We spoke to the wonderful Sadie Aldridge at Sadie Aldridge photography to find out a little more about her life when she isn’t helping us by taking fantastic pictures.
Hello, Sadie! Can you share a bit about yourself and what inspired you to start your business?
Hello! Let me start with the fundamentals. I grew up in the quaint Georgian town of Bewdley in Worcestershire with my wonderful parents & brother, as a family we spent a lot of time outdoors. Being a millennial, we didn’t grow up around smart phones and computers. Playing outside and making dens was our way of fun! Which I am grateful for to this day.
My father was a photographer and raised me around the craft, inevitably inspiring me and resulting in me following in similar footsteps. Creativity always came naturally to me and I spent my school, college and University years exploring different art forms along with photography being a main focus. From then on, my ambitions of being a fulltime photographer grew and grew. I now have a self-employed photography business which I have established over the last several years: ‘Sadie Aldridge Photography’.
In recent times I lived in the French mountain resort of Morzine for 6 years, which provided me with copious amounts of inspiration and adventure every day. I treasure those moments and have created a lot of friends & photographic work out there that will forever hold a special place in my heart. I call France my second home and regularly visit for ad hoc photography work whilst enjoying mountain biking, skiing and hiking. Over the last 4 years I have been settled back in the UK; enjoying nurturing my photography business and reconnecting with the people and landscape around me here.
I have a passion for travel and photograph many weddings, sports events & business photoshoots in Europe & the UK on a yearly basis, however having a base here in Bewdley I can call home; now means more to me than ever.
What does Nature and Well-being mean to you?
Do you ever find yourself a little lost or anxious? We all do at some point in our lives and I felt exactly this when I moved back from France nearly 4 years ago. My initial thoughts were to become more grounded, exercise & re-unite with nature; as I knew this was something that always helped me in the past when i felt disconnected with myself.
Beginning of 2021 and the world was still experiences waves of covid and the effects of lockdown. In a bid to be proactive and help others, as well as myself; I decided to start a monthly ‘Nature photography walk’ in my area. Inviting people to join me for a 4mile walk around the Wyre Forest to engage with our surroundings and capture what we see with our camera’s / or camera phones. I wanted to make it accessible to anyone, you didn’t need to have practiced photography before and you didn’t need a digital camera; you just had to bring yourself and enjoy reconnecting with others and the outdoors.
Since covid had made us all so insular and affected the mental health of many, I knew this could be a way to immerse others back in to socializing and feeling a part of community again. Combining this with my passion for photography and love of forests it led to a perfect social gathering; where the group could connect with their surroundings using a creative medium in a mindful environment.
I have seen the benefits of what spending time in the outdoors has on people, we become childlike again and the nature of exploring is fun-filled. The forest being a playground to feed our imagination and soul. When I would feel stressed or overwhelmed with life, I would often venture out on long walks, hikes & bike rides with the intention of ‘switching off’ or ‘escaping’, However it would sometimes do the opposite but in a positive way. I would find myself focusing on the raw life around me; the grounding of trees, the movement of the leaves, birds flitting about, squirrels jumping from branch to branch and deer tiptoeing their way through trails. Engaging with this source of activity made me reflect on my way of living and how I can be more at peace, enjoying the simple way of life.
How we; like animals and plants also need to adapt with the seasons and experience the uncertain elements of the landscape to make us stronger.
Like seasons, we too change. We grow like the flowers of spring, we thrive from the vitamin D of summer sun, we sacrifice like the tree’s autumn leaves and we surrender to the Winter darkness.
We constantly face changes and challenges in our lives, so finding a safe place to reflect and inspire us is an essential tool.
What does photography mean to you?
I usually have my Camera in hand or packed in my rucksack for any given moment. Capturing landscapes and wildlife would excite me, make me smile and feel gratitude for our world. I would share my photographs online in hope that others could feel the same way or bring an inspiring/ delightful vision to people who may need it at that time.
I always hoped that my images would motivate friends and followers to spend more time in nature and feel the benefits of being active outside.
I had many messages where people would thank me for sharing these pieces of art. Some particular quotes that have stayed with me are:
“I always get excited when i see a post of yours, your pictures are simply sensational. You have so much talent”
“An extremely talented and passionate photographer who always has the most beautiful way of seeing the world. She has a rare talent at capturing something truly unique”
“I wish everything looked the way it does through your camera lens Sadie! you capture the beauty in everything”
Photography means so much to me, It’s not just a job it’s a lifelong passion and practice. A place where I can express myself, a tool that i can offer to help others express their self/ or businesses. It’s in my nature, I see everything around me as if it were a frozen moment in time, always appreciating the vision in front of me and seeing the beauty in everything.
What one piece of advice can you give?
Just get outside!! Embrace all the elements and you’ll find something that makes you keep taking a step forward.
Working with Wildjac spirits:
I was drawn to working with Wild Jac because their brand resonates with me. The fact that they are an eco-conscious business who use locally sourced ingredients but also give back to the planet meant a lot to me. Many of our brand/ product photoshoots have taken place in the Wyre Forest. With the Wild Jac headquarters being on the edge of the forest and myself being a local guru of the area, we were able to create content in the exact environment that the brand has evolved from. At the same time always being respectful of our land.
I like that Wild Jac host regular workshops, I booked myself on to a Cyanotype & Gin tasting workshop at the start of 2024, which i would highly recommend. Combining a creative art with Gin tasting was just fabulous. We not only learnt about the art medium from a local artist, we also learnt about each spirit and the botanicals used within them that are sourced from the area. This took place within the forest at Wyre Forest community land trust, who hosted a sheltered outdoor space to bring this workshop together.
I am excited to work on future projects with Wild Jac, some including a ‘well-being’ campaign in the New Year.
Contact details/ Portfolio
Website: https://sadiealdridgephotography.com/
Instagrams: @sadiealdridge and @sadiealdridgeweddings
Facebook: SadieAldridgePhotography