo Stephen
Self taught photographer trained in ecology and wildlife conservation documenting the nature and landscapes surrounding my north Dorset home.
jostephenphotography.wordpress.com
Michéla Griffith
In 2012 I paused by my local river and everything changed. I’ve moved away from what many expect photographs to be: my images deconstruct the literal and reimagine the subjective, reflecting the curiosity that water has inspired in my practice. Water has been my conduit: it has sharpened my vision, given me permission to experiment and continues to introduce me to new ways of seeing.
Jo’s images have been punctuating my social media feeds for a while now, soft and personal expressions of her relationship with nature and the seasons, a perfect escape for the urban and the world weary. Her ‘A Year in Nature’ little squares are a good reminder of our country’s biodiversity where man has had a lighter touch. Hers was among several names that I know who graced the latest International Garden Photographer of the Year awards and for me it was a pleasure to see these individual interpretations doing well in the Abstract Views category. In 2018 Jo was awarded a bronze medal for a Portfolio of Photography at the RHS London Plant and Art Fair. We featured some of her images earlier this year in our 4x4 Portfolio and in this issue we’ll find out a little more about Jo and her passions.
Would you like to start by telling the readers a little bit about yourself – where you grew up, your education and early interests, and what that led you to do as a career?
I was born in London but grew up in the West Country, Alexandria in Virginia and New Delhi in India, so I guess I’m what’s known as third culture. I went to so many different schools, but my favourite was multi-cultural. I love everything about exploring different cultures and my childhood was peppered with exotic foods, words and sensations.