About Derek

A self taught landscape photographer, based in North West England, I have been interested in photography since I was a teenager when I won a Kodak Brownie 127 camera in a raffle on holiday. My interest began then and has developed over the years. I have a passion for the landscape, love to be out in the great outdoors and have always loved taking shots of landscapes but not so much people! I love walking as a way of keeping fit and my walks have taken me to some of the most stunning locations in the British Isles.

I made the switch to producing digital images back in 2001 and around the same time I began to spend weekends in Snowdonia. With so much scenery worth shooting in the region, my portfolio of Snowdonia images grew and grew. My photography obsession got stronger and I branched out to shoot the wider British Isles. I went on to win the Snowdonia Society Photographic competition with a winter image of the Snowdon Horseshoe and my images have been reproduced in articles about the Snowdonia landscape and in "Country Walking" magazine.

Having recently retired after many years in the property profession I am now able to spend more time indulging in photography. Over the next few years I hope to expand my portfolio further whilst travelling and walking all over the British Isles. I am looking to capture other areas, particularly the National Parks, the Areas of Outstanding Beauty and the National Scenic Areas in Scotland. My ambition is to tour and photograph the whole of the British coastline in the not too distant future, now that I have more time on my hands.

Landscape photography is challenging, fascinating and absorbing, it changes constantly with the light, places, seasons and the weather. All of these elements make landscape photography totally enthralling with each and every day offering something new.

The "textbook" approach is often to choose the subtle tones and hues that the British landscape is noted for, or choose to be out at dawn and dusk "the golden hours" or rely on extensive digital manipulation, but personally I prefer to work with the strong and vibrant colours which are naturally produced when the lighting conditions are right.

It's very hard to define one's own style but people have told me that my photography is defined as "representional" producing images that show the landscape at its most natural, as viewed by myself through the lens.

I currently use a Canon 5D digital camera with high quality wide angle and telephoto lens. I occasionally make use of Lee neutral density graduated filters to achieve the correct exposures and sometimes use a polarising filter to reduce reflections and glare; also to darken blue skies and increase saturation.

I am keen that others are given the opportunity to enjoy the scenes that I have witnessed so I aim to reflect the beauty of our natural heritage through this website and my fine art prints and am always looking for opportunities to exhibit images in suitable locations, for example in galleries, hotels, restaurants and other business premises. If you own a venue or gallery and would be interested in showing or selling my work please contact me to discuss.

I am also available for commision. If there is a particular view or scene in the British Isles which is close to your heart or you would like an image of an area I have yet to cover, please feel free to contact me at info@britishlandscapes.com and discuss things further.