Living With Nature

Four questions for photographer Lilly Husbands

Living with Nature is a series in which we put four questions to artists, designers and other creatives with a connection to the natural world.

"Nature is my raw material."

This time, we put our questions to globetrotting photographer, Lilly Husbands.

Although currently living in London, Lilly grew up a world away — on a Texan longhorn cattle ranch. She’s a successful travel and landscape photographer, who’s brought her eye for the wonders of the natural world to the many outdoor brands she’s worked with.

‘Cycles of water’ — Lilly captures the calm of nature

Tell us about a place in nature that’s special to you.

In my travels I’ve come across too many amazing places to count, but I’d have to say a particular place that’s special to me is down amongst the bald cypresses on the banks of the Blanco River, in the Texas Hill Country where I grew up. The landscape is so alive, ever responding to the cycles of water — lack and abundance, drought and flood. And there is something sacred about the way those giant trees visibly dip their toes in the water.

How do you Let Nature In?

I need the colour green. I wear it often, and we recently painted two rooms in our flat in London with lovely shades — terre verte, which is like clear water on limestone, and celadon, the colour of the underside of a leaf.

My preferred interior design style uses a natural palette, with colours that would easily be found in a forest (like mushroom, scree, fallow and taupe) and patterns drawn from nature (herringbone, parquet). I also like to surround myself with the warmth of hardwoods — reclaimed oak and walnut for tables, shelving, desks and bed frames. And abundant houseplants!

‘Feelings of love, wonder and profound respect’ — Lilly connects with her subject at a deeply personal level

How does nature influence you?

Nature is my raw material and my photography is a celebration of that. My work comes first and foremost from a need to be in nature. It seeks to capture not only the physical beauty of an environment, but also the feelings of love, wonder and profound respect it inspires in me.

Tell us about something you’re currently working on.

I’ve been working in my off hours for a number of years on a photo-essay project that brings together critical, historical and personal narratives around the figure of the mountain man. The photos that accompany the text are largely of miniature toys in various grand natural landscapes. It’s quite a complicated idea to explain, and I’m not yet ready to reveal too much, but I’ll include a teaser photo here!