Mike |
THE ROOTS
I'm originally from Lancashire in a small village near Chorley; Eccleston.
A quiet place, much like myself. I grew up introspective and creative, with a fondness for nature and the outdoors and nature. My artistic streak began early in Primary School, becoming adept at detailed drawing as I went through high school.
At college I studied Graphics and Fine Art, and went on to graduate university with a BA Hons in Illustration before ending up working at... a local garden centre. Such a natural progression...!
Potential |
THE INSPIRATION
It was about 2007 that I started finding my love of photography - oddly enough kickstarted by the rise of Instagram and smartphones. I'd previously dabbled in traditional darkroom film photography during college and thoroughly enjoyed it, but this proved to be a rewarding 'instant' creative outlet, being able to directly edit and filter and share on Instagram where I began amassing followers.
After several holidays spent in the Lake District, Scotland and Wales, I began to find a passion for landscapes, and I invested in my first DSLR to take with me on my travels.
Destination |
THE LAKES
The Lake District began to feel like a place I wanted to live in the future - easy access to fantastic scenery and a chance to become more dedicated to what was now a growing interest in landscapes.
When my job at the time began to make my life feel more like a work-sleep-work cycle, I decided enough was enough and made enquiries at Hayes Garden World in Ambleside, in the hope that my experience would get me in. It did. Almost as if my current job had actually played a hand in my fate.
Once the Lake District had become my new home, I could "chase the light" without the prospect of a trek up the motorway, even capturing images before or after work. All the while learning from my experiences and mistakes, and building a portfolio through the seasons. I'm now living in Windermere which is a fantastic village in so many ways, not least the fact that it's so close to a lot of the great scenery and I can be enjoying the views from up Loughrigg or Lingmoor in under an hour or two.
Gear |
IN THE BAG
Camera
Sony A7Riii
Lenses
Sigma ART 14-24mm F2.8 DG DN
Sigma ART 24-70mm F2.8 DG DN
Sigma 100-400mm DG DN
Sony 20mm F1.8 G
Samyang 135mm F1.8
Filters
Formatt Hitech Firecrest 100mm 6-stop & 13-stop ND Filters
Firecrest 100mm Filter holder & Firecrest slim polariser
Other gear
F-Stop Satori EXP backpack
Leofoto LS-284CEX Tripod with integrated levelling base
Leofoto LH-36 Low Profile Ballhead & Nodal Rail for panoramas
Apple Macbook Pro Retina 13"
Apple Studio M2 Max
Software: Adobe Lightroom, Adobe Photoshop
iPhone 11 Pro
Samsung S5 Mini (used as remote trigger via IR and app)
DJI Mavic Air drone
