Field Notes: July

An exciting upcoming hotel opening in Yorkshire, recipe books on my radar & the places I'm considering for an autumnal Scottish road trip

Another month has flown by in the blink of an eye. I’m actually feeling unnerved at how fast this year is flying by. I basically live for the summer months, and the start of August always feels bittersweet, as it’s one of my favourite times of the year but I can’t help noticing the signs of the seasons preparing to change. The trees already have a yellowish tint, and the rowan berries and blackberries are ripening. The skies are always magnificent at this time of year - I love going for long golden hour walks on the side of the valley that gets the evening sun, taking my camera to capture that magical light.

Summer finally seems to have arrived. I’m writing this introduction from my garden, having returned from a magical morning swim at my favourite place on top of the hills. The past few weeks have treated us to much warmer weather and clear blue skies, and I’m very much here for it. I just want to spend as much time as possible outdoors, soaking it all up. As a result of the much improved weather, my garden is finally growing and it’s been a delight to pick flowers and produce that I’ve grown myself. We’ve been eating our own peas, lettuce, kale, potatoes and courgettes for a few weeks now - and our bean pole is completely covered in flowers, promising a bumper crop. My dahlias have grown, albeit not as large as last summer, and I’ve stopped pinching off their buds and am now waiting for them to flower. Everything feels bountiful.

I’m currently in the midst of a quiet few weeks for work, but have plenty booked in from mid-August to mid-October. Rather than panicking about a few weeks without any shoots, I’m leaning into the freedom after a hectic few months of back-to-back shoots, travelling and editing. I’ve still got work to do, just not enough to keep me occupied for five full days. Rather than staring at my laptop screen and willing emails to appear in my inbox, I’ve been enjoying spending more time in the garden, walking up the hill for swims, and trying not to feel guilty about spending a day taking my mum out for lunch in Manchester or flower foraging and arranging for my friend’s baby’s naming ceremony. I’m still getting used to the idea that being self employed means allowing yourself to be more fluid with your working hours.

Rather than feeling guilty about not working every waking hour, I’m going to spend the next few weeks enjoying having a little more spare time. I’m a summer baby, and spent my childhood soaking up as much time outside as possible in the summer holidays, becoming used to the idea of having my birthday in the holidays. Every year, I make sure I’m not working on my birthday and usually go away camping (although, this year, we’ll be at home). If I can work as little as possible around my birthday, I’m happy.

Things I’m looking forward to in August: visiting one of my best friends in Brighton this weekend, and spending plenty of time on the beach; my birthday in a couple of weeks; a continuation of early morning and sunset swims in my favourite place, as I begin to fret summer is almost over before it’s even begun; a couple of exciting shoots, including a trip to Scotland that I’m really looking forward to; spending as much time outdoors, enjoying my garden as possible - and my dahlias finally blooming.

Field Notes is quite a long read, and may cut off in your emails so is best viewed on the Substack app or website.

TRAVEL NOTES

July has been a fairly quiet month for travel, following my trips abroad in May and June - but I did have a couple of shoots in North Yorkshire and Devon. The Devon shoot was for a private home and garden that will soon be used as a location house. I can’t say or share much from that one at the moment (although I’ve shared a few photographs on my Instagram - Devon III highlight - that don’t give too much away). It was one of my favourite shoots of the year, however. The house was beautiful, especially when the sunlight shone through the windows, and the garden was an absolute dream to shoot.

The North Yorkshire shoot was for Rest & Wild’s new cabins, which were an absolute delight to photograph. Cabins so often fit into one of two categories - rustic with raw wood or Scandi-inspired black wood - so it was incredibly refreshing to stay in one of R&W’s brand new pink-clad boltholes. Tucked away in a woodland, the cabins have outdoor bath tubs and firepits perfectly positioned with views across the rolling hills.

This month, I have exciting shoots in Scotland and Cumbria to look forward to.

SUBSTACK SUGGESTIONS

This month I’m recommending anyone with an interest in or who works in photography to subscribe to

Alicia Waite

’s thought-provoking newsletter, Picture Papers. A successful analogue photographer, Alicia’s Substack delves into subjects such as how much we should be charging for our services, how to balance photography and parenting, and ‘how to keep your head in a shitstorm’ (i.e. what to do when everything goes wrong on a shoot). I also love her weekly diary posts, that make me feel better about all the time I spend doing anything other than actually being on a shoot (pitching, admin, emails, accounts, editing, etc.). She basically writes the only useful, insightful and information Substack based around building a photography business that I’ve discovered so far.

MONTHLY EDIT

Every month I’ll share what’s been inspiring and tempting me in the worlds of travel, fashion, beauty, gardens and interiors.

Travel & Accommodation

There’s a real lack of beautiful hotels to retreat to here in Yorkshire, so I was delighted to hear the news that Saltmoore will be opening on the North Yorkshire coast this October. This wellness-led sanctuary will have 72 stylish bedrooms, offering a home-from-home for guests seeking both adventures on the moors and relaxation in the spa. There will be also three bars, a wellness cafe, brasserie, terrace and fine dining restaurant, all featuring delights freshly picked from the kitchen gardens. Finally, an opening close to home that I can get excited about!

Another place I have stumbled upon recently is Craftshill Barn, close to Cambridge. You likely already know that I love swimming outdoors, so it will come as no surprise that it was their wild swimming pond that caught my eye. Guests in their Dragonfly Cabin are based right by the water’s edge, leaving them free to spend as much time in the pond as they like, all year round.

Tonnara di Scopello has been on my radar for several years now, but every summer I find myself dreaming of a stay there. I’ve been weighing up a few different options for a big trip for my 40th next year, and one idea is taking the train down through Italy, stopping at a few different places before ending up in this idyllic Sicilian hideaway. A former tuna fishing village surrounded by idyllic crystal clear water, it’s also a popular wedding venue so tends to get booked up quickly. They release their bookings for the year ahead at the beginning of each year, so I’ll be keeping a beady eye on their Instagram for details.

Another trip I’m in the early stages of planning is a autumnal road trip up into Scotland. Due to a mix up with travel dates earlier in the year, we have a cheap hotel just outside Edinburgh booked for early November. We’ve pencilled a week in the diary to drive further up into the Cairngorms, and then either onto the Highlands or west to one of the isles. I’d love to book a couple of nights in one of the boltholes that have been on my wish list for a while - Boath House, Killiehuntly, Lundies, Eilean Shona and The Dell of Abernethy are all at the top of my Scotland list.

Fashion & beauty

I currently have a preocupation with attempting to source the Perfect Wicker Tote Bag. I love Bembien’s Gabrielle Bag in sienna and Dragon Diffusion’s NS Diagonal Triple Jump in tan, but alas, I don’t have the budget for either. I’m hoping I eventually stumble upon the perfect vintage find (or Bembien have a sale), but would love recommendations if you’ve come across anything I may like.

Something else that I’ve fallen in love with but will be beyond my budget: this utterly perfect floral dress from Doen’s pre-fall collection. I’ve always admired Doen’s designs from afar (apart from a beautiful skirt I sourced on Vinted that I treasure).

I’m also on the hunt for the perfect black jumper, that probably doesn’t exist. Cropped to fit just above my hips, not-too-oversized, not-too-tight, crew neck, sleeves that I can roll up, cotton knit rather than wool. Because I don’t buy fast fashion, I often find it difficult to find a very specific garment once I’ve got it in my head. But I’ll persevere and keep my eye open until I find ‘the one’.

Home & garden

I always ask for recipe books for my birthday and Christmas (I don’t know why, I just never seem to buy them for myself) and this year there are three I have mentioned I’d love to receive: Midweek Recipes by Jess Elliott Dennison (a simple guide to weekday cooking), Le Sud by Rebekah Peppler (the definitive guide to the food, drink and lifestyle of south-eastern France) and Ela Ela by Ella Mittas (recipes and stories from Turkey and Greece).

Cabana Magazine is surely one of the most beautiful publications out there (along with my beloved Blumenhaus). Past issues go for a crazy amount of money, but their upcoming 21st (10th anniversary) issue is just £35 - still pricy, but cheaper than the £4.5k hefty price tag for issue 1. I love how they feature never-before-seen homes, unusual destinations and intriguing stories, combined with stunning photographs and covers you’ll want to frame. I used to be a bit of a magazine magpie, but nowadays I only allow myself the occasional splurge of a publication that feels more like an art book that I’ll treasure for years to come.

One of my favourite photographers and an interior writer whose work I really admire have teamed up to create an upcoming book that I’m excited to leaf through. New English Interiors features the homes of 22 English creatives, including Lucinda Chambers and Luke Edward Hall - written by Elizabeth Metcalfe and photographed by Dean Hearne.

I’m currently obsessing over blinds and a pendant light for our bedroom, itching to finish a room we started decorating over a year ago. Although I have still to find my ideal rattan lampshade for our bedroom ceiling, my search led me to discover Beauvamp, who make the most wonderful fabric lampshades in their Derbyshire studio.

Coming this month …

Newsletters I’m planning for paid subs in the month ahead include my musings about spending the traditional ‘summer holiday’ weeks at home, discussing how to improve your work/life balance when you travel for work, and at the end of August I’ll be drawing inspiration from my Substack recommendation of the month and sharing my diary of everything I get up to in August, focusing on how I balance out my work.

Thank you for subscribing to Field Notes. It really means the world to me, and I notice every single time someone new subscribes. If you’d like to have a chat or have anything to say about what I’ve talked about in this newsletter, please leave me a comment and let’s start a conversation!

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Emma x