A Photographers dream…

…that sums up Iceland really, its a dream world with photo opportunities everywhere you look. Been back in good old Blighty for a week or so now, organising the next trip (early May) and missing the land of fire and ice. Made good use of the time going through some of the photos though, we are very lucky to have Ian as DOP on this film, he won’t like me saying any of this but his vision and creativity as a cameraman are unbelievably good. His stills work is simply stunning in my humble opinion, he’s been playing a lot with his Leica this trip!, though he’s by no means a kit junkie or camera snob, just as happy with his beloved Canon or an iPhone.

Below is a small collection of his work, some of it shot on his own turf in Bristol, some in Iceland, I’ll let Ian put in his own words what inspires him as a photographer….

An old rusted worn out typewriter belonging to a homeless man in Bristol: Taken on a Canon 7d and vivitar 283 flash gun.

“What inspires me photographically!…..Well to be perfectly honest. I don’t know until I see it.

I would like to leave it at that but know it will not suffice, so will dig deeper and ruin that one liner above.

I am always looking for photographs, they are to be found everywhere, all the time, but it is a struggle to get most of the photographs I really would like. I constantly fail, I would say, I fail in 98% of what I would like to achieve.

Inspiration is all around, I see inspiration in nature (that includes humans!) I see inspiration in the gutter, in our left overs, spoils, rubbish, pollution, industrial architecture, addiction, the animals around us and our failings in our landscapes and societies. I am inspired by texture dark and light, shadows, black and white. Inspired by characters I see and meet.

I do admire and respect many photographers, but I really try not to look at their work (which is difficult). It may sound odd, but it would make me stop pressing the button. I do not find inspiration in looking at others work, I see the most beautiful work, the best photographs in the world, the most harrowing and utterly breathtaking photography. But it does not inspire me. It only serves as a reminder of how insignificant my work is and likened at this moment in my head to a tiny spec of dust is sitting on a 35mm sensor! I suppose I am inspired by what is in my eyes and not by what others do or have done.

A photographic scavenger is how I would describe my style of photography. I am obsessed with pattern, abstract textures and movement, objects discarded and lost, rubbish, things, birds, wildlife and stuff. I have become less and less concerned with clean noiseless images, I am far more interested in textures and noise, sensor grain, and the rougher side of what a image can offer. I like movement. Most of my work is a scavenge, I rummage for images, it is not always clear, but always there. I have to hunt for treasure at times, it is a journey. On the journey remnants are captured, moments and history, collected. Worthless but worthwhile.

I work as a wildlife cameraman. This work is very creative, but I am still bound by rules. My photography is free from pressure and from rules. I can photograph what I like. I can find what I like, I can at times create what I like. I do not have to impress anyone its just me, the camera, and a situation”

Thats that.