Origins

Origins grew from a fascination with the place where Charles Darwin’s lifelong curiosity about the natural world first began. As a young boy, Darwin’s father, Dr Robert Darwin, encouraged him to take daily walks around the grounds of their home, The Mount, in Shrewsbury. It is widely believed that these early explorations planted the seeds of the observational skills that would later change our understanding of the natural world.

Inspired by this story, I returned every week for twelve months to the fields beside The Mount, now known as Doctors Field. Rather than searching for grand landscapes, I approached the site with the same sense of childlike curiosity, allowing the changing seasons, shifting light, and overlooked details to guide my photography. Each visit became an exercise in slowing down, looking more closely, and discovering something new in a place that many people simply pass by.

The resulting images are less a record of a location than a reflection on observation itself. 

The brought the final collection images together into 24 montages covering one year spent visiting Doctors Field. This collection became I first ever exhibition, at the Shropshire Wildlife Centre in Shrewsbury, Darwin’s childhood town.

Therefore this body of work hold special place in my heart - my first exhibtionOrigins explores how familiarity can reveal rather than diminish wonder, reminding us that extraordinary discoveries often begin with the simple act of paying attention.