Esther Towler Photographer

02/11/2026

Wild Hearts was published last year, and it remains one of the most meaningful things I’ve ever created.

At its heart, this book is about our UK rare native horses and the wild places they keep. It began as a six-year project shaped by a love of horses, landscape and the quiet kind of beauty that asks you to slow down and look properly.

These horses are not just subjects to me. They are part of the land, part of our heritage, and part of a story that feels increasingly fragile. Through Wild Hearts, I wanted to witness their strength, stillness and presence before these herds become even rarer.

If you’re looking for a Christmas gift that feels thoughtful, lasting and deeply meaningful, Wild Hearts is a limited edition book, signed and numbered, with 10% of the price contributed to the Rare Breeds Survival Trust.

A book for those who want to bring something precious into their home.

30/10/2026

What is a Van D**e Brown print?

It’s a hand-made photographic process first used in the 1890s, slow, tactile and beautifully old-fashioned in the best way. There’s no printer, no lab, just light, paper and my own hands.

I brush a light-sensitive solution onto the paper, leave it to dry in the dark, then place the negative on top and expose it to UV light. When the print is washed, the image appears. As it dries, the tones deepen from soft gold into the rich, earthy brown Van D**e Brown is known for.
I print on Kozo, a Japanese paper made by hand from mulberry bark. It’s delicate, with visible long fibres, but also surprisingly strong, a balance that feels right for the horses I photograph.

I work with Britain’s rare native horses, and I’m drawn to materials that reflect what I see in them: fragility, resilience and quiet strength. No two prints are ever exactly the same, which is part of what makes them so special.

30/10/2026

What is a Van D**e Brown print?

It’s a hand-made photographic process first used in the 1890s, slow, beautiful and rooted in craft. There’s no printer, no lab, just my hands, the paper, light and time.
I brush a light-sensitive solution onto the paper, let it dry in the dark, then place the negative on top and expose it to UV light. When the print is washed, the image slowly appears. As it dries, the tones deepen from soft gold into that warm, earthy brown that makes Van D**e Brown so distinctive.

I print on Kozo, a Japanese paper made by hand from mulberry bark. It’s delicate to hold, with long fibres you can see when the paper is lifted to the light, but it’s also remarkably strong, much like the horses I photograph.

That balance matters to me. The rare native horses I work with are few in number, weathered by the land, and quietly resilient. Kozo holds that same feeling: fragility, strength and something precious you want to keep close.
No two prints are ever exactly alike. Each one carries tiny variations that make it truly handmade.

21/10/2026

There’s something about printing on Awagami Unryu paper that slows me right down.

It’s so fine that I handle each sheet as if it might tear, and in a way that feels right. The ponies I photograph on Holy Isle are fragile too, a rare breed that came very close to disappearing. Printing them on something this delicate feels like an honest way to hold them.
These are some of the gentlest prints I’ve ever made, and I’ve loved every quiet hour spent on them.

A small collection will be available very soon. Collectors Circle members will hear first.

19/10/2026

15/10/2026

In my studio, this autumn, I’m refining my Van D**e Brown prints of the Eriskay ponies of Holy Isle, a historic alternative process I’ve been working with for some time.

Every print brings small changes. My pencil notes record them: cut the negative to the edge, coat evenly, watch the drying. On smoother paper the light found its way back into their manes. On handmade kozo there were bubbles, soft blooms, and a trace of blue from cyanotype left on my drying rack. That one feels most like the island.

An old iron and silver process, mixed and coated by hand, so no two prints are quite the same. It suits these ponies.

I’m very close now to the print I’ve been working towards.