Who needs Tuscany?

Whilst sunflowers are certainly not uncommon in the UK - lots of gardens in my village currently have their towering, yellow faces pearing over fences and up the sides of walls - a whole field of them came as quite a surprise!

A month ago I was lucky to have visited Tuscany - something that had been on my 'list of things to do' for a very long time. Driving from Pisa airport their were acres of sunflowers, on both sides of the road, stretching for miles into the distance. Sadly, on an auto-route, we couldn't slam on the brakes and stop for me to take photos (although I did suggest it 2 or 3 times!). Imagine my surprise when driving back from Chichester yesterday when I saw a field of them, growing in our very own West Sussex. Who needs Tuscany....?

End of summer?

I can't believe a little over a week ago we were basking in glorious sunshine and experiencing one of those hot, dusty, sunshiny days that haven't appeared enough (if at all) this summer. I grabbed the camera, tripod and next door's dog, Fudge, and took off for the day. We started early and were at Benbow Pond, just outside Midhurst, by 8am. I 'd thought that having a dog for company was going to present certain challenges (in terms of my ability, or lack of it, to take photos) but exactly the opposite turned out to be true. However, my ability to get out of bed early certainly restricted the early morning shots I was hoping to get - mist on water and all that - a return visit will be required.

However, I was rewarded by a stunning evening at West Marden, 5 miles north of Chichester, where my cousin was finishing the harvest. I joined him and the team for tea and took the opportunity to take some photos of the last field being combined. A real end of summer feeling. Am now planning to go back and practice my 'interiors photography' in their stunning holiday cottage & B&B - highly recommended and his wife, Carole, was recently rewarded Friendliest Landlady in Britain! How cool is that?

What is this about?

So this is me, Lou Bushell, Photographer. I say that because I’ve never been quite sure of what I wanted to do. But this summer I joined the ever-increasing number of people made redundant in the recession – in my case it was the push I needed to ‘get out there’ and get on with it. After three or four weeks of contemplation, walking, sailing and generally getting much needed head space after nine years working in Richmond (20 years in London in total…. madness) I’ve made a decision of what I'm going to do in my new life!

I’m going to be a proper, grown-up, professional photographer! I’ve been a semi-professional photographer for around 8 years already so this may not sound like a huge step to you. But for me, it means investing in lots of new camera kit, learning a whole heap of technical stuff, networking like mad, and of course taking LOTS of photographs. It means getting up very early to get the atmospheric landscapes. It means going to lots of events held locally to me to record the people and activities that take place. It means sharing my journey via this blog, hopefully connecting with lots of like-minded people along with way and charting my progress, up and downs, good shots and bad shots… follow me to see what happens!