PHOTOGRAPHIC portraits of a rural village have received critical praise for depicting the relationships between people, community and places.

Ryedale Folk Museum will display photographs by Lucy Saggers as part of her ongoing documentary project set in Ampleforth.

The scenes of the village, set on the southern edge of the North York Moors National Park, have been taken over the last four years.

She said her work “seeks to shine a light on the sense of continuity that still exists in rural communities, and the way a piece of country is stitched into people’s lives despite today’s fast-changing times.”

Following a career in wildlife conservation and rural development, Ms Saggers undertook a diploma in photography in 2012, and began documenting local landscape.

Her photograph Coconut Slice was highly commended at the Only in the North photographic competition held at the Bowes Museum last year, and made the second round of the Taylor Wessing Photographic Portrait Prize at the National Portrait Gallery in London.

Renowned landscape photographer Joe Cornish, who has a gallery in Northallerton, said: “Great photography requires devotion to subject matter, yet you must also develop the craft that enables you to channel your thoughts, feelings, ideas and impressions of your subject directly through your camera. Lucy Saggers is such a photographer.”

Ryedale District Council provided financial support to produce a book which will accompany the exhibition and be available to buy from the museum.

Jennifer Smith, director of Ryedale Folk Museum, said: “I am delighted that the museum will host this exhibition. It reflects our own aspiration to tell the unique stories of people in the area.”

The exhibition, called Of Life and Land, will be on show in Ryedale Folk Museum’s free to visit art gallery space from February 10 until March 25, open from 10am to 4pm daily.

It will tour to The Witham cultural art gallery in Barnard Castle from July 5 until to August 4.