Award winning landscape & Nature photographer / Writer / Speaker / EDUCATOR / ENTREPRENEUR / CONSERVATIONIST

Emma Rothera

Emma Rothera is an award winning professional landscape, nature and travel photographer, designer, writer and workshop facilitator based on Holy Island also known as Lindisfarne which is situated on the North East Coast, Northumberland.

At just 16 years old, Yorkshire born Emma, began following her dream when she was offered an unconditional place at Art College. This enabled her to concentrate on her passion of drawing, design and photography on a full time basis.

Emma says: "For me, at just 16, to be able to draw, photograph and create 100% of the time. I was completely in my element, I was constantly in the studio refining my creative skills. After spending the whole of my childhood drawing, painting and creating this really was a dream come true." 

Emma then went onto study Graphic Design Communication at Leeds Metropolitan University and graduated with a BA First Class Honours, one of only nine in the country. She later went on to study a Teaching Qualification in both Further and Higher Education at Huddersfield University. Emma, is now best known for her twenty two year contribution and dedication to the creative industry.

The early part of Emma’s career was spent working for design and advertising agencies in the City, as a graphic designer, predominantly working on high end accounts. This vast experience gave Emma the ability and confidence to progress naturally and successfully into a photographic career. Whilst still living in the city, Emma had a busy working schedule which compromised photography commissions involving ballet, fashion and tourism.

After completely falling in love with natural light and landscape, she made the imperative decision to concentrate on her landscape and nature photography full-time.

Emma has regularly lectured at further and higher education institutes and since 2010 has run her own photography workshops on Holy Island and throughout the Northumberland Coastline. She also accepts commissions for creative arts projects within the community, and through further and higher education establishments in both Graphic Design and Photography. She believes it’s incredibly important to give something back, by helping other aspiring creatives benefit from her experience.

A first visit to Holy Island in 2002, changed Emma’s life significantly.  After falling in love with the tidal island set just of the North East Coast, frequent return visits followed to capture the island photographically. A project of which she named. "A Journey of Light". In 2009, Emma made the life changing decision to move North and relocate to Holy Island on a full-time basis. This has enabled Emma to have a closer relationship with the awe inspiring landscape she loves.

Emma says: “Holy Island is such a magical place, there is such a special feeling here, the peace, tranquillity, calm and light is amazing. Due to the islands unique tidal system the landscape continually changes. Living on the island has been a life changing experience. I grew up in a city and previously worked in a city but now things are very different.”

Since relocating to Northumberland Emma’s serene and atmospheric images of Holy Island and the Northumberland Coast have won her high acclaim within the region. Her image ‘Lindisfarne Castle Sunrise’ was winner of the 2015 Northumberland Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty Photography Competition. The iconic image was featured on the front cover of the 2016/17 Northumberland Coast Visitor Guide.

In February of 2017, Emma won the prestigious “Creative Industries Award” at the Northumberland Business Awards.

In January of 2018, she was again shortlisted for the Creative Industries Award at the Northumberland Business Awards.

Emma’s other achievements include earning the well known title ‘Landscape Photographer of the week’ in Landscape Photography Magazine in November 2015. Her work has also been featured on television, through exhibition and Emma has written for various national publications. Including ‘Rory Bremner’s Great British Views’, Landscape Photography Magazine, Canon EOS and Emma currently writes on a regular basis for the regions best selling countryside magazine ‘The Northumbrian’.

Emma undertakes commercial photography commissions for both a B2B and B2C client base, in the region of Northumberland, Scotland, throughout the UK and overseas. She also offers her vast portfolio of work on a licensing basis. She supplies photographs to stock photo libraries, clients, advertising, web, TV, merchandise and various publications. Emma also undertakes personal commissions for gifts of loved ones, family or friends. Emma works on large and small projects alike, so if you are a small business or individual consumer, please do get in touch.

In addition, Emma designs, produces and sells her own comprehensive range of landscape prints, cards and calendars for both the business and consumer market.

She also offers 1-2-1, 2-2-1 Tuition, Group Photography workshops and Discovery Tours on Holy Island and the Northumberland Coast to beginners, intermediates and aspiring professionals. For further information with regard to these bespoke sessions please see the workshop and discovery tour sections of this website.

Emma is using her branding, photographic and business experience. Offering, since 2018, a further start up business service. This service includes guiding amateur photographers and aspiring professionals on how to take the steps to set up their own photographic business. This course involves portfolio building, branding, including marketing, social media management and building a start up website for her clients which will help them fulfil this dream. You can find out more about this service in the mentoring section of this website.

Travel photography also plays a large part of Emma's career and she is available for commercial bookings, commissions and overseas work.

Emma is currently in the process of writing, designing and publishing her first photography book, ‘Holy Island, a journey of light’ which will be available for purchase in 2019.

Her love and passion for landscape, nature and travel photography is evident in every picture she takes.

Emma says: "These are inspiring times for me, photography is my passion and my life, I live and breathe it and couldn't go a day without it. The things I have been blessed enough to experience and see throughout my career so far, have quite literally blown my mind. I am fortunate enough to be able to do something that is essentially every part of who I am everyday of my life. It excites me to see where the future will take me, over the next ten years I will be travelling more and more with my work. I am constantly pushing my creative boundaries, for me, it has been and I hope will continue to be, a journey like no other."

To contact Emma for further information on booking a photography workshop or discovery tour, a quote for a commercial photographic commission or if you are interested in Emma's mentoring or other services please email: emma.ybphotography@me.com