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 Hi my name is Rick and I'm a part time landscape photographer living in Norfolk, England.
I specialise creating images of the amazing and diverse UK landscape.
Being raised in Yorkshire in the north of England I spent many a day walking the hills and valleys of the Yorkshire dales, that’s where I suppose my love for the outdoors was born.
After leaving school I joined the Royal Air Force and spent the next 14 years travelling to some exotic (and some not so exotic) places.
Being in the military was a great life experience, but although I often had an a 35mm film SLR with me on my travels, there was precious little time for to learn photography properly.
So when I left in 2002 it was time to rekindle that passion.
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After using a few compact cameras I got my first digital SLR in 2003, a Canon 10D with an APSC sensor and a mighty 6.3 megapixels, well it felt mighty at the time, but it was definitely good enough to learn the basics.
Over the years I’ve owned and used various cameras from Canon, Fuji, Nikon, Olympus and Sony, and I’ve come to believe that it’s the photographer’s skill that makes a good photograph not the camera.
Indeed a good tripod, pair of wellies, and set of waterproofs are the essential tools of a landscape photographer.
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Whilst learning my craft I dabbled with different genres including sports and wildlife, but it was landscape that I fell in love with.
Landscape photography is sometimes thought of as being easy, just walk around in the countryside and snap away right?
I was to discover that landscape photography requires a lot of dedication and a certain amount of masochism.The enjoyment of an activity that appears to be painful or tedious.
Pre dawn starts and post dusk finishes lead to an almost permanent state of sleep deprivation.
Patiently waiting, sometimes in the cold, sometimes in the rain, but usually both, for the light to make an appearance and bathe the landscape in magic.
In fact 9 out every 10 trips results in failure so you need a good deal of patience and persistence in this game, but when it all comes together it’s a real joy to witness nature at its finest.
Ansel Adams once wrote "Landscape Photography is the supreme test of the photographer, and often the supreme disappointment".
So why do it? To put it simply, it's good for the soul.
There's something indescribable about waiting for the sun to rise, with only the sound of nature to keep you company.
Landscape photography gets me out walking and exploring, and makes me look at the world in a different way.
It's also a great for dealing with the stresses and anxieties we seem to find ourselves surround with these days.
Most of my work is in the traditional "eye witness" style and can be found in the Locations section.
However I do also like to indulge my creative side in the form of more artistic and minimalist images, and these images have been given their own Collections.
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Travel and the Environment
Humankind is having a negative effect on nature and the climate, and travelling the world to shoot landscapes isn't helping.
So in 2021 I decided to take some, albeit small, action and bought an electric car.
I also invested in solar panels, and since having them installed, almost every journey has been done on solar power alone.
It's not much but I feel it's better than me doing nothing.
I've also started to travel a lot less and shoot more locally, which allows me to spend more time exploring to find new subjects, and return more often in different weather conditions.
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