Many of my images reveal the beauty and diversity of water in motionand its ever changing interaction with light, land and season. This ‘Liquid Light’ also inspires me to experiment with movement in and through the landscape.Since starting my dialogue with the river it has taken me on a journey that I could not have anticipated: I’m still travelling. Through it I have found artistic focus, made new friends, and ventured in new directions. It has changed the way that I view the camera and by writing about this I have learnt much.The digital camera lends itself to creative interpretations, only our imagination and our tendency to adhere to precedent limit us.  I’ve moved away from what many people expect photographs to be – my images aren’t a straight record, they are interpretations of things that I see, which others may not always notice. Increasingly I look to create images that show that the camera can be used as a creative tool as much as a paintbrush. 

The landscape has always been central to Michela’s life.  Working as a Chartered Landscape Architect for 24 years, Michela maintained the interest in photography that began in her teens and this increasingly became a creative outlet for her after moving to the Peak District National Park in 2007.  Her image making changed dramatically in 2012 when her local river, the Dove, became her muse.  A particular piece, “Ice on Rust” received a commendation in the Landscape Photographer of the Year Competition in 2013.  The associated portfolio of abstract images led to membership of professional artists’ group Peak District Artisans in late 2013.  In turn this brought her work to the attention of the organisers of Lichfield Festival, who invited her to exhibit in Lichfield Cathedral in 2014 as part of their Visual Arts Exhibition. Her abstract interpretations of water led to a first solo exhibition at The Joe Cornish Galleries, Northallerton, in 2015 and subsequent solo exhibitions at Buxton Museum and Art Gallery (2015) and The Peak Gallery, Bakewell (2016). A joint exhibition at the Foxlowe Arts Centre in Leek in 2016 brought her work to the attention of Sarah Clemson, Director of the Longitude Gallery, Clitheroe.In parallel with these exhibitions she has shown work with Peak District Artisans for the last 4 years at a variety of venues including Chatsworth House, The Devonshire Dome in Buxton, and Tatton Park in Cheshire.  She has taken part in Derbyshire Open Arts and Buxton Art Trail (where she received a nomination for excellence in the Visual Arts in the Buxton Festival Fringe Awards 2017).  Her work was exhibited for the first time at the Longitude Gallery in April 2017, and featured in ‘Over the Hill: A Photographic Journey’ at The Montefiore Hospital, Hove, for Brighton Fringe. Her fine art prints are popular with visitors to her events and with fellow artists and photographers, and have found homes in the UK and Switzerland.Michela interviews fellow photographers for features in On Landscape magazine – a highly regarded online journal about landscape photography – and enjoys writing about creative image making.  She has given talks at On Landscape’s Meeting of Minds Conference in 2016 and was a guest speaker at the launch of ConnectedTEN photography exhibition at Patchings Art Centre in April 2017.  Her work has featured in a number of magazines including On Landscape, Cameracraft, Artsbeat, Staffordshire Life, The Derbyshire Magazine and  Derbyshire Life.Michela’s images have been shortlisted in a number of national and international competitions and she was a finalist in the European Wildlife Photographer of the Year 2017.

Professional roles: Photographer

Location: United Kingdom