HI I’M REBECCA
A radically authentic visual storyteller
As a visual storyteller, my soul’s calling is to illuminate and amplify nature’s messages and messengers by harnessing the transformative power of storytelling.
Change begins with individuals and storytelling meets people where they are at. The hook of intrigue walks people over a threshold, where imagination unlocks and opens the door to a whole new way of being.
Story is remarkable. It can spark individual awakening, enchantment with the interconnectedness of all life and amplifies collective action for positive change.
About me
As a visual storyteller, photography and I have been walking a journey for most of my life. Following my calling in 2010 to make it my life’s work. Sensing light and connection is something I feel with every fibre of my being and a day doesn’t go by where I don’t pause to appreciate that I get to live out my purpose in my work as a visual storyteller.
I am a curious soul. I adore life and I thrive on creating in the alchemy of the moment. Seeing how people, place and planet connect and how to wrap epic light around all of that.
By illuminating the liminal space where myth, magick and intellect meet, we ignite collective curiosity, enchantment and awe to empower the healing of people and planet.
My story
a coastliner
Born and based in the seaside town of Ramsgate, living on the clifftops with my hubby Mark and our three wonder cats Solar, Cosmos and Magnus. I adore coastal life. From my desk, I gaze out across the horizon to France and soak in the stillness the sea brings. The view is ever-changing, from sunrise to sunset and every luminous moment between. As a water woman, I swim and paddle-board in the sea all year round. Grounding by the ocean is part of who I am. Protecting the coastline runs through my work and my activism. I am always working to create positive impact for people, place and planet.
a wild woman
I am deeply attuned to the innate wisdom of nature. The elements, the sea, the moon, the seasons, and the cosmos. This profound connection weaves through every aspect of my life. Grounding and guiding the way I see and sense the world. It feels like a sixth sense. An intuitive awareness that fuels my curiosity because there is so much dopamine to be found when we are in a state of enchantment and awe. This spiritual connection to nature infuses my storytelling, I believe my work as a visual storyteller has soulful depth that resonates with people because of the potency of the fundamental truth of knowing that we are nature.
a subzero traveller
I weave travel into my work whenever I can, it’s pure magick. I’m a nature girl through and through, and my heart is happiest in the cold. Over the years, I’ve become an experienced Arctic and Sub-Arctic traveller, capturing visual stories for brands, proposals and elopements, and leading photo tours across Iceland and Norway. Travelling in these northern regions puts me right in the Aurora zone, and I’ve spent over eight years chasing the northern lights. Documenting brand stories and soulful moments under the night sky. My husband is Scottish (hence the Douglas surname) and we love spending time in the Scottish Highlands, hiking and paddle-boarding through some of the most breathtaking landscapes.
Nothing is linear
We live in a society that approaches life as if there is a linear path. This trajectory is one that I followed for a while. I was fortunate enough to have the means to go to Uni. Straight after school I went to the Uni of Sheffield, studying a degree in Geography. Deciding to stay in the city of steel (you can read more about what Yorkshire means to me here) and worked in recruitment for a number of years before relocating back to Kent.
Working in higher education advising on employability, I did my Cert Ed part time, progressing to teaching folk photography. All the while I was building my photography business. For the first decade of my photography career, I captured love stories across the UK and Europe. Shooting engagements, proposals and weddings, as well as elopements. However, quite organically, I found myself being asked to bring my storytelling eye to capture lifestyle and branding projects.
Since 2020, this has become my joyful focus and I love running my business that is so entwined with my passion and purpose. As a visual storyteller, I am on a mission to rewild our connection to nature. To deepen my understanding of story, I recently qualified as a Women’s Circle Facilitator, to expand spaces in which stories can be shared and witnessed.
LIMINAL SPACES ARE WHERE THE DOPAMINE IS
I’m wired to see and sense things differently.
I have spent most of my life searching for ‘something’ and the truth was in plain view all along. And in 2021, I got to call off the search, as I was ‘late-diagnosed’ with ADHD. I share my story about neurodivergence because I believe I can only do the work I do because of how my brain is wired.
ADHD brains are wired for seeing dopamine and nothing delivers dopamine more than enchantment. The thrill of a tangent, epic light painting, the flirtation with liminal boundaries and wild edges.
And here is where the alchemy lies. The Default Mode Network (DMN) is all about curiosity and daydreaming and it should switch off when the Task Positive Network (TPN) which is about focus and getting things done, fires. However, this doesn’t happen in ADHD brains. For example, both are running in tandem. This means, when you’re focused TPN fires, but the DMN doesn’t switch off.
Therefore, as a visual storyteller, this for me is where I feel creativity fizzing in my brain. While I am focused on shooting, my brain is brimming with ideas and this creative portal in my brain is wide open to novelty and seeing things that most would overlook. When understanding how my brain works, I am more aware of how this can lead to unexpected and enchanting moments being seen, captured and shared.
My photography journey
Photography and I go way back. You could say it is the love of my life.
2005
Bought my first DSLR after saving up in my first job after uni.
2014
Took the leap to chase my dream and went full-time with photography and shot 48 weddings that year!
Presently
Now shooting lifestyle and branding imagery for conscious brands, visionary founders, and purpose-led creatives.
1997
Started developing film in a newsagents part time while I was at school, and always had an interest in photography.
2010
Started my business shooting weddings and family work, building it up alongside my full-time lecturing job.
2019
Lifestyle and branding work for conscious brands and heart-led founders started growing rapidly, so I began to limit the number of weddings I took on.
My why
You see what’s at stake, the harm humanity has caused, yet you see beauty too. Enchantment even. Hope.
You know that to disrupt the paradigm and drive meaningful, impactful change, we must challenge public discourse.
We must rewrite the narrative on our relationship to ourselves as part of nature. It’s our life’s work.
But it’s not your voice they need to hear. Nature must speak for herself. It’s her stories, her messages we must illuminate if we’re to outshine the outdated, oppressive systems that seek to quiet her wisdom, and destroy people and planet.
Once gripped by the trappings of a cultural narrative, the myth of more. Consumed by consumerism, the pursuit of enoughness, a linear trajectory sold as the dream.
And yet what was rising in me was a lot of dis-… dis-connection with nature, dis-enchantment with life, dis-ease with self and dis-trust of others.
Until one day, someone shared their story, it ruptured my heart and soul wide open, and, in its wake, dismantled all I thought I knew. I could see why I was duped by this myth of more. A myth that upholds a toxic systems and structures that are harming people and planet. I couldn’t live by those narratives anymore.
It was the beginning of a homecoming
I embraced my deep connection to the sea, the weather, and the cosmos and as the boundaries between nature and I softened, it birthed an awakening.
We are nature, and nature is us. Our curiosity is being silenced. We’ve lost the simple thrill of awe and enchantment experienced in nature and it’s costing us our connection to nature, each other, and ourselves. To heal our planet, we need to rewild our connection to nature.
This wisdom emboldens me and energises my thirst for knowledge. Its activated the curious citizen scientist in me, building on my academic background in Geography and Marine Resource Management.
My neurodiverse brain, wired for enchantment, became my greatest asset; the alchemy in my visual storytelling, infusing my creativity, my vision with a unique and vibrant energy.
My sixth sense connection to nature guided me to other nature-connected souls. We co-create imagery in relationship with nature and the alchemy of the moment, illuminating the liminal space where myth, magick and intellect meet.
Together, we harness the transformative power of visual storytelling to awaken curiosity, enchantment, and awe, because we know that this is how we empower collective action for positive change to heal both people and planet.
We reject the passive acceptance of cultural narratives and norms choosing instead a different path. A life that deepens our spiritual and intellectual connection to nature. Choosing to live and work from a place of devotion to our planet. We choose to rewrite the story of humanity’s relationship with the each other and the planet.
This is our journey – a bold adventure for revolutionaries, changemakers, thought leaders, and visionaries to trail blaze a new way.
Are you with me?
My mission & values
To rewild our connection to nature through visual storytelling.
As a visual storyteller, I want to change the world for the better, ones story at a time. Through visual stories that I capture, through conversations that I have and through sharing my own story, this combination emboldens people and empowers change.
Explore my Print Shop Collections, here.
Wild Wisdom
A deep rooted connection to nature, being guided by nature’s cycles and their ancient wisdom.
Creativity
Creating in the alchemy of the moment with nature is radical, deep trust that all we need will come into being
Storytelling
Storytelling is a powerful medium that allows us to perceive, explain and make sense of the world.
Enchantment
Infusing the magick of wonder into every aspect of life, to awaken curiosity and awe
Awakened
curiosity
My soul is drawn to curiosities and novelty, it is magnetic and it is in this space that alchemy unfolds. That we need to be humans being, to truly awaken our curiosity.
Sustainability &
profit for purpose
TOGETHER, WE CAN REWILD OUR CONNECTION AS PART OF NATURE& LEAD THE WAY FOR OUR COMMUNITY TO FOLLOW.
visual storyteller, RUNNING MY BUSINESS In A SUSTAINABLE WAY WITH PEOPLE & PLANET AT THE HEART IS AT THE CORE OF EVERYTHING THAT I DO.
USING MY BUSINESS AS A FORCE FOR GOOD DRIVES MY MISSION & IN 2022 I WAS ABLE TO DONATE PHOTOGRAPHY TIME AND % PROFITS TO CREATE £7911 OF IMPACT FOR CAUSES I CARE MOST ABOUT.
Questions?
Let’s have a chat
I SEE YOU THERE MY LOVE…
If you’re thinking of how we can work together, I’d love to get to know you and hear all about your ideas and how you’d like our time together to unfold, so let’s get a time in to chat.