Flookburgh fishermen never say they are going fishing just that they are ‘Going to the Sand’. They travel where they need to by ancient tractors, negotiating tides and constantly changing sands and channels.
For over 30 years, Tessa Bunney has photographed rural life, working closely with individuals and communities to investigate how the landscape is shaped by humans. From hill farmers near her home in North Yorkshire to Icelandic puffin hunters, from Romanian nomadic shepherds to artisan flower growers her projects reveal the fascinating intricacies of the dependencies between people, work and the land.
As a photographer, sometimes people and places just get to you. Morecambe Bay has been like that for Tessa. Over four years ago a chance meeting with two of Flookburgh’s handful of remaining fishermen has led to this series of photographs.
During this time she has spent many days 6 miles out on the Sand with the fishermen in all seasons and all weathers. During this relatively short space of time regulations have changed resulting in many of her photographs documenting the end of several eras.
These photographs were produced between August 2018 and November 2021. The book is published by Another Place Press.
Tessa is a Millennium Images contributor and you can buy her book here.
