🍃 Reciprocity: the interview
6 questions for Gill Moon
Nature writer, n. A person who delights in paying attention, being astonished, and telling about it.1
“We have an area of ancient oak woods that are local to me with trees that are over 500 years old. Walking among these ancient, gnarly oaks always makes me feel small. They have been around for such a long time and witnessed so much compared to us that it is hard not to feel insignificant in their company.” ~ Gill Moon
Welcome to Season 2 of the Reciprocity interviews. My inbox is full of treasure in the form of lovingly observed writing about place, encounters both wild and gentle, imaginative kinship and renewed reciprocity. These thoughtful, talented writers and artists kindle in me the desire to learn more about them.
Today’s guest,
, is a Suffolk based landscape photographer working throughout the UK. She is passionate about promoting a connection with the environment through her work. I first encountered her work last fall, attracted by titles like “Nature Connection” and “Learning from the Landscape.” What I appreciate about the posts, beyond her sublime photography, is how her writing evokes the sensory experience of being outside in a remarkable place. Textures, patterns, sounds, smells form a rich foundation for her thoughtful, soulful—joyful—visuals.Her newsletter, For the Love of Landscapes is a blog where she discusses her weekly musings on photography, landscape, and getting out with the camera.
Why are you drawn to nature writing?
I have always been fascinated by nature. From a very young age I was encouraged to be outside, to explore the natural world and to learn about the wildlife that surrounded me. In those days I would keep diaries and nature notes and sketch birds, butterflies, and plants that I found in my local area.
I was given a camera when I was 10 and this accompanied me everywhere and became a way I could record the things that interested me. My photography has developed more deeply over the years to the point where I now make a living as a landscape photographer.
More recently I have found that I am inspired to write about my images to help express the beauty I see in the natural world. I have produced several photography books where the addition of words has helped convey a more engaging story.
How does writing about nature affect you, in your work or personal life?
As a landscape photographer I spend a large amount of my time exploring the natural world. I am often inspired to keep a diary or journal of my photo trips and I think this really helps bring locations to life when I am writing about my images.
They say a picture is worth a 1000 words but I think photographs can only say so much. I feel my writing helps give my images more meaning. For example a good landscape image will create a mood and convey an emotion but it won’t necessarily show the wildlife I encountered when I took my shot. It is these things I like to write about to accompany my photographs as I feel it gives the images more depth and gives the viewer a greater appreciation of the landscape they are looking at.
While outside, have you ever experienced feeling small, lost or in danger?
Whilst I have never felt any kind of danger when I have been out I have sometimes felt small in the presence of nature. We have an area of ancient oak woods that are local to me with trees that are over 500 years old. Walking among these ancient, gnarly oaks always makes me feel small. They have been around for such a long time and witnessed so much compared to us that it is hard not to feel insignificant in their company.
What’s a favorite memory of nature from your childhood?
I have several memories of nature from my childhood that are special to me. When I was 10 my parents took me to the east coast of Malaysia and I remember going out late at night in the pitch dark to watch leatherback turtles come ashore to lay their eggs in the sand. It was my first wildlife experience outside of the UK and I was fascinated by what I saw.
I have other experiences that are special to me that are perhaps more ordinary. I remember being out for a morning run with my Dad and seeing a kingfisher fly along the river. It was the first time either of us had seen this species and we were so excited. I have written about it before on my blog because the experience has stayed with me ever since.
As a child I loved getting up early and heading out into the fields before anyone else got up. I remember startling a hare once and in its confusion it ran straight at me brushing past my leg and throwing me off balance so that I fell over. It was such a strange experience to be knocked over by a running hare. It appeared none the worse for its encounter with me and I watched it run into the hedge on the far side of the field. Again it’s a small experience but one that I remember as vividly as when it happened over 40 years ago.
What do you hope for, for your writing?
When I started on Substack just over a year ago I wanted to use my writing to help add some depth to my photography work. I felt that the discipline of producing a weekly post would be good for me and I was looking forward to engaging with a new community. However as my writing has developed it has allowed me to grow my voice. I can now talk about aspects of the natural world that I wouldn’t have explored if I was just taking photographs and this has been really good for my creativity and my photography as a whole.
A writer or other creative artist who makes you hopeful for humanity and the earth.
I am drawn to the work of Edward Burtynsky2 and Jim Naughten3 who both have compelling environmental messages within their work and I find people like Jane Goodall very inspiring. On Substack there are many great nature writers that I follow and I particularly enjoy reading the Urban Nature Diary4 written by Thomas Winward. There is a lot in his film Birdwatchers5 which inspires hope.
Each season, we donate 30% of paid subscriptions to a worthy environmental cause. This season, it’s the Center for Humans and Nature, where they explore what it means to be human in an interconnected world. Track past and current recipients here.
What did you enjoy most about this interview? I’d love to hear from you. Or share it with others by restacking on Notes, via the Substack app. Thanks!
Notes and links
If you’d like to participate in this interview series, please DM me on chat, or reach out via email: gabrielli-dot-julie-at-gmail. Find previous interviews here.
For more inspired nature writing and artwork from the best of Substack, check out the articles in NatureStack journal.
In further service to Substack’s nature writers,
curates this lovely directory of nature-focused writers:
thanks, Mary Oliver
http://www.edwardburtynsky.com/
https://jimnaughten.co.uk/
Substack Urban Nature Diary
 | A guest post by
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Thank you for sharing your wonderful work!!! Subbed and followed! Out here trying to make new Substack friends 😊
An excellent interview - Gill creates beautiful images and her writing about each photowalk brings a real sense of the nature within each place she is photographing.