Committee Member Profile – Mark Edwards, Landscape Group Treasurer
When did you first become interested in photography and how?
I learned black and white film photography at school. After I left I couldn’t afford the film and dark room costs. I came back to photography in 1997 when, more out of an interest in the technology, I bought a digital point and shoot camera. It became an occasional hobby taking mainly people pictures, but when landscape photography stirred my interest I knew I had found what I wanted to photograph and haven’t taken a people picture since!
What does photography mean to you?
I lived and worked a desk job in central London my entire career, so it was a great way to enjoy open spaces and fresh air at the weekends. Since retiring and moving to Dorset it is still a great way to get out into the countryside but also a creative outlet and source of personal development.
What do you most like to shoot?
Landscapes and the things you find in the landscape, natural or manmade. I tend to avoid the big set piece sites in Dorset like Durdle Door as these days I am drawn more to the smaller intimate landscapes.
How do you approach shooting? Do you choose the location/subject in advance or do you drive somewhere and start taking pictures.
Both. I do plan trips, especially further from home and have some long-term projects I am planning for the next couple of years including 5 miles from my home and the Somerset coast. When at home I’ll often see good weather and light over the hills and jump in the car or hike up to local locations.
Are you a member of a camera club?
I have never seen photography as a competitive sport so the competition side has never attracted me, but for the first time ever I am about to join a club so we’ll see how it goes!
What is your favourite camera?
I am not very sentimental about cameras so my favourite one is always my current camera. I have owned every major make except Nikon and have just sold all my Canon gear after 10+ years to slim my kit down to one Sony A7R IV body and the Holy Trinity of lenses. Maybe Nikon next!
All images © Mark Edwards
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