Claire Brooks

If you love what you do, you are already successful”

Photographer Claire Brooks has lived most of her life in rural Oxfordshire. What the county lacks in coastline and mountains it makes up for with stunning secluded woodlands and tranquil waterways. Life in the landscape is what inspired Claire to take up photography in 2017. She spent a number of years travelling to the coast and the mountains to make images and learn the art of landscape photography. She adores the British landscape in all seasons, particularly the magical feuille morte colours of the Lake District and Scotland. More recently she has been seeking inspiration on her doorstep. Working in this way has opened up her photographic creativity, experimenting with different styles of image making along the waters of the river Evenlode.  

Photographing water, she has captured the beautiful patterns, shapes and reflections that one may possibly not notice by just taking a casual walk by the river. The work became an in-depth study and is presented in her book, Evenlode | The Sound of Waters. 

Always aiming to progress her image-making has brought her to where she is on her personal trajectory.

Claire maintains her full-time post at the University of Oxford as an oncology researcher but balances this with time spent with her camera. More recently she has embarked on an entirely new and different development, taking on part ownership and management of the hugely successful boutique wine bar and restaurant, Fire & Wine, which is located on Groves Yard.