Guest blog by Rachel Foster
As one of the Game and Wildlife Conservation Trust's newly recruited artists, I have very kindly been asked to write a blog post to give you an insight into myself and my work.
I see myself as a typical country person, a farmer’s daughter and now farmer's wife, Yorkshire born and bred. I have always had a real passion for shooting, coming from a shooting family it was all I ever wanted to learn to do as a child, shooting clays from age 12 and my first game in my late teens.
After graduating with a BA(Hons) in Photography in 2014, I knew that my way of making a living had to combine all I had learnt with all that I love so I promptly set up my own little business as a canine, equine and game shooting photographer. After six years of hard work alongside part time jobs I am now very proud to say that it is now my full time profession.
There is nothing I love more than being out in the field, whether it is as a beater, loader, shooter or indeed photographer. My photographic work is fairly evenly split between private commissions and creating imagery for my prints collections. The ‘Game and Gundogs’ range is ever evolving and expanding.
From my first and still some of my most popular prints, Eject and Rainy Day Spaniel, images I feel typify game shooting, to recent shots like Above the Heather as I now seek to excite viewers with different insights into this traditional pursuit.
My collaboration with the GWCT has led to the creation of a new product, using four of my personal favourite images from the collection to produce a pack of 12 notecards. They are perfect for writing thank you notes after a day's shooting or indeed for sending to any shooting, working dog or game bird lover.
My personal favourite is ‘The Designated Driver’ depicting a springer spaniel patiently waiting behind the wheel of the Beaters truck at Snilesworth one sunny August morning. Whilst waiting for the beaters to gather for the first drive one lady nodded and pointed in the direction of the truck, the sight instantly brought a smile to my face and a little giggle as she explained that the loyal spaniel would wait for his owner to return to the vehicle in this way every morning. To me this encapsulated in one simple and humorous image the special bond and companionship owning a working gundog creates.
Becoming one of the many artists now contributing to the GWCT’s collection has helped to take my work to a national and international platform, something that I am incredibly grateful for. Within days of joining I have sent my first print overseas! It is an amazing opportunity and has the silver lining of helping raise funds for a very worthwhile cause.