FIELD TRIPS

'It's unclear who first said "The best camera in the world is the one in your hand'' or words to that effect, but most of the photographs in this book are the result of having one, or sometimes two with me while on brief holidays or visiting people around Britain.' - Berris Conolly. Berris Conolly left work as a commercial photographer in 1984, and from 1985 to 1991 was mainly occupied with two major documentary projects in Hackney and Sheffield, both of which have been published by Dewi Lewis. The photographs in 'Field Trips' were made during occasional breaks from the demands of these projects. They take us to all corners of Britain and explore a wide range of landscapes, urban and rural. They encompass both the beautiful and the mundane. For Berris there was generally no conscious or formal theme to the project, other than to record what caught his attention. However, in Wales he followed the 12th century circular route described by Gerald of Wales, accompanying the Archbishop of Canterbury on his recruitment campaign for the partly successful Third Crusade.