About

Details

Created on Sunday, 11 December 2011 23:21

I began with photography rather late in life when I was around 30. Actually when my younger brother Ron bought a new camera, back in 1988, I started out with his camera (the Minolta XG9), a rather accidental way to start a hobby. Without any formal training (I studied mathematics) my first years in photography were without any real progress. But gradually, by looking at the work of a lot of photographers and the many deficiencies of my own photos, I slowly began to learn what mattered and what not.

First and foremost that is, of course, light! Looking back I wonder why it took me so long to discover that most of nature's magical moments are at the edges of day and in winter and autumn. When most people are either still in bed or, in winter, before the fireplace a landscape photographer should be outdoor!

A lot of photographers have influenced me to some degree, but two must be mentioned: The German photographer Reinhart Wolf (with his book 'Castles Of Spain'), and, in recent years, the Scottish photographer Colin Prior. Following Colin Prior's example you can find me on top of a hill in The Lake District to catch a winter sunrise. Luckily because of the shortness of a winter day and the modest height of the English hills this is not quite as extreme as Colin's nocturnal near-expeditions in Scotland.

I mainly concentrate on two areas in my photography: medieval architecture - coming from a love for all medieval art forms such as music, painting, sculpture and, of course, architecture. The other area is landscape photography. Being a teacher I'm able to make several one-week trips each year, mostly to Great Britain and Spain, countries rich in both beautiful architecture and impressive landscapes.

In recent years the possibilities of digital photography and postprocessing have greatly improved my photography, especially the use of HDR and (spherical) panorama techniques. However I always strive to make these techniques invisible in the final image.

Over these last few years photography has become my primary interest on my travels, adding considerably to the enjoyment when light and landscape combine to make an intense and memorable moment. I hope my photos evoke some of that 'intensity', although -obviously- it doesn't compare to the excitement of actually 'being there'.