Me, Myself and I ....

 

Welcome, my name is Frances Eyre and I am 19 years old and currently studying for my Degree in Marine and Natural History Photography at Falmouth University.

I am from Somerset and have lived there for most of my life with my Mother, I was, however born in Leicestershire and still return there whenever I can to visit my Father. I feel very fortunate to have spent my childhood in both of these lovely counties.

Why have I chosen to study Marine and Natural History Photography?  The Marine world has always been a mystery, it is a fascinating place, one of which we are still learning about.  It is a thing of beauty, and it needs to be protected and understood. However it is also place of great danger and attention needs to be given to the safety and skills needed to enjoy it. I have recently completed my Advanced Scuba Diving qualification, this has given me the starting skills to go out and explore these areas of the world for myself and I hope to be able to help to preserve and care for it, whilst documenting it through my photography.

As for the Natural History side of my course, the land is the world we live on daily and is full of beautiful scenery and animals, both of which are trying to live and survive alongside people. As a species we know we cause damage to our environment daily and in the past decade or so we have been trying to change some of our ways so that we can save our world.

I hope to be able to focus on these positive aspects through my photography, but I also want to show the world the damage we are still causing in the hope that it will encourage people to do more. People are becoming more aware of what is happening but we need to be reminded that the small basic things we do, effect other things on a much larger scale. 

 My main ambition is to contribute to our world through photography, you never know I might just help with the process of saving it or just maybe I can inspire others to do the same. Whether its through change or simply inspiring them to pick up a camera too. You will probably be smiling at this point thinking oh god “another lets save the world kinda person” and maybe I am but just humour me,  keep looking at my photographs as I learn new skills and improve whilst doing my degree and see some of the wonderful things in our world that you probably didn’t know existed. 

I have been inspired by so many photographers and documentary series but my idol would have to be Steve McCurry. He is the photographer that inspired me from the beginning.  Although he has influenced my work I am determined to be my own person and find my own creative style. But I would love to see and experience some of the things he has done.

I understand that not everybody will have the same opportunities as me. I realise that I am very fortunate to be given this chance in life and grateful to my parents, family and friends for helping and encouraging me.  I hope that by creating this website I can at least share with you, through my photographs, the experiences and adventures I hope to have.

 

I would just like to finish by saying… All my life so far, I have struggled with the academic subjects, I got there in the end, but it was not easy. However when it came to the Arts and Crafts I could never get enough. It makes me smile and encourages me even more to succeed, when I tell some people what I am studying for in my degree. They look at me and I can see they are thinking that’s not a proper subject – that’s a hobby – she cannot get a proper job with that but then I explain that in our daily lives we see pictures and stories of different events taking place, moments of happiness, sadness, success and failure, I see the importance of photography as it continues to grow and advance, with Social Media, Videos and even selfies although these are now really a thing of the past, they were a phase that spread across our world and became a nation wide craze. We are constantly looking for the next big thing, another way for us to express our individuality through photography. It has become a way of communication that keeps the world connected, it is quicker than the written word and often more memorable to see a photograph, saying and showing something that could not be easily be put into words. “A picture is worth a thousand words”. To me photography isn’t a hobby but a way of life, it enables me to explore the world and record it at the same time and then to share it with others. I often tell my Mum “you never know I might be the one that just takes that special photograph that everyone remembers”– I hope so.

 

Thank you for taking the time to read this.

 

Frances Eyre

 

October 2015