Although a common native plant of woodlands throughout the UK the Bluebell Hyacinthoides non-scripta is a protected species. It grows from a bulb, flowering in spring before the tree canopy opens and can form a dense, scented carpet on the woodland floor. Along with other species it can be an indicator of ancient woodland and undisturbed ground. Although picking the flowers is illegal it is mainly damaged by trampling the leaves.
Karen's interest in photography and wild places started in childhood, when at the age of 12 she was given her first SLR camera and would eagerly follow her parents up into the mountains of northern Britain.
In 1993, a move to the Peak District inspired her, and by 1996 she quit her career as a research chemist to become a full time landscape photographer. Her particular enthusiasm is to be out in wild places and stormy weather seeking out those fleeting moments when dramatic landscape and light help create images that look like paintings. To do this in the field with a minimum of computational “fiddle” usually requires perseverance and an understanding of light and weather. She considers time on the computer as life wasted so does as little manipulation as possible!
Over the years Karen’s work has been published in books, calendars, tourist brochures and magazines throughout the country. She also runs her own greetings cards business and sells fine art prints. She has written and illustrated two award winning books published by Frances Lincoln - Peak Landscape and Light - A Photographer’s Guide to the Peak District (2010) and The Coast to Coast Walk (2012).
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