Finding Light: A Journey into Nature to Find My Soul
A Debut Portfolio of Landscape & Nature Photography by Brad Carr
‘‘Finding Light brings together a series of atmospheric photographs of the Welsh landscape, accompanied by intimate nature writing by artist and writer Brad Carr.
This collection weaves together image and written word as a deeply personal response to Brad’s experiences of both external and internal landscapes. Through these evocative and ethereal pieces, he invites the audience into his journey — one of transformation and discovery — offering insight into the restorative power of being in Nature.
Described by the artist as ‘self-portraits,’ the photographs represent his emotional state at the time of their creation. They provide a simultaneous view of both the inner and outer world, moving between expansive vistas of wild landscapes and intimate studies of ancient trees and mystical woodland scenes. Each piece tells a unique story, capturing moments of reflection, solace, and connection.’’
- Plas Glyn y Weddw, Finding Light Exhibition, May - July 2025
Nature’s Great Initiation
This wilderness has saved me. I came out here just a boy, struggling with identity and lacking in purpose and direction. The men in my early life had abandoned me and my family, so I learnt not to place too much trust in men. A world ruled by men in my immature child’s mind was a scary place to be. As a result, I learnt to place the utmost amount of trust in myself from a young age.
For the most part, I matured quickly in the absence of a reliable and consistent father figure in my life, but there were (and still are) many parts of me that were immature and underdeveloped. The masculine half of my psyche, in parts, was still trapped in my childhood somewhere. I learnt very early that to be a man was dangerous. Men were volatile, full of anger, and would quickly erupt into a fit of rage without too much in the way of provocation.
If it wasn’t for my interactions with Nature during a fragile period of life, and my discovery of long-forgotten wild places that have helped me to reconnect with my own wild man within, I believe that I would still be frozen in the immature boy psyche; afraid to step up, face the real world, take responsibility for my own life, and ready to run whenever things became too much of a challenge.
Nature has kept me grounded, and just like the trees, my roots are reaching deep into the earth. I have little desire to run away any more, because I know where it is that I belong. I have learnt to stand strong and face any challenges head-on with bravery and courage. I had no idea when I began this long journey inwards, just how important these interactions would become as I danced between the threshold of my boy/ man psyche.
Eryri (Snowdonia)
I have heard you in my ear a thousand times over,
whispering which way to turn next.
You call me unto you,
and still that which rebels inside of me knows best and chooses to run the other way.
When I rest my weary body
and close my eyes at night,
it is you that I see;
your long limbs contorting and bending
around the silent waters’ shores,
your flowing curves
silhouetted and sheltered by the cool evening moon
that rises from distant lands,
illuminating your vast expanse.
When the moon becomes full,
I will follow my heart,
which leads me straight to you,
Eryri.
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The Traveller
A man walked in;
a traveller,
self-proclaimed with pride.
Wide-eyed and curious,
nothing there to hide.
I stood back and observed
as I often like to do.
I watched his face light up with joy,
I knew his heart was true.
He said to me, with an enlightened smile,
'I love the trees, you know!'
I mirrored him, and asked him 'why?'
He paused a moment.
His gaze met mine.
Then he spoke with softness
words that won't get old.
'How could I not love,
a piece of my own soul?'
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A Conversation with My Nan that Altered My Vision Forever
I didn’t know it at the time, but this conversation with my nan and the resulting questions that I asked would change the way that I would create photographs forever. A month later, I created ‘First Dance’—a photograph of two trees dancing through the morning’s mist and away into the light.
My works since that conversation have been much more ‘about’ things than ‘of’ things, and that is something that I know will continue as I engage with my inner child and use the powers of my imagination to create my photographs and tell my stories.
Read the full essay exclusively in Brad’s upcoming photobook, Finding Light. Available to preorder here.
Seeking Stillness
Originally published in A Photographer’s Journal, 8th January 2023
The following collection of photographs was collated under the theme of stillness. All of the photographs shown here were created around one of Eryri’s lesser-known lakes between 2021 - 2022.
It is a place that holds a deeply personal meaning to me—a spiritual place with tremendous healing potential. I can be alone here for hours, reflecting a lot, and processing emotions. Here in this sacred, lesser-trodden landscape, I have discarded old parts of myself and adopted many new ones, too.
One of my foundational creative essays, Seeking Stillness, was written eighteen months after my first discovery of this mystical Llyn (lake).
Read the full essay exclusively in Brad’s upcoming photobook, Finding Light. Available to preorder here.
The Great Wood
I owe my life to The Great Wood in the grounds of Gregynog Hall, Mid Wales. This wonderful ancient oak woodland taught me a lot about the importance of forming a connection with the subject and location in our pursuits for deeper and more meaningful photographs.
I will never forget the 40-50 visits I made during the summer of 2021 that led to the creation of this portfolio of photographs across three or four glorious mornings later on. A selection of these photographs made it into my 2021 zine, A Year Amongst Trees, along with a piece of prose about ‘awakening’ to the beauty of the woodland.
Read the full essay exclusively in Brad’s upcoming photobook, Finding Light. Available to preorder here.
A New Dawn
Originally published in A Photographer’s Journal, 8th November 2023
‘‘I never harboured much interest in art when I was younger. I put in minimal effort during art class in school, and instead sat and daydreamed about the computer games that were waiting for me back home. I was an avid gamer from the age of around five or six, until the age of twenty-five. I still remember, as if it was yesterday, the morning when me and my older sister stealthily sneaked downstairs before the sun had risen to turn on our stepfathers’ games console for the first time. That morning, we probably managed to play for an hour or two before he woke. In later years, I could easily rack up ten, sometimes even twelve hours of screen time. I can’t help but think about how much my life, and I, have changed in a relatively short period of time.
Instead of roaming around dreamed up worlds, playing a character from the imagination of someone else, I find myself trudging through ‘Dead Marshes’, roaming the forests of ‘Fangorn’ and post-apocalyptic wastelands here in the real world.’’
Read the full essay exclusively in Brad’s upcoming photobook, Finding Light. Available to preorder here.
‘‘These are the moments that help to reprogram my mind.’’
The Old Tree
What do you see? Some people see animals, some see faces. Others, of course, see a lonely old tree in a field. I see a reflection of myself as I choose to walk across the landscape with one eye closed.
On one level, this might be a tree in a field. On another, it might contain faces and animals. On yet another, it holds within a story of my own, and now of yours, too. It also holds the story of Nature, which is a universal one, and stands here as another link in the chain of consciousness for which there is no beginning or end. Our minds, aware of the concept of time, and, therefore, of beginnings and endings, past and future, might see the old tree on its own stage, as I did, sharing wisdom from the past to create a better future for us.
Read the full essay exclusively in Brad’s upcoming photobook, Finding Light. Available to preorder here.
A Bridge Between Two Worlds
Originally published in A Photographer’s Journal, 16th February 2024
‘‘The camera is the bridge that connects these two worlds. Not only does it capture what it sees in the external world that is so familiar to us all, but it reflects, at the same time, the inner world of the artist; one that is completely unique and so often unknown and unseen, even by the artist’s eyes at times.’’
Read the full essay exclusively in Brad’s upcoming photobook, Finding Light. Available to preorder here.
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Learning to See Again
Originally published in On Landscape, November 13th 2024
‘‘The art of Nature photography, I believe, can play a key role as we look to repair our relationships with ourselves and each other, and ascend towards a more loving and peaceful haven on earth. Nature photography is a holistic practice that combines the mind, body, and spirit. It has immense potential as a modality for delivering healing to the human soul and bringing humanity back into harmony with the natural world, which, in turn, brings us back into harmony with our deeper self and each other as a result. Not only do we move energy and emotions through our body as we move across the landscape in search of a photograph, but the very act of creating can help to unburden us of our psychological baggage as we transmute our pain into creative power.
Read the full essay exclusively in Brad’s upcoming photobook, Finding Light. Available to preorder here.
The Cold Winter Air
Originally published in A Photographer’s Journal, 14th February 2023
Even the trees are frozen, white over with a stubborn hoar frost that is clinging firmly to their branches, and yet, they still wake to the warm embrace of the sun’s golden light and go about their duty.
The thought of this reminds me of my own duty: to create photographs and stories, and explore what it means to be a human being; to give life to others in the only way that I know; by sharing my emotions and, hopefully, allowing people to feel something when I do. In the same way that I have been given this gift through music, films, and stories throughout my short life so far, I feel a great need to give back to a world that has given me so much already. I’m being pulled by a force far beyond myself to share my love for this planet and bear the fruits from the garden that I have been growing inside of myself.
I am reminded of our nature by the trees that give without asking, grow continuously, take only what they need, shelter us humans from storms, share their wisdom with the young, and listen without judgment or opinion.
Read the full essay exclusively in Brad’s upcoming photobook, Finding Light. Available to preorder here.
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The Sunshine After Rain
Originally published in Nature Vision Magazine, Spring 2025
‘‘Despite the storms swirling around me in every direction, I sense a promise of light breaking between the dark clouds. My heightened senses swiftly bring me back home to my body. I plant the legs of my tripod firmly into the ground beneath me and wait patiently for the light that inevitably follows every storm. In the moments between, I feel the deepest gratitude and find acceptance for every experience that has led me to this sanctuary here within, and to the hilltop and panoramic views that are reflected in my outer world. My intuition rarely fails me. The clouds part, and the softest golden blanket spreads itself across the landscape, illuminating the darkness momentarily. It smothers me long enough for me to draw in a few short breaths. I open my camera’s shutter to freeze a moment of beauty which will provide me with a lifetime of reflection. Words quickly follow:
I have known sadness,
and I have known pain,
but at least now I know what it’s like
to feel the sunshine after rain.’’
Read the full essay exclusively in Brad’s upcoming photobook, Finding Light. Available to preorder here.
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Finding Light | Brad Carr’s Debut Photobook
Brad’s opening seven-year creative cycle resulted in the production of his debut photobook, Finding Light. The book draws to a close a deeply personal and introspective period of Brad’s life, during which he sought the sanctuary of the natural world to help him make peace with his turbulent and violent childhood and find a sense of belonging outdoors in Nature.
The book compiles a large collection of Brad’s most touching and powerful photographs, alongside which stand over twenty visceral and emotional creative essays and heartfelt poetry.
You can support the work of Brad Carr by preordering Finding Light here.