Editor’s Note
July has arrived, and with it comes that gentle feeling that perhaps we don’t need to rush quite so much.
The summer months give us permission to slow down a little. To spend longer outside, to notice the changing light, to take the camera with us — or to leave it at home and simply enjoy where we are.
Photography doesn’t always have to be about making something. Sometimes it’s about looking. About noticing a small detail, enjoying a beautiful morning, or taking a quiet moment to ourselves.
So, for this month’s issue, we’re taking a slightly slower approach. A little less pressure, a little more space, and time to enjoy the summer in whatever way feels right for us.
Whether you’re out photographing the landscape, exploring somewhere new, enjoying your garden, or simply taking a break, I hope July brings you plenty of light, inspiration and time to breathe.
Enjoy the month — and thank you for being part of this community. It’s lovely to see WPUK slowly growing into a space where women photographers can connect, share and simply enjoy photography together.
Joy
“The camera is an instrument that teaches people how to see without a camera.”
Featured Artist : Gabrielle de Laborde
Based in Paris, Gabrielle has a wonderfully diverse portfolio, from atmospheric landscapes and dramatic cityscapes to intimate nature studies and striking architectural details. Rather than being confined to one genre, her gallery celebrates a curiosity for the world around her, with each photograph thoughtfully composed and beautifully processed.
Whether she’s capturing golden light over the coast, intricate architecture, or the delicate elegance of wildlife and flowers, there’s a consistency in both quality and storytelling that makes her work a pleasure to explore.
If you’re looking for a photographer whose gallery offers something different with every visit, she’s well worth following.
instagram - gabrielledelaborde
Community prompts
We’re delighted to introduce Community Prompts, a new monthly photography project from WPUK.
Each month we’ll share a theme and invite our community to respond in their own way. There are no rules and no right or wrong interpretation—just a chance to photograph, share and be inspired by one another’s creativity.
Our first prompt was Reflections, and the response has been wonderful. It’s been fascinating to see how differently photographers approached the same theme, from quiet landscapes and still water to abstract details and moments of light.
You can explore the images from our first prompt here:
Thank you to everyone who took part. We hope these monthly prompts will become a place to encourage creativity, celebrate different perspectives, and strengthen the WPUK community one photograph at a time.
“The camera is an instrument that teaches people how to see without a camera.” — Dorothea Lange
captured_by_marion
silkescho_1402
dimpre.marie
jazart72
Jennifer.renwick.photography
ruth4less
my creative_photography
Have We Forgotten How to Simply Enjoy Photography?
How stepping away from the numbers, simplifying my gear, and slowing down helped me rediscover why I picked up a camera in the first place
Lately, I've found myself thinking about what photography means to me now compared to when I first picked up a camera. Photography has never been more accessible. Cameras are incredible, learning resources are everywhere, and we can share our work with people across the world in seconds.
Yet sometimes I wonder if we’ve forgotten one of the most important parts of photography:
Simply enjoying it.
Somewhere along the way, photography became filled with numbers.
Followers.
Likes.
Views.
Reach.
Engagement.
Likes.
Views.
Reach.
Engagement.
I’ve been guilty of it myself. Uploading an image, putting my phone down, then picking it up again a little later to see how it’s doing. Not because the photograph meant any less to me, but because social media quietly trains us to measure success in numbers.
The problem is that the value of a photograph and the performance of a photograph are often two very different things.
Some of the images that mean the most to me have never received huge amounts of attention online. Yet they are the photographs I return to time and time again because of the memories attached to them.
A sunrise that was better than expected.
A dramatic change in the weather.
A day spent exploring somewhere new.
A quiet moment that only lasted a few seconds.
No amount of likes can replace the feeling of being there.
Around the same time, I found myself questioning other aspects of my photography too.
Over the years I’d accumulated more equipment. Bigger lenses. More filters. A larger camera bag to carry everything around in. None of it was bad gear, and there is absolutely nothing wrong with owning good equipment. But somewhere along the way, photography had started to feel more complicated than it needed to be.
Last year I made the decision to strip things back.
I sold most of my larger equipment. The big Fuji lenses went. The filters went. The oversized camera bag went too.
These days, more often than not, I head out with a small bag, one camera, and very little else.
What surprised me wasn’t what I lost.
It was what I gained.
I started enjoying photography again.
I stopped thinking about what equipment I should be carrying and spent more time paying attention to what was happening around me. The light breaking through a gap in the clouds. The way the landscape changed as the weather moved through. The small details I might have missed while worrying about gear choices.
Photography felt simpler.
And somehow, it felt more rewarding.
Perhaps that’s why so many photographers eventually come full circle.
When we begin, we’re excited simply to create photographs. Then we spend years learning, improving, comparing ourselves to others, chasing recognition, and wondering whether our work is good enough.
Eventually many of us realise that the greatest reward was there from the beginning.
Being outside.
Exploring new places.
Watching the seasons change.
Learning to see.
Photography gives me a reason to slow down in a world that constantly encourages us to speed up.
When I’m out with a camera, I’m not thinking about algorithms, notifications, news headlines, or endless scrolling.
I’m thinking about light.
Weather.
Composition.
Timing.
The simple act of paying attention.
And in a world that often feels noisy and rushed, there’s something incredibly valuable about that.
Photography reminds me that beauty still exists everywhere.
Not just in dramatic landscapes, but in ordinary moments too.
A shaft of light breaking through after rain.
Mist drifting across a hillside.
Reflections in a puddle.
The last few minutes of evening light before darkness arrives.
Photography teaches us to notice things we might otherwise walk straight past.
Perhaps that’s why so many people keep a camera in their hands for life.
Because eventually it stops being about the camera itself.
It stops being about the numbers.
It stops being about keeping up.
Instead, it becomes about connection.
Connection to places.
Connection to nature.
Connection to creativity.
And sometimes, connection to ourselves.
Not every photograph needs to be shared.
Not every image needs validation.
Not every creative hobby needs to become a business.
Sometimes a photograph can simply exist because making it brought you joy.
The older I get, the more I think that’s what photography is really about.
Not collecting likes.
Not chasing trends.
Not carrying the most equipment.
Just getting out there, paying attention, and enjoying the experience of making photographs.
And perhaps that’s enough.
If you got this far then thank you.
“Great photography is about depth of feeling, not depth of field.” — Peter Adams
Building a home for WPUK
Over the past few months WPUK has grown in ways I hadn’t expected. What began as a place to share photography is gradually becoming a home for features, community projects and the photographers who make them possible.
One of the changes we’re making is moving 7&7 to the WPUK website. The website gives these features a permanent place where they can be viewed and revisited, rather than disappearing into the flow of social media. It also allows us to build an archive that reflects the breadth of work being shared within the community.
This next 7&7 feature is part of that transition. They celebrate different ways of seeing the landscape and remind us that there is never a single approach to photography—only many individual perspectives.
Thank you for being part of WPUK and helping shape what it is becoming.
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reneetakespics
janad0314
rmbphotogallehy
nicola_turner_photography
marta.in.focus
quietsunphotography
Thank you for spending time with this issue of WPUK.
If you’ve enjoyed it, I’d love you to explore the previous issues and the growing archive of features, community prompts and photography projects on the website.
Until next month, keep looking, keep creating, and keep finding the extraordinary in the ordinary.