Where the river turns

‘I’m sharing this because this period of my life marked a real turning point. It was life-changing, altering how I see people and situations, and ultimately had a huge effect on my photography and how I approach my life and work.

In 2023 I came to Arles seeking a quiet few days away from London, trying to make sense of the emotional wreckage left by a toxic relationship with someone who, it turned out, displayed all the traits of a Cluster B personality disorder.

I’d been betrayed and broken in ways I couldn’t yet understand. I was emotionally overwhelmed and struggling to process it all. Sitting on the banks of the Rhône, the pain was raw, like mourning a death.

That dark chapter had led me to Sri Lanka the year before, in 2022, once again searching for clarity and healing. It was there though, through the people I met and the experiences that unfolded, that I found the inspiration for this portrait and a creative energy I’d long been missing.

To see my photograph exhibited along that same riverbank in 2025 felt surreal, almost poetic. Life has a strange way of coming full circle. What once symbolised heartbreak became a place of renewal.

Some people enter your life only to destroy the goodness you carry because they lack it themselves. It was a painful lesson, but it showed me how much compassion and creativity I had within me. The proof was in what followed, the recognition of my work, the joy it’s brought to others, and the incredible people I’ve met along the way.’