Sally Low, 2025 Environmental Bursary recipient, shares an update on her bursary project which explores the hidden cost of intensive poultry farming in the Wye Valley.
Since receiving the bursary, I’ve begun fieldwork along the River Wye, making four trips so far and spending time across different stretches of the valley. This early stage has been about getting a feel for the river, understanding the geography, and starting to work out where the story really sits.
A lot of this time has been spent walking the river, revisiting locations, and speaking with people who live, work, or spend time around it. Through these conversations, what’s become clear quite quickly is that the story isn’t as straightforward as I initially imagined. There are very different perceptions of the river - some people are deeply concerned about water quality and environmental change, while I have been told that others continue to use and enjoy it without feeling there is an issue. That tension is starting to feel like an important part of the work.
Photographically, this phase has been focused on observation and building a visual approach. I’ve started making portraits of people connected to the river, alongside images of the landscape itself, trying to understand how to hold both the human and environmental sides of the story together.
The scale of the Wye has also been a key factor. It’s a long river, crossing multiple regions and communities, so part of this process has been identifying where the story feels most present. I’m beginning to focus on a few key areas along the upper, middle, and lower stretches, which will form the backbone of the project going forward.
Above: Citizen Scientist Testing, Sally Low
While environmental reports point to intensive poultry farming as a significant contributor to pollution in the catchment, the effects of this aren’t always immediately visible on the surface. That’s reinforced the need to approach the project through both environmental context and lived experience, rather than trying to present a single, fixed narrative.
Seasonality is also playing a role. Over the winter and early spring, high water levels and colder conditions mean that some of the more visible signs, such as algal blooms, aren’t as apparent. I expect this to shift as the weather changes, and plan to return to the same locations over the coming months to document those changes.
This stage has been important for building connections, understanding the river more fully, and shaping the direction of the project. The next phase will focus on spending longer periods in specific locations, allowing for a more sustained and in-depth body of work to develop.
Above: Grain Depot & Ancient Woodland, Sally Low
Be inspired by Sally Low’s journey and see where a bursary can take your work.
Applications for Royal Photographic Society bursaries are now open, including the Eamonn McCabe Bursary, offering £3,000 and mentoring for photographers aged 30 and under, and the Joan Wakelin Bursary in partnership with The Guardian, which offers £2000 for the production of a photographic essay on a social documentary issue.