UK Landscape Steve Walton

Steve Walton

Steve Walton LMPA LBIPP is a professional photographer based in Loughborough, Leicestershire. He has won many regional and national awards with his work. His long experience in outdoor pursuits has made him passionate about his landscape photography. Steve is the current BIPP Midlands Region Photographer Of The Year and the MPA East Midlands Region Pictorial Photographer Of The Year.

UKl
How did you feel when you heard that you had won?

Steve
The British Professional Photography Awards is the result of a collaboration between the MPA and the BIPP, and this event in October 2004 was the first in what is to become an annual event. It is the showcase for professional photography in the UK. As this was the very first BPP Awards, I was thrilled to learn that I was a finalist in the UK Landscape & Travel category. The winning entries are announced only at the Awards Ceremony, so the category winners only know of their success as the announcements are made. The tension is electric, as you can imagine! To be the recipient of a category-winning "Oscar", when your work stands alongside the very best photographers in the industry, is a sublime experience and will remain with me for the rest of my life.

UKl
Was this your first entry?

Steve
It was my third entry into the UK Landscape & Travel category. I've had success with numerous categories in the East Midlands Region and Midlands Region print competitions over the last three years, winning with both the MPA and the BIPP and I've done quite well in the pictorial and illustrative disciplines at National level during this time, scoring highly.

UKl
How many images did you enter?

Steve
I entered two images into the UK Landscape & Travel category, and both were given Awards Of Excellence. This means that both of my images were finalist choices in this category. One was a panoramic image of Great Gable in the English Lake District, taken on a Fuji GX617. The other was a shot of the standing stones at Callanish, which was judged to be the winning image.

UKl
Tell us the story of the shot.

Steve
I had a long-held ambition to photograph the standing stones at Callanish. The site is well-known and has been photographed many times by many photographers, both professional and amateur, with varying degrees of success. Having never been to the Isle Of Lewis previously, I did a fair bit of research beforehand in order to determine the best approach for photography. I quickly came to the conclusion that sunrise would probably give the best light conditions for the time of year that I was planning the trip, this was to take place at the end of July and the beginning of August. Sunrise at this time of year is around 3.30am and that has the bonus of taking place long before the hordes of tourists arrive, so I knew there was a good chance of being able to work alone and without unwanted distractions. As the stones are arranged with the tallest and most dominant running roughly from East to West, the ideal composition also dictated that sunrise would give the most favourable aspect. I decided to take a Mamiya 7(11) with 43mm, 50mm and 150mm lenses with Fuji Velvia 50 asa as my film of choice. I booked a weeks' stay in a local "Blackhouse" which is a traditional Hebridean croft, complete with peat fire! The first day was spent looking around the site and working out a plan for the shoot. The site is currently very accessible, and can be visited at any time. It was evident that my sunrise plan was certainly the best option, given the topography and arrangement of the site. Not least of all because of the large number of tourists that continually visit the stones during "normal" hours! The problem I had was simply with the weather: it was raining when I arrived and the forecast was not good. Poor visibility, grey sky and heavy prolonged blustery showers......great! Four days later and there was no change in the weather, frustrating but beyond my control. I had resigned myself to the fact that the images that I had hoped to capture would very likely not be possible, at least not on this trip. Fortunately, my partner and I are very keen walkers and sea-kayakers, so all was not lost. We walked and paddled around the Islands, exploring the coastline, watching the abundant wildlife. The weather forecast for the fifth day finally brought hope for photography, the wind was dropping and the rain was to clear with a fine spell taking over, just in the nick of time! So, the following morning we were at the stones for 3.00am to be greeted with the most spectacular sunrise I have ever seen. I worked quickly with only the 50mm and 43mm lenses and the conditions I had really hoped for came just as the sun rose above the horizon. There was some cloud which followed the alignment of the stones and this was a gift! Using the 43mm lens, the powerful sunlight illuminated the clouds from below whilst lighting the stones as perfectly as I could have wished for. It was an image that I instantly saw as a monochrome. It was so graphic and timeless, everything suddenly came together for me at that instant. I had captured the basis of the image that I wanted! Back home, when the transparencies came back from the lab, I scanned the selected image on my Imacon scanner, cropped the file and converted it to a blue-toned monochrome in Photoshop CS.

UKl
According to you, what makes a landscape shot exceptional? And what advice would you give to those trying?

Steve
Technical excellence, visual impact and a clear understanding of the subject by the photographer are the criteria by which photographic images are judged, and with some additional good luck, landscape photography is no exception. The best advice I could offer to anyone getting involved in landscape photography would be to look carefully at the work of those whose work you admire, see how it was done and then aspire not to emulate, but to do better! Seek qualified advice and constructive critiscism, learn and don't be afraid of disappointment or failure, because truly good landscape photography is very difficult to achieve. Above all, research and learn about your subject by forward planning. put everything that can be controlled into place before the shoot. If an opportunity for an image arises unexpectedly, don't fail to grab it!

UKl
How long have you been a member of the MPA/BIPP

Steve
I've been a member of both organisations for 6 years, since I made the decision to change careers to become a full-time professional photographer.

UKl
Do you think belonging to a photographic association makes competitions more accessible?

Steve
There are many levels of competition in photography, and it is wise to be selective. Some competitions carry high-level recognition of success, others less so. I believe that membership of an association offers a sensible route into worthwhile competitions of a high standard. As a professional photographer, the benefits of success in top-level competition, whilst personally very satisfying, are often reflected in increased business, and this is my experience.

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UKl		How did you feel when you heard that you had won?
Steve		The British Professional Photography Awards is the result of a collaboration between the MPA and the BIPP, and this event in October 2004 was the first in what is to become an annual event. It is the showcase for professional photography in the UK. As this was the very first BPP Awards, I was thrilled to learn that I was a finalist in the UK Landscape & Travel category. The winning entries are announced only at the Awards Ceremony, so the category winners only know of their success as the announcements are made. The tension is electric, as you can imagine! To be the recipient of a category-winning "Oscar", when your work stands alongside the very best photographers in the industry, is a sublime experience and will remain with me for the rest of my life.
UKl		Was this your first entry?
Steve		It was my third entry into the UK Landscape & Travel category. I've had success with numerous categories in the East Midlands Region and Midlands Region print competitions over the last three years, winning with both the MPA and the BIPP and I've done quite well in the pictorial and illustrative disciplines at National level during this time, scoring highly.
UKl		How many images did you enter?
Steve		I entered two images into the UK Landscape & Travel category, and both were given Awards Of Excellence. This means that both of my images were finalist choices in this category. One was a panoramic image of Great Gable in the English Lake District, taken on a Fuji GX617. The other was a shot of the standing stones at Callanish, which was judged to be the winning image.
UKl		Tell us the story of the shot.
Steve		I had a long-held ambition to photograph the standing stones at Callanish. The site is well-known and has been photographed many times by many photographers, both professional and amateur, with varying degrees of success. Having never been to the Isle Of Lewis previously, I did a fair bit of research beforehand in order to determine the best approach for photography. I quickly came to the conclusion that sunrise would probably give the best light conditions for the time of year that I was planning the trip, this was to take place at the end of July and the beginning of August. Sunrise at this time of year is around 3.30am and that has the bonus of taking place long before the hordes of tourists arrive, so I knew there was a good chance of being able to work alone and without unwanted distractions. As the stones are arranged with the tallest and most dominant running roughly from East to West, the ideal composition also dictated that sunrise would give the most favourable aspect. I decided to take a Mamiya 7(11) with 43mm, 50mm and 150mm lenses with Fuji Velvia 50 asa as my film of choice. I booked a weeks' stay in a local "Blackhouse" which is a traditional Hebridean croft, complete with peat fire! The first day was spent looking around the site and working out a plan for the shoot. The site is currently very accessible, and can be visited at any time. It was evident that my sunrise plan was certainly the best option, given the topography and arrangement of the site. Not least of all because of the large number of tourists that continually visit the stones during "normal" hours! The problem I had was simply with the weather: it was raining when I arrived and the forecast was not good. Poor visibility, grey sky and heavy prolonged blustery showers......great! Four days later and there was no change in the weather, frustrating but beyond my control. I had resigned myself to the fact that the images that I had hoped to capture would very likely not be possible, at least not on this trip. Fortunately, my partner and I are very keen walkers and sea-kayakers, so all was not lost. We walked and paddled around the Islands, exploring the coastline, watching the abundant wildlife. The weather forecast for the fifth day finally brought hope for photography, the wind was dropping and the rain was to clear with a fine spell taking over, just in the nick of time! So, the following morning we were at the stones for 3.00am to be greeted with the most spectacular sunrise I have ever seen. I worked quickly with only the 50mm and 43mm lenses and the conditions I had really hoped for came just as the sun rose above the horizon. There was some cloud which followed the alignment of the stones and this was a gift! Using the 43mm lens, the powerful sunlight illuminated the clouds from below whilst lighting the stones as perfectly as I could have wished for. It was an image that I instantly saw as a monochrome. It was so graphic and timeless, everything suddenly came together for me at that instant. I had captured the basis of the image that I wanted! Back home, when the transparencies came back from the lab, I scanned the selected image on my Imacon scanner, cropped the file and converted it to a blue-toned monochrome in Photoshop CS.
UKl		According to you, what makes a landscape shot exceptional? And what advice would you give to those trying?
Steve		Technical excellence, visual impact and a clear understanding of the subject by the photographer are the criteria by which photographic images are judged, and with some additional good luck, landscape photography is no exception. The best advice I could offer to anyone getting involved in landscape photography would be to look carefully at the work of those whose work you admire, see how it was done and then aspire not to emulate, but to do better! Seek qualified advice and constructive critiscism, learn and don't be afraid of disappointment or failure, because truly good landscape photography is very difficult to achieve. Above all, research and learn about your subject by forward planning. put everything that can be controlled into place before the shoot. If an opportunity for an image arises unexpectedly, don't fail to grab it!
UKl		How long have you been a member of the MPA/BIPP
Steve		I've been a member of both organisations for 6 years, since I made the decision to change careers to become a full-time professional photographer.
UKl		Do you think belonging to a photographic association makes competitions more accessible?
Steve		There are many levels of competition in photography, and it is wise to be selective. Some competitions carry high-level recognition of success, others less so. I believe that membership of an association offers a sensible route into worthwhile competitions of a high standard. As a professional photographer, the benefits of success in top-level competition, whilst personally very satisfying, are often reflected in increased business, and this is my experience.

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