"Laura Ashley asked me to photograph some of her summer collection in the studio. I told her they need to be photographed in the countryside because her dresses were considered “romantic”. She said “Why don’t you come and stay at my house in Wales as I’m going on holiday”
So Marianne Lah who was my girlfriend and I drove to Wales. We took no hair, make up or stylist. Just the two of us. The countryside around her house was spectacular. I just had to point the camera”
~ John Swannell
“I don’t like ephemeral things. I just like things that last forever”
~ Laura Ashley
I know how certain images have the power to completely transport us and discovering this gem in John’s archive reminded me of that. Its beauty and tranquility spoke to something deep within me. It made me believe once again that photography, at its best, can offer a kind of quiet liberation — a reminder that serenity still exists if we pause long enough to see it.