February Newsletter
Photography in the Yorkshire Dales, Wuthering Heights revisited & vintage news
This month, I visit the Yorkshire studio of florist, gardener and photographer Janne Ford. Also in Yorkshire, I explore Haworth, one of the settings for Wuthering Heights, Emily Brontë’s much talked about novel and the inspiration for the new film adaptation. There’s vintage stock, new book discount news, and cheerful homewares to brighten your days until spring arrives.
Meet the Maker: Photography with Janne Ford
MM: Janne, thank you for joining Love Vintage Etc., can you tell us a little bit about your floristry and photography business?
JF: I run a floral photography studio from my home in North Yorkshire where I host workshops, create content for brands and imagery to license. I’ve always loved photography and when my children were young I wanted to capture them in a more candid way. I started with portrait photography on an old Canon, using a 50mm portrait lens, and it reignited a love of photography.
I’ve always loved gardening, so flowers seemed a natural subject. And I’m very in tune with the seasons, but taking my camera on dog walks made me more aware of the day to day changes. Instagram was just starting up so my nature photography suddenly found a home.
Progressing to flower photography was the natural next step. I started to create floral scenes to photograph and share on Instagram. I’m self taught and like to think of my style as organic and nature-inspired. I only use seasonal flowers: I’m passionate about sustainability within the industry.
MM: Your location, in rural Yorkshire, looks beautiful, was it always your intention to start a business from there and grow your own flowers?
JF: I’m originally from North Yorkshire so it felt a natural decision to move back after 35 years of living in Surrey once the children left home. We live 5 miles from the market town of Thirsk and both the Dales and Moors are within easy reach.
We are surrounded by farmland and life is quite different to our years in suburbia. I have had my photography business for ten years now – social media has brought me many exciting collaborations and opportunities. Last year we renovated an old stable block and turned it in to my studio. It transformed the way I work, photograph and create.
I love welcoming people here for one to one workshops and think I’ve created a warm and inviting space to inspire others. I have a bigger garden now so I can grow many more flowers. I love the whole process from growing, creating through to photographing my work.
MM: What was your favourite commission, workshop, or project of 2025?
JF: Last June I ran my first floral photography retreat here in North Yorkshire. I loved it and felt very humbled that people travelled from as far as the USA to spend time with me and learn how I create my imagery. Working alongside like minded floral friends gives me a real buzz.
MM: And finally Janne, is there anything in the pipeline for 2026 that you can share with us?
JF: I have a number of collaborations and workshops planned for this year. A beautiful floral photography retreat in South West France with La Fleur Blanche organic flower farm and I’ll be running another North Yorkshire retreat in September. I love September for the light, the weather and the dahlias hit their peak so it will be beautiful.
Haworth Revisited
Haworth, the Yorkshire village where Emily Brontë wrote Wuthering Heights in 1847, served as the setting for some of the scenes in the new adaptation of Wuthering Heights by director Emerald Fennel. The backdrop, along with other Yorkshire locations, draws inspiration from the rugged moorland landscapes around Worth Valley, near Bradford.
Ahead of the film’s UK release, on 13 February, I take a look at the village and moorland not far from where I grew up and went to school.
The photographs, from my visit to Haworth last year, capture scenes that wouldn’t have looked much different in the mid-1800s, when Emily Brontë wrote Wuthering Heights. Emily lived with her brother and sisters, Charlotte and Ann, in the parsonage attached to the church, at the top of the village. Their father Patrick served as the village priest and commissioned the construction of the Old School Room built directly across from their home. The blue plaque above the school door marks the place where Emily, together with her sisters and brother Branwell, taught the children of Haworth. It was also the site of Charlotte Brontë’s wedding reception in 1854.
The pathway (image above) leads to the wild Pennine moorland – windswept and scattered with bracken and heather – and to Top Withens – where it’s likely that Emily found inspiration for Wuthering Heights as well as fuelling the imagination for the Brontë children’s storybooks and drawings.
The cobblestone streets with original cottages and Victorian station – served by a steam train – is very much in keeping with the nostalgia of the village. Charming shops and public houses are a delight to explore – the bookshops, the old post office where the Brontë’s posted letters and manuscripts to their publishers in London (now a cafe), and the pharmacy, now The Cabinet of Curiosities – a beautiful apothecary. The Black Bull Inn on Main Street, once a favourite spot for Branwell Brontë, still serves delicious food in its original Victorian setting.
A new exhibition The Colonial Brontës opens on 4 February at The Brontë Parsonage Museum, in Haworth, the original home of the Brontë’s.
February’s Moodboard
We’ve just about managed to get through January’s rain-soaked grey days but the start of February hasn’t looked much better on the weather front. There’s still another couple of wintery months ahead – British Springtime officially starts on 20 March with the Vernal Equinox. But I’ve already got half an eye on summery sandals and little things to cheer up the home.
I can’t shake off my fascination with stripes and these organic cotton tote bags from Monty come in a range of colourways and sizes. The checked tablecloth, in the photograph by Mark Luscombe Whyte for Cabana Magazine, makes the perfect centrepiece for a kitchen. A good alternative is this organic check cotton, sold by the metre, at Merchant & Mills. If you’re looking for fine art prints for your walls do check out the wide selection at UK brand King & McGaw. Shown below is Vase with Gladioli and Chinese Asters, by Vincent Van Gogh – it can be purchased as a standalone print or framed in a range of finishes.
Every year around this time I treat myself to a new journal. I’ve been buying these for around ten years and sometimes supplement them with a Moleskin notebook – I love the creamy texture of the paper, the ledger favoured by the likes of Picasso and Hemingway. This new lilac cover is enough to cheer up any desk and the pretty stitched notebooks by Rifle Paper Co., bottom left, also caught my eye.
More Inspo… Claret & Apricot
The photo of red sandals from Anonymous Copenhagen has been sat on my laptop for months as a reminder to replace the ones I wore to death over the last couple of summers. And to combat the inevitable March drizzle and April showers the Damson Madder reversible raincoat looks the business. For warmer days the LF Markey canvas jacket, in apricot, has enough pockets for all those bits and pieces for dog walks and cycling trips. I’m a tote bag addict and this version of the striped Monty bag, in pinks and reds, is sure to brighten up any outfit. A Moveable Feast – Ernest Hemingway’s memoir of his time in 1920s Paris as a struggling writer – is reprinted by Vintage Classics with a great looking cover and is available from Bookshop.org
February’s Vintage Finds
A lovely vintage French painting of a summer scene in the south of France. Red-tiled roofs and whitewashed houses are nestled in a valley stretching towards the mountains and blue sky. The watercolour painting on paper has been framed in a vintage wooden frame with carved details, and measures 49cm x 38cm. A fabulous painting for any room. Available online at Mason & painter.
“Hydrangeas with books”, below, dates to around the mid 1940s. The vintage French oil painting measures 37cm x 31cm and will be on the website at the end of the week. A great painting for a study or living room.
New Book News – Independent Shops London
My fourth book, Independent Shops London, publishes next month and to celebrate I’ve teamed up with Bookshop.org for a pre-order discount. Simply enter the code LOVEBOOKSHOPS at the checkout. It’s valid for two – just click here for the link.
Thank you so much for reading – your support really means the world to me. If you’ve enjoyed this edition, I’d love you to click the little ♡ symbol or share your thoughts in a comment. Hearing from you brightens my day and helps this community grow. Until next time…
Take a look inside my Spanish home…
Such a beautiful post with gorgeous photos! Just the balm I needed for this dreary rainy day!
Would love to visit Haworth. Looks like time has stood still. So beautiful.