History Of 'The Book Of Colour'

I grew up locally on a farm in Westhumble until the age of fifteen, when family circumstances changed and we moved to Dorking. Having grown up in the countryside I gained a natural love and appreciation for nature which has continued to grow over the years. We then moved to Leatherhead in October 2004 shortly after the birth of my daughter, with my husband and eldest son.

During that first year in Leatherhead I began to explore the countryside around our location. Taking walks along the River Mole, across Leatherhead Common, places such as Wisley, Polsden Lacey and more recently Cherkley Court. Each outing brought inspiration by such beauty that I began to feel the need to capture these scenes and images through photography to keep as a reminder. However this never felt quite enough as I wanted to share these with others and make them understand what a wonderful place we lived in.

Having found encouragement from my friends and family, I began to produce and sell photo cards. However, little did I know that there were bigger ideas to come. It quickly progressed into selling framed photographs that I had taken, and I was overwhelmed from the positive response that I received.

Our local community shop B@titude sponsored me by buying a more professional camera to aid in this new venture with the promise that I would not give up if things got tough and to have faith in what I wanted to achieve. They arranged for meetings with professional photographers to help guide me in the right direction and to share their knowledge. But much more important than that has been their unfaltering belief in my work and ability to succeed.

This is what photography means to me; to bring a little bit of the outside in, brightening our homes and lives with natures amazing creations.

Caroline Gasson

B@titude Team, 19/08/2008