The Place That Made Me
The Place That Made Me
Photography and words: Lydia Harper
Location: Knysna, South Africa
The effects of South Africa run deeper than the slight twang left behind in my English accent. My first visit was pivotal; a marker in my life with a distinct before and after.
I ended up in Knysna by chance. With no expectations I stumbled into this small coastal town and felt as though I had found my place in the world. There was an energy that aligned with my own, in the people and the landscapes, and it has pulled me back time and time again. This is the place that changed me, that became a home and inspired a career.
In that sleepy town by the sea, I found a slower, more considered way of life. People had time for each other and they wanted to spend that time outdoors. Surrounded by ocean, forests and mountains, there was a shift in my own mindset and I gained an appreciation for nature that I never had before. Wild and intricate plants, crashing tides and animals from story books; it was a new world to me and I wanted to experience it all.
The best days were the simple ones, those spent on dirt roads and empty beaches, or a slow morning and a river swim. I fell easily into the daily routine of going out to shoot at sunset. With a camera on the passenger seat, the windows down and my hand dancing through the salty air, those evening drives to the ocean were my sanctuary.
I didn't know it at the time but that was the beginning of my journey as a photographer. Slowly I taught myself how to shoot, to look for textures, movement and light. I often miss the simplicity of those days, back when it wasn’t “work”, just a love of the process and a way to document my days. But I owe those landscapes everything, and know that my work will always be shaped by that time.
Water and seascapes have remained a recurring thread in my images but on a personal level those shorelines were an escape; restorative and calming they were my place for reflection and perspective. I know am not alone in feeling this, many of us speak of that intrinsic connection to water and its effects on our wellbeing and creativity.
I spent a lot of my time alone on the road and found a certain beauty in discovering the area by myself. My endless missions to take photos lead me to places the locals had never heard of, to abandoned cabins, lost quarries and beaches they didn't recognise. I learnt the roads like the back of my hand and thought of those landscapes as though they were my own. Solo travel taught me to trust my instincts, to enjoy the solidarity and to build a relationship with a land and its people so far from my roots.
I made lifelong friends and lost others along the way, fell in love and allowed it break me. Like the ebb and flow of the tide, some of those losses were gentle and easy on me, others crashed hard and pulled me under. Destructive but beautiful, I came out of it stronger; grateful for the lessons, the friendships and the memories
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